San Juan Province · Argentina
San Juan travel guide
San Juan is a city in San Juan Province, Argentina, home to about 471,000 people.
- Best months
- February to April and September to November
- Nearest airport
- UAQ12 km · Domingo Faustino Sarmiento Airport
- Currency
- ARSArgentine convertible peso
- Time zone
- America/Argentina/San Juan
- Language
- Spanish
About
About San Juan
San Juan is the capital and largest city of the Argentine province of San Juan in the Cuyo region, located in the Tulúm Valley, west of the San Juan River, at 650 m (2,133 ft) above mean sea level, with a population of around 112,000 as per the 2001 census [INDEC] (over 500,000 in the metropolitan area).
San Juan is in a fertile valley surrounded by rocky mountains. Sixty-five percent of agricultural production is related to wine production. After the earthquake of 1944, San Juan completely changed, with new, wide, tree-lined avenues irrigated by small channels. The San Juan River has been dammed upstream to provide a regular source of water for irrigation and electrical power to the region at the Quebrada de Ullum Dam. A much larger Punta Negra Dam was built upstream from the Ullum Dam.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in San Juan
See
- Plaza 25 de Mayo
- Catedral Arquidiocesana San Juan Bautista
- Plaza Aberastain
- Parque de Mayo
- Dinosaur museum
- Casa Domingo Faustino Sarmiento
- Plaza Laprida
- Museum of Fine Arts Franklin Rawson - Historical Provincial Museum Agustín Gnecco
- Museum Amid Read - House of the Tango Carlos Gardel
- Museo Santiago Graffigna
- Museo de la Historia Urbana
Do
Tourism here is centered around wine production and degustation, as well as the extraordinary rock formations in places like the Ischigualasto Provincial Park, also called the Valle de la Luna, 330 km from the city, and the Quebrada de Ullum Dam.
- Embalse Dique de Ullum
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
When to go
The best time to visit San Juan
The most comfortable months for a city stay in San Juan are February to April and September to November. January is the warmest month, with average highs of 30 °C; January is the wettest, with about 28 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to San Juan: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Domingo Faustino Sarmiento Airport (UAQ), about 12 km from the city centre in a straight line; Governor Francisco Gabrielli International Airport (MDZ, 146 km) is also within reach.
Getting in
San Juan lies on National Route 40 with Mendoza 168 km to the south and La Rioja 449 km to the north.
Getting around
The city centre is green and walkable, supplemented by an urban transport system of buses, a taxi service and remises. Plaza 25 de Mayo is the centre and the two blocks north and east of it on Tucumán and Rivadavia towards Plaza Aberastain are somewhat pedestrianised, pleasant, with trees. Some other streets around that are also fairly quiet, but Libertador San Martín Avenue (RP7/RP14 running east and west two blocks north of Plaza 25 de Mayo) and Santa Fe (running west one block south of Plaza 25 de Mayo) are both more busy with multiple bus lines.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
UAQ · Domingo Faustino Sarmiento Airport
MDZ · Governor Francisco Gabrielli International Airport
Questions
San Juan: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit San Juan?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in San Juan are February to April and September to November. January is the warmest month, with average highs of 30 °C; January is the wettest, with about 28 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to San Juan?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Domingo Faustino Sarmiento Airport (UAQ), about 12 km from the city centre in a straight line; Governor Francisco Gabrielli International Airport (MDZ, 146 km) is also within reach.
What currency is used in San Juan?
Argentine convertible peso (ARS).
Nearby
Destinations near San Juan
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.