Mention Salta to any Argentine, and their immediate response is ‘Salta la Linda’, said with a longing sigh. It translates to Salta the Pretty, and once you visit, you will understand why it received this endearing nickname. With its multicoloured churches and elegant heritage buildings, there is much to love about this pretty city.
Salta’s beginnings
Located in the Lerma Valley, in the foothills of the Andes, Salta is the perfect introduction to the beauty found in northern Argentina. This region has been inhabited for hundreds of years; in fact, the name may come from one of the original people living here, the Sahta tribe. The Incas arrived in the 12th century, so another explanation is that the name comes from the Quechua word for “a pleasant place to settle down”. The Quechua influence is still apparent in Salta, in the people, customs, and, of course, the tourist knick-knacks sold in stores. At times, these details made us think that we’d left Argentina and entered Peru.
The Spanish arrived in the valley in the 16th century and established a settlement. At the time, the founder of Salta, conquistador Hernando de Lerma, named it San Felipe of Lerma in the Valley of Salta. The Spanish faced significant resistance from the local indigenous population, which continued through the 1800s. In fact, its northern location put Salta in a strategic position during the battles for independence from Spain. In the midst of this animosity, though, the Spanish managed to build an incredibly beautiful city.
You will find Salta in the upper-left corner of the map below. It is an interactive map, so you can zoom-in or click on a marker for a link to our post from that area.
Not many foreign tourists make their way to Salta, which is too bad. In fact, there are a few more places in Northern Argentina that should be on your itinerary, including Purmamarca, Humahuaca and Iruya. We’ll take you to those soon, but first, let’s explore Salta.
July 9th Square
Colonnade-laden heritage buildings surround the treed Plaza 9 de Julio, and is where you will want to begin your day. In the centre is a statue of General Juan Antonio Àlvarez de Arenales. Dismayed by his homeland, the Spanish-born general became an important leader in Argentina’s resistance army, and after independence, he was named the governor of Salta Province.
The lively square was often filled with people meeting over lunch or ice cream. We could see dancers on the other side of the square, so we walked over to watch. Instead of seeing a famous Argentine Tango, dances in this region are based on Andean gaucho traditions. The one below is a Courtship Dance.
Salta Cathedral
Sitting on the edge of the main square, the pink church sets the tone for the pretty city. Once you see its pink and cream exterior, you may think Salta Cathedral is quite colourful, that is, until you see the other flamboyant churches in Salta.
Inside, the nave is ornately decorated with golden accents, pink marble columns, and a silver altar in front. Mass was taking place when we visited, so we didn’t wander too far inside.
If you’re there on a Friday or Saturday, you can take a guided tour of the church’s small museum of religious artifacts.
At the side of the building, the church’s old convent has been redesigned to host a small garden and a coffee shop.
Cabildo
Opposite the cathedral is the Cabildo (City Hall), with long colonnades on both the ground level and the upper floor. It is similar to ones found in many Spanish colonial squares, but its cute weather vane gives it a different spin. Adding to the design features, a wooden Andalucian-style balcony on its front took us back to our time in Spain.
The Cabildo is home to the Historical Museum of the North. Entry to the museum is free.
As we walked around the plaza, lone men, standing in doorways, whispered ‘cambio, cambio’ as if it were an illegal trade to change money. The fact that they are here indicates that we are close to the border. Even though Salta is 300 km (185 mi) from Bolivia, it is the largest tourist city in the area.
In addition to the cathedral and cabildo, most other buildings in the square are equally eye-catching and in very good condition.
The square itself has a gorgeous parklike setting with palm trees, fountains and flowering trees. The only thing to distract you from the beauty of this square is the high-pitched screech of cicadas. We must have arrived at the peak of their mating season, because the noise continued almost 24 hours a day. At first, we thought an alarm was going off, but later that evening, we learned the source. When we complained to the waiter at dinner, he explained that it was from cicadas.
A few nights later, we were startled awake by a continuous screeching in our room. Somehow, one managed to get inside our second-story apartment and decided that 2 am was a good time to call for a mate. Don’t worry, although it was tempting, no cicadas were killed in the ensuing minutes.
For those interested, here’s a sample of how loud they were. Keep in mind, this was recorded on my phone, not specialized recording equipment. Make sure your volume is turned on.
