Luxury hotels in Montevideo

Montevideo guide

Montevideo: the Rambla and the Mercado del Puerto

Twenty kilometres of seafront, an asado under iron and glass and Colonia del Sacramento nearby.

The Rambla, a seafront promenade of more than twenty kilometres along the Río de la Plata, is Montevideo's most cited sight, best walked or cycled at sunset with locals sharing mate. In the old town, the Mercado del Puerto, a 19th-century iron market, is full of parrillas.

Plaza Independencia, the Palacio Salvo and the Teatro Solís are the landmarks of Ciudad Vieja. Colonia del Sacramento, a UNESCO-listed Portuguese colonial town, is two hours away, and Punta del Este is the summer resort, from December to February.

Colonia del Sacramento

Colonia del Sacramento, founded by the Portuguese in 1680 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the most cited excursion from Montevideo, about two hours west. Its Barrio Histórico of cobbled streets, such as the Calle de los Suspiros, colonial houses and a lighthouse on the ruins of a convent is lovely to explore on foot.

Sunsets over the Río de la Plata are famous, and the nearby wineries of the Carmelo region produce Tannat, Uruguay's signature grape. Ferries also link Colonia to Buenos Aires in about an hour.

Punta del Este and José Ignacio

Punta del Este, about two hours east of Montevideo, is the most glamorous resort in South America and one of Uruguay's most cited destinations: La Mano, a sculpture of fingers emerging from the sand of Playa Brava, the port and the island of Gorriti.

Casapueblo, the whitewashed house-museum built by the artist Carlos Páez Vilaró, is famous for its sunset ceremony, and José Ignacio, a former fishing village to the east, has become a chic retreat of beach restaurants. The season peaks from late December to February.