Things to Do in Montevideo – Why You Should Visit Uruguay’s Capital

Montevideo was unlike any other capital city we visited during our backpacking trip through South America. Why? Well, to start with, there wasn’t a huge amount of touristy things to do in Montevideo. In fact, we didn’t see any massive tourist crowds in the city, like we regularly did in Buenos Aires in Argentina. This meant that we didn’t feel worn out from trying to cram all the landmarks and museums into a short visit.

Montevideo has a more relaxed vibe as far as capital cities go. Residents didn’t seem to be in a mad-rush there compared to what we’re used to back home. People walked, ran or cycled along the Rambla, drank an insane amount of mate and went about their business at their own pace.

We spent about 4 days in Montevideo and, whilst that was plenty of time to see its main attractions, we could’ve easily spent longer there enjoying the laidback city life. If you’d like to see what we got up to in the country, you can watch our dedicated Uruguay video which we shared on our YouTube channel Kitti and Jon.

Things to Do in Montevideo, Uruguay

See Historical Landmarks at Plaza Independencia

Since we were staying just a short walk away from Plaza Independencia, we decided to start our time in Montevideo there. The main square is essentially the gateway between Ciudad Vieja and Barrio Centro, the old and new parts of the city. Apart from being the heart of Montevideo, the plaza is also home to several important historical landmarks.

At the center of Independence Square is the impressive statue of General Artigas, with the Artigas Mausoleum beneath the monument. José Gervasio Artigas is a national hero and regarded as the father of Uruguayan independence.

Surrounding the palm tree lined square there are other important buildings. To the south there’s Palacio Estevez, which was the seat of the government until 1985. Right next to it is the Executive Tower (Torre Ejecutiva) which is the workplace of Uruguay’s President. Another historical building you shouldn’t miss is the Solis Theater (Teatro Solís) on the southwestern corner of the square.

On the eastern side of the square you can go on a guided tour inside Palacio Salvo, one of the most iconic buildings in Montevideo. It was initially intended to be a hotel, but it’s now a mixed-use building with offices and private residences. This is also where the 18 de Julio Avenue – the capital’s most important road – begins.

To the west of the plaza is the Gateway of the Citadel (Puerta de la Ciudadela) which is one of the few remaining parts of the wall that used to surround the oldest part of Montevideo. This is also where the pedestrianised Sarandi Street (Peatonal Sarandi) begins.

Wander Around Ciudad Vieja, Montevideo’s Old City

As we passed the Gateway of the Citadel we entered Ciudad Vieja, the Old City of Montevideo. The half mile long pedestrianised street of Peatonal Sarandi runs through the centre of this district, connecting the most important landmarks. The street was pedestrianised in 1992 and it’s named after the Battle of Sarandi in 1825. Up until the mid-20th century there was even a tram that operated along the road.

As we walked around Ciudad Vieja we witnessed how the past and the present can coexist through crumbling historical buildings, bookstores, art galleries, antique shops, quaint cafes and independent boutiques. We saw vendors here selling handmade products, as well as street artists performing for passersby.

We stopped at Constitution Plaza (Plaza de la Constitución) which is dominated by the Metropolitan Cathedral of Montevideo on one side. You can also stop at Plaza Zabala, another small square in Ciudad Vieja. There are quite a few museums you can visit in this neighbourhood, which we’ll detail in the section below. Otherwise, you can either head towards La Rambla or the Port Market (Mercado del Puerto).

Stroll or Cycle Along La Rambla

A Rambla in Uruguay is essentially a boardwalk along the waterfront. After spending a few days in Colonia del Sacramento, we quickly realised that every coastal settlement in Uruguay calls its waterfront avenue La Rambla. At a length of 22.2 km (13.7 mi), it connects many of Montevideo’s different neighborhoods.

There’s a lot to do along La Rambla. You can have a beach day on one of the many sandy beaches, such as Playa Pocitos or Playa Ramírez. Taking a stroll through one of the leafy parks, like Parque Rodó, is also a great option. However, one of the most unique landmarks along La Rambla that we came across was Castillo Pittamiglio. Surrounded by modern apartment buildings, it was the residence of the architect Humberto Pittamiglio, who built it in 1911. You can take a tour inside too.

As we walked along it, we definitely noticed that La Rambla is essentially the heart of the capital. It’s where people gather for a morning or evening stroll, dog walk, run, cycle, or a casual catch up with friends and family whilst sipping mate. We also did the same during our stay and went down to the promenade to watch the sunset and enjoy a slow evening.

