Salta

Where to stay

Most hostels cluster in the centro histórico within a few blocks of Plaza 9 de Julio, which keeps you walking distance from almost everything worth seeing. Calle Balcarce, a short walk south of the plaza, is the peña strip, so if you are a light sleeper, ask for a room on an interior courtyard before you check in.

Getting around

• Take the teleférico up Cerro San Bernardo for a few hundred pesos rather than grinding up the 1,000-plus steps. Skip the overpriced cafe at the summit and bring water from the center.
• Buses from the Terminal de Ómnibus run to Cafayate and through the Quebrada de las Conchas for a fraction of what tour operators charge. The canyon scenery is the point, and the bus goes right through it.
• Eat at the Mercado Municipal rather than the restaurants facing Plaza 9 de Julio. Empanadas salteñas and locro cost about a third of the price and the quality holds up.

When to go

Argentine winter school holidays in July push hostel prices up and fill beds fast. April, May, and September tend to be noticeably quieter and cheaper.