Best of Salta: Guided City Tour
Description
Embark on a 3-Hour Adventure in Salta! Immerse yourself in this vibrant city with its Neoclassical wonders, such as the Cathedral of Salta and the San Francisco Church. Marvel at the views from atop San Bernardo Hill, relive Argentina's fight for freedom at historic landmarks, and indulge in a shopping spree at the bustling Artisan Market. Finish the escapade with a visit to San Lorenzo, a subtropical retreat for the wealthy. Your journey starts and ends with seamless transport from your Salta hotel.
Tour Options
Itinerary
After hotel pickup, head by coach toward the city center, and listen to your expert guide share the history of Salta. Founded in the 16th century by Spanish visionary Hernando de Lerma, Salta turned into a wildly successful trading center. See evidence of Salta’s heyday in the gold-plated cathedrals and mansions as your vehicle winds through the city, which went into decline after Argentina’s war for independence and the changing of trading routes on the Pacific coast. Today, Salta is known for its beautiful and well-preserved colonial architecture.
Reaching the central plaza, behold the grand, twin-towered Cathedral of Salta, built in 1885, and learn about national hero General Güemes, whose remains rest in the cathedral; he fought against the Spanish during Argentina’s war for independence.
Pass by the Cultural Center of the Americas, and note the Spanish viceroyalty colonial architecture of the Historical Museum of the North, housed in the old cabildo, or town hall.
Admire postcard-perfect San Francisco Church, with towering white pillars supporting a crimson-colored façade. Its purple belfry stands 174 feet (53 meters) tall, and the bell it holds was constructed out of the cannons used during the Battle of Salta.
Pass by the 16th-century San Bernardo Convent, one of the oldest buildings in the city, and the monument to General Güemes.
Leave the city center and head into the foothills skirting Salta. At the top of San Bernardo Hill, take in sweeping views of the city and Andean peaks.
See the Battle of Salta monument and February 20th Park, built in commemoration of the battle fought and won here during the war for independence.
Visit the nearby village of San Lorenzo, frequented by wealthy families from Salta during the summer because of its unusual subtropical microclimate.
Return to Salta and stop at the Artisan Market, located inside a traditional white colonial building, to peruse the offerings from craftsmen who travel from all over the province to sell their goods here. Snack on alfajores (cookies with caramel filling) and candied walnuts, or pick up one-of-a-kind purses, blankets and jewelry (snacks and shopping at your own expense).
With your souvenir shopping done, you’ll be taken back to your hotel.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
The pick up transfer is only from selected centrally located hotels. If your hotel is outside the geographic area, we will confirm you the closest meeting point. Indicate the name and address of your hotel.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- It is recommended that you wear comfortable shoes
Reviews(37)
I reserved and English speaking tour. The guy that showed up only spoke Spanish so we did not get the tour.
Dear David, Thank you very much for your feedback. We would like to extend our most sincere apologies for the inconvenience you experienced. Due to an unexpected system error, the language preference for your reservation was incorrectly processed, resulting in a Spanish-speaking guide being assigned instead of an English-speaking one as requested. As soon as the guide arrived at your hotel and the situation was identified, we promptly offered you the option to either proceed with the service or reschedule the tour under the appropriate conditions. As you chose not to reschedule, a full refund for the tour was issued accordingly. We deeply regret this situation and any disappointment it may have caused. Please accept our sincere apologies, and we truly hope to have the opportunity to provide you with a better experience in the future. Best regards, Tangol Tours
The tour guide prohibits passengers from getting off the bus at the main square and seeing the sights. This makes no sense, as the windows of the bus were not large enough to see the buildings. Besides, we would have liked to go to the cathedral at least briefly, but the tour guide said that after the tour you could do this on your own. Unfortunately not recommended.
Extremely interesting experience, you learn a lot about Salta's history and visit not only buildings in Salta but also the mountain behind it, which serves as the cornerstone of Salta. With its views and artificial waterfall a great experience.
We were there on Christmas Eve. Not a great time but the city and sights we could see were great . I would highly recommend not going on a holiday where everything is closed. Jasmine, our guide, was great!
Please don’t waste your money on this trip, buy a guide book instead which will give you far more information. We sat on the mini bus outside the cathedral without an opportunity to go in whilst the guide told us nothing we didn’t already know. Take the cable car to the top of the mountain, it will save you a lot of money overall. It was certainly the worst tour we have ever done.
The guide was very good. Know a lot over the city. Because we were the only speaking english people she told it good to us.
The tour was supposed to be in English, but they ran out of English option last minute. I was provided two options: 1) continue with Spanish, or 2) move to another day. I didn’t have an extra day to spare, so went with tho Spanish option, and I relied on my girlfriend to translate. It was a good tour, and the guide was knowledgeable and helpful. Wished the operator company had not changed English availability last minute.
Trip Advisor advertised a start time of 4:30 pm which we followed. The actual tour company start time was 3:00 pm. We, mistakenly following the start time of the company we booked the tour through (Trip Advisor) missed the tour. When we requested a refund we were told the mistake was ours and their would be no refund. Totally do not understand this as why would Trip Advisor and the tour company not be in sync with the start times. We did not create the problem but are being asked to pay for the problem. Bad on Trip Advisor and the tour company.
The paid parking system in the city of Salta is a disgrace. On every block there's an official ragman who charges whatever he wants, whenever he wants, and it depends on the client's face. They charge one amount and provide a receipt for another. They pocket the difference, and when you complain, they get violent. It's an abuse. They are taught especially to tourists. A stressful experience, never to be returned to again.
Good guide with a small group. Went to the main places in and around salta to give a good overview of area.