If you want to see Montevideo’s Rambla on two-wheels, you can rent a bike for the day. This way, you can easily cover a lot of ground and see the highlights of each neighbourhood La Rambla connects to. Alternatively, you can also join a biking tour. This 3-hour bike tour with a local guide will take you around the city to learn more about its history, culture and architecture. If you want to have a fun but more effortless cycling experience, check out this 3-hour e-bike tour instead.

Try Asado at Mercado del Puerto

Since we enjoy food markets, we had to visit Mercado del Puerto, located within Ciudad Vieja, right next to Montevideo’s port. The market opened in 1868 and was designed by Spanish architect Juan Antonio Capurro. He used iron and glass, which was a similar style to some of the European markets that were built at the same time. Apparently, the materials were shipped over from Liverpool in England.

Mercado del Puerto is one of the best places to eat asado. If you didn’t know, asado means roast or roasted, so it’s essentially South America’s version of barbeque. In reality, asado – as we learnt later after being invited to our Argentine friends’ asado – is a multifunctional term that describes the meat, the method and also the social event.

As you wander through the market, you’ll see all the meat is cooked on a special grill called a parilla. Once you’ve had enough of just looking and smelling the delicious food, you can pick a place to actually try it. Just bear in mind that since the market is right next to the ferry port, it’ll be a popular place for tourists to eat, so the prices will reflect that.

Find a Souvenir at Feria de Tristan Narvaja (Flea Market)

We were beyond thrilled that our visit to the capital coincided with a Sunday. The reason for this is because every Sunday there’s a MASSIVE flea market in the Cordon neighbourhood of Montevideo. From early morning until about mid-afternoon, Tristán Narvaja street is filled with vendors selling their wares and people looking to buy.

We’re not exaggerating when we say that you can buy pretty much anything here. Vendors were selling local produce, household items, jewellery, clothing, shoes, plenty of antique items and a HUGE selection of books. Even as a tourist you’ll enjoy the flea market, as they also sell some souvenirs like mate kits. We spent quite a few hours wandering around the endless stalls.

You can easily reach the flea market from Ciudad Vieja with a local bus. The bulk of it runs along the Tristán Narvaja street, although some spills over into the side streets too.

Relax on Montevideo’s Sandy Beaches

Most people – including us – wouldn’t think about visiting Montevideo for a beach holiday. Whilst it may not be comparable to a Caribbean Island experience, the Uruguayan capital is actually home to some lovely sandy beaches, offering a good combination for city break and beach vacation lovers.

Some beaches are located further along the coast, but the two main beaches that we could easily reach from Ciudad Vieja were Playa de Los Pocitos and Playa Ramirez.

The nearly 2km long Pocitos Beach is one of the most popular beaches in Montevideo. The sandy beach is perfect for sunbathing, walking or playing sports. At the eastern end of the beach you’ll find the giant Montevideo letters, which seem to be a thing in every Latin American city and small town. From this vantage point, you can enjoy one of the most iconic views of Montevideo with Rio de la Plata, the sandy beach, La Rambla and the skyscrapers behind it.

Playa Ramirez is another popular beach located just across from Parque Rodo. Whilst it’s much smaller than Pocitos Beach, it’s closer to Ciudad Vieja and other attractions.

Explore Montevideo’s Green Spaces

Even though Montevideo didn’t feel as hectic as other capitals, such as Buenos Aires in Argentina, we always enjoy some peace and quiet in a leafy park or botanic garden.

Parque Rodo is a pretty sizeable park just across from Playa Ramirez. It opened in 1907 and was designed by French landscape architect Carlos Thays, who also designed many other parks across Argentina. It’s named after José Enrique Rodó, who was a Uruguayan philosopher, educator and essayist. Rodo Park is a lovely green space to walk around, but if you want to do something special, you can also rent a little boat and pedal around the lake.

Parque Prado is the largest public park in Montevideo. It’s located in the Prado neighbourhood and covers an area of 106 hectares. The two best features of this park are the Rose Garden (Rosedal del Prado) and the Montevideo Botanical Garden. The Rose Garden has around 300 varieties of roses and the Botanic Garden is home to a diverse range of plant species. Both are free to enter. You can take a local bus to the botanical garden and Parque Prado.

Visit Montevideo’s Museums and Other Beautiful Buildings

As you would expect, there are many museums and other notable buildings to visit in Montevideo. It’s worth noting that most museums are closed on Mondays, just like in many cities across Latin America.

Contemporary Art Space (Espacio de Arte Contemporaneo). Whilst we’re not the biggest museum goers, we really wanted to visit this one because it’s set inside an old jail, which is pretty unique for an art gallery. Unfortunately, it only opens from Wednesday to Sunday from 1 PM and we didn’t know that when we went to the flea market on Sunday morning. Luckily, there was some street art around the building, so we just walked around it admiring that.

