11 Best Sights in The Northwest, Argentina

Every salteño's soul belongs to the landmark St. Francis Church and Convent, with its white pillars and bright terra-cotta-and-gold facade. The first sanctuary was built in 1625; the second, erected in 1674, was destroyed by fire; the present version was completed in 1882. A 53-meter (173-foot) belfry houses the Campaña de la Patria. This bell, made from the bronze cannons used in the War of Independence, sounds once a day at 7:30 pm. In the sacristy, the Museo Convento San Francisco displays religious art. Guided visits are at 11, 12, 4, 5 and 6, Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, and at 5 and 6 pm on Saturday. 

The fascinating Museum of High Mountain Archaeology (MAAM) holds the mummified remains of three children born into Incan nobility—aged 6, 7, and 15—and the 146 objects buried with them in sacrificial services some 600 years ago. They were discovered at the summit of the 22,058-foot Volcán Llullaillaco, on the Argentine–Chilean border, in 1999. The high altitude and freezing temperatures kept their skin, hair, and clothes in impeccable condition, although the face of one was damaged by lightning. The museum also contains an exhibition about the Qhapaq Ñan Inca trading route from southern Colombia to Mendoza and another mummy, the Reina del Cerro (Queen of the Mountain), which for decades was illegally in the hands of private collectors.

The whitewashed town hall, first constructed in 1582 and rebuilt many times since, used to house Salta's municipal government. Not only a colonial gem in itself, the Cabildo—the most well-preserved council building in Argentina—is home to the Museo Histórico del Norte, which includes a relevant collection of pre-Hispanic stone sculptures, as well as religious artifacts and a rather obscure assortment of vintage cars in the back garden.

The city's 1882 neoclassical cathedral fronts the central plaza. It's notable for the enormous frescoes portraying the four gospel writers on the portico around the altar and its impressive stained glass windows. Inside the entrance is the Panteón de las Glorias del Norte, enclosing the tombs of General Martín Miguel de Güemes and other heroes from the War of Independence. Wander to the back of the rose-colored cathedral for a peek at the beautiful, jasmine-infused garden.

Salta's oldest religious building served as a chapel first, then a hospital. Today it is home to a cloistered order of Carmelite nuns. The wooden rococo-style door, carved by indigenous craftsmen in 1762, contrasts markedly with the otherwise stark exterior of this 1625 structure.

The small, private Museum of Ethnic American Art Pajcha contains interesting artifacts and illustrations from the pre-Columbian world and later. Enthusiastic tour guides explain exhibits, using religious objects, furniture, jewelry, and the like to illuminate indigenous culture; there's also a well-curated textile collection. There's enough reason to linger here for hours; when you're done, relax with a coffee on the back terrace.

The Fine Arts Museum's collection of colonial-era religious works includes figures from Argentina's Jesuit missions as well as Cuzco-style paintings from Peru and Bolivia. Another part of the museum highlights 20th-century pieces by Salta artists.

The City Museum is in Casa de Hernández, an 1879-constructed neocolonial house. The ground floor displays an exceptional collection of musical instruments. Rooms upstairs document the history of Salta through paintings and photographs.

Fine examples of late-colonial architecture—an interior courtyard, thick adobe walls, a reed-and-tile roof—abound in this simple building, the 19th- and 20th-century home of the Uriburu family, which gave Argentina two presidents. Furniture, costumes, paintings, and family documents are on display across six rooms.

The heart of Salta is quintessential Latin America: a leafy central plaza named after Argentina's date of independence. Arcaded buildings line the streets surrounding it, and some have been converted into cafés, providing perfect spots to while away a warm afternoon. Popular with families who take shade under the palm and jacaranda trees, the square is dotted with craftsmen selling their wares and teens canoodling by the bandstand.

The Cerro San Bernardo rises east of downtown Salta, a cool 268 meters (880 feet) higher than the city center. This cable car takes you up the hill from a station across from Parque San Martín in 10 minutes. Views of the entire Lerma Valley await at the top; you can also wander the breezy garden and browse around a small crafts market.

If you're in the mood for a little light exercise, take the winding road back down.