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Travel guide
Montevideo
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: November to March (the southern summer)
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Welcome
Montevideo, in a few days
A capital of 1.3 million people, around 40 percent of Uruguay, with a long rambla along the Río de la Plata and, in the Ciudad Vieja, an 1868 iron market full of wood-fired grills. The stadium that hosted the first World Cup, in 1930, is still in use.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · The Rambla free · about 1 h 30Around twenty kilometres of seafront promenade from the old town to Carrasco, the city's living room, with anglers, runners and families sharing mate.
- Afternoon · Pocitos beach free · half a dayA crescent of sand in a residential district lined with mid-century apartment blocks, where the city gathers for volleyball and beach football on hot days.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Don Boutique Hotel€110 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Estadio Centenario · about 1 hBuilt in nine months for the first World Cup, won by Uruguay 4 to 2 against Argentina in the final on 30 July 1930.
- Afternoon · Tristán Narvaja market free · about 1 h 30A Sunday morning street market since 1909, spread over a dozen streets of Cordón, selling everything from vegetables to vinyl, tools, old books and coins.
🛏️ Where to sleep · BIT Design Hotel€100 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Palacio Salvo · about 1 hA 100-metre tower by Mario Palanti, finished in 1928, South America's tallest building until 1935, whose part-Gothic, part-Art Deco silhouette overlooks Plaza Independencia.
- Afternoon · Teatro Solís · about 1 hOpened in 1856 and one of South America's oldest working theatres, with a neoclassical front and a horseshoe auditorium restored between 1998 and 2004.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Soro Montevideo€110 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Ciudad Vieja and Plaza Matriz free · about 2 hThe original fortified peninsula, founded by the Spanish in the 1720s, centred on Plaza Matriz with its 1871 fountain, the cathedral and the old Cabildo.
- Afternoon · Mercado del Puerto free · about 1 h 30An iron and glass hall prefabricated in England and erected in 1868 by the port, now full of parrillas grilling beef, sausages and provoleta.
🛏️ Where to sleep · NH Columbia€85 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
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Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Asado: beef and offal cooked slowly over wood embers, the centre of every Sunday.
- Chivito: a steak sandwich stacked with ham, cheese, egg and salad, the national fast food.
- Tannat: the dark, tannic red wine that Uruguay grows better than anyone.
- Dulce de leche: slow-cooked sweetened milk, spread on everything from toast to pancakes.
- Mate: bitter herbal tea sipped through a metal straw, carried everywhere with a flask of hot water under the arm.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Book well ahead for Punta del Este in January, when prices and crowds peak.
- Bring cash to Cabo Polonio: there is no cash machine in the village.
- Easter week, known here as Semana de Turismo, fills every bus and hotel: plan around it.
- When someone offers you mate, saying thank you means you have had enough, so only say it when you are done.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ Spanish
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Hello | Hola |
| Thank you | Gracias |
| Please | Por favor |
| Yes | Sí |
| No | No |
| Excuse me | Perdone |
| Goodbye | Adiós |
| Do you speak English? | ¿Habla inglés? |
| I don't understand | No entiendo |
| How much is it? | ¿Cuánto cuesta? |
| Where are the toilets? | ¿Dónde están los baños? |
| The bill, please | La cuenta, por favor |
| Help! | ¡Socorro! |
| Cheers! | ¡Salud! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyUruguayan peso (UYU)
BudgetAbout €105 a day, mid-range
Best seasonNovember to March (the southern summer)
PlugC/F/L · 220V
Tap waterSafe to drink
TippingAround 10% in restaurants
Emergency911
EntryVisa-free for up to 90 days for EU, UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports. The passport must be valid for the whole stay; the US advises six months beyond arrival.
HealthNo vaccination required. Keep tetanus, diphtheria and polio up to date; hepatitis A is worth considering if you eat away from the tourist trail.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/montevideo
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.