Museo de Bellas Artes Juan Manuel Blanes is located near Parque Prado and is housed in a stately 1870 villa. This fine art museum displays Uruguayan art, including the works of Juan Manuel Blanes, who the museum was named after. There’s a Japanese Garden just behind the museum. Admission is free, and it’s only closed on Mondays.

Museo de la Memoria is another interesting museum. It’s dedicated to the people who died or disappeared during the 1973 – 1985 Uruguayan dictatorship. It’s also free to enter and closed on Sundays.

The Legislative Palace of Uruguay (Palacio Legislativo) is an impressive building in the Aguada neighbourhood. This huge landmark is the seat of the Uruguayan state’s legislative branch. You can take a tour inside between Monday and Friday. They do English tours in the afternoon.

How to Get to Montevideo

By plane. If you’re coming from abroad, then the easiest way to reach Montevideo is to fly. There’s a direct flight to Montevideo from most capital cities in South America, as well as a direct flight from Madrid in Europe and Miami in Florida.

By ferry. If you’re planning to visit from Argentina, we suggest taking the ferry across the Rio de la Plata from Buenos Aires. There are a few direct ferries between the two capitals, operated by Buquebus.

By bus. If you’re already in the country, just take one of the COT buses, who run regular services between popular places like Colonia del Sacramento and Punta del Este.

Best Time to Visit Montevideo

The best time to visit Montevideo is between November and April. This is essentially late spring, summer and early autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. However, it’s late autumn, winter and early spring for those who live in the Northern Hemisphere.

December, January and February are the warmest and driest months, which is also the peak tourist season in Uruguay. During this time, you may see more visitors in the capital.

March and April are going to be quieter but the weather is still nice and warm. The only thing to be mindful about is that many seasonal places will start to close down for the winter.

We visited at the start of November which is, in our opinion, a fantastic time to visit Montevideo for many reasons. The weather is going to warm up again after winter and places will be fully open for the season. The middle of the day was warm enough to enjoy the sandy beaches. In addition, the Jacaranda trees will be blooming in November and will be painting the streets in shades of purple.

Where to Stay in Montevideo

Montevideo is a small city compared to other capitals in South America. However, there are over 60 neighbourhoods, so you may wonder where the best place to base yourself is.

Unless you’re planning on spending a long time in the city, we suggest staying close to the main attractions. Ciudad Vieja, or the Old City, is a popular neighbourhood to stay in for short visits. This is where we stayed and it was really convenient for us.

• Viajero Montevideo Hostel is in a fantastic location, close to many tourist attractions such as Mercado del Puerto and Plaza Independencia. They have a nice communal area, as well as a bar where you can socialise. Plus, they offer a bike rental service if you want to cycle around the capital.
• Circus Hostel and Hotel Montevideo is another hostel to consider in Ciudad Vieja. They also have everything you would find in a hostel and offer bike rental services.
• DON Boutique Hotel Montevideo is a great mid-range option close to Mercado del Puerto. It has a terrace with an outdoor swimming pool and solarium, and has the option to include breakfast.
• Alma Histórica Boutique Hotel is a more luxurious option in the Old City. Their rooms are beautifully furnished and offer some stunning views of Montevideo. Plus, they have breakfast included.

Barrio Centro is located right next to Ciudad Vieja, so it’s also a great area to stay.

• Montevideo Hostel is a good hostel option with a sun terrace, a lounge, a shared kitchen, a games room and an outdoor seating area.
• Smart Hotel Montevideo is located close to Plaza Independencia and you can choose to include breakfast if you want.
• Radisson Montevideo Victoria Plaza Hotel offers a more luxurious stay in Montevideo, with spacious rooms and plenty of amenities, such as a swimming pool and gym.

Final Thoughts on Things to Do in Montevideo, Uruguay

We really loved Montevideo but not because of all the touristy things we could do there. It was because we didn’t feel like we needed to tick off a huge list of must-see places. We could just enjoy the mixed architecture and the laid-back lifestyle, and could feel more like a local than a tourist running from one attraction to the next.

As a photographer who also loves urban landscape photography, Montevideo was a fantastic city to be creative in without compromising on spending time at general touristy attractions. (Which is often the case when we’re travelling, as a fear of missing out on seeing the most iconic locations takes hold).

Have you ever been to Montevideo before? If so, what was the favourite moment of your stay? If not, would you add Montevideo to your South America itinerary? Let us know in the comments below.