San Francisco Church
They seem to like colourful churches in Salta. Down the street from the cathedral, we found the second of the city’s three vibrant churches. Iglesia de San Francisco is a photographer’s dream with its over-the-top appearance. Not only is the façade painted in a rich salmon colour, but the 18th century church is further decorated with white Corinthian columns and plaster designs.
Its 54m (177ft) tall bell tower, the tallest in South America, can be seen from the July 9 Plaza, a block away.
Beside the church is the oldest part of the complex, the convent. Hour-long tours of the convent run every hour in the morning, but they are only held in Spanish.
Inside the church, you’ll notice that the colours are more subdued than the exterior, but the decorations are still elaborate.
Convento de San Barnardo
A block away from the flashy Iglesia de San Francisco, the austere Convento San Barnardo has seen better days. Its weathered condition made us surprised to find an intricately sculpted wooden door on its bare, mouldy walls.
Church of Our Lady of Candelaria of the Vineyard
The final colourful church in Salta is Iglesia Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria de la Viña, a blue twin to Iglesia San Francisco. Accenting its baby blue walls are pink plaster decorations and cream-coloured columns that make this church stand out on a busy shopping street.
The colours continue inside with blue ceilings and painted arches. Equally elaborate side altars decorate both walls.
Its long and unusual name comes from the original chapel that was built on a family vineyard to house an icon of Our Lady of Candaleria. That 17th century chapel was significantly expanded and remodelled a few times in the 18th century to create the colourful church we see today.
Salta Street Scenes
In addition to these specific buildings, there is so much more to see in the wonderful city. All you need to do is wander through the city centre, and you’ll come across many low-roofed, adobe buildings from Salta’s early history.
Closer to Plaza 9 de Julio, the many pedestrian streets display more formal buildings. Although many of these walkways are busy shopping streets, you can still find real gems in between the newer buildings and chain stores.
Peña party
If you aren’t planning to travel north to Jujuy Province, you should attend a peña party while in Salta. These traditional parties are a lot of fun, where everyone dances to the upbeat folk songs played by live bands. Folk musicians use traditional instruments, including guitars, fiddles and various wooden flutes, while the lyrics describe their indigenous and gaucho heritage. Unlike many countries, folk music is mainstream in Argentina. We noticed that most restaurants, buses and taxis played either folk music or 80s pop, but hearing it in a peña is the best venue.
We’ll take you to a few peñas when we travel north to Jujuy.
San Martin Park
Set beneath San Bernardo Hill, San Martín Park gives locals a serene corner in the busy city. Surrounded by green lawns and shade trees, a large pond takes up most of the space in the centre. We were surprised to see koi fish jumping in the pond, something neither of us had seen before.
How to get to Salta
Martín Miguel de Güemes International Airport receives many flights from within Argentina, as well as Mexico and Chile. Domestic flights in Argentina are very affordable, making it easier to explore more of the country. It is also well connected by bus, but since it is located in the northern end of the country, most are long overnight trips. To travel further north, you can easily find buses connecting Salta to the nearby Jujuy Province, including its capital and Humahuaca. If you have a car, the highways are in good condition.
Where to stay in Salta
There is no shortage of hotels and short-term apartment rentals in the city. We found prices to be less than in other parts of the country for the same or higher quality. Try to find one in your price range within walking distance of Julio 9 Plaza.
Where to eat in Salta
As with hotels, there is also an ample supply of restaurants and coffee shops in the city’s downtown, many of which are located on or near July 9th Square. Remember that most restaurants don’t serve dinner until 8 pm, but in the centre, you can find a few that don’t close between lunch and dinner, so you can eat at your typical dinner hour.
Note – Prices are listed in USD because the rate of inflation in Argentina is so high that as of 2026, any fees listed in pesos would be inaccurate within a few months. Many restaurants don’t list prices on their menus, or if they do, they have been written over many times as the value of the peso drops. Apart from hotels, most business will only accept payment in Argentine pesos.
Click on the link to read our Travel Tips For Argentina. (Coming Soon)
To read more of our adventures in Argentina, click here.
Coming next – Day Trip From Salta – Quebrada de las Conchas and Cafayate
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