Represa Salto Grande
A source of national pride, this massive hydroelectric dam 14km north of Salto provides more than 50% of Uruguay’s electricity. Free 90-minute guided tours (half-hourly) visit both the Uruguayan and Argentine sides. A taxi from Salto costs about UR$1000 roundtrip. En route, check o
Plaza Matriz
Also known as Plaza Constitución, this leafy square was the heart of colonial Montevideo. On its west side stands the Iglesia Matriz , Montevideo’s oldest public building, begun in 1784 and completed in 1799. Opposite is the Cabildo , a neoclassical stone structure finished in 1812
Museo Nacional de Artes Visuales
Uruguay’s largest collection of paintings is housed here in Parque Rodó. The spacious rooms are graced with works by Blanes, Cúneo, Figari, Gurvich, Torres García and other famous Uruguayans. For a closer look at some of these same artists, visit the Museo Torres García , Museo Fig
SOS Rescate de Fauna Marina
Ten kilometers south of Piriápolis is Uruguay’s premier marine-animal rescue and rehabilitation center, SOS Rescate de Fauna Marina . Run entirely by volunteers, its emphasis is on educating schoolchildren, who can assist with daily feedings and observe penguins, sea lions, turtles
Plaza Mayor 25 de Mayo
At the southwest corner of the plaza are the Casa de Lavalleja (formerly General Lavallejas residence), the ruins of the 17th-century Convento de San Francisco and the restored 19th-century faro (lighthouse). At the west end, on de San Francisco, the Museo Municipal has antique hom
Casa Rivera
Former home of Fructuoso Rivera (Uruguay’s first president and Colorado Party founder), this neoclassical 1802 building is the centerpiece of Montevideo’s National Historical Museum, with a collection of paintings, documents, furniture and artifacts that trace the history of Urugua
Museo de los Andes
Opened in 2013, this unique museum documents the 1972 Andean plane crash (made famous in the book Alive! ) that cost 29 Uruguayans their lives and profoundly impacted Uruguays national psyche. Using original objects and photos from the crash site, it tells the story of the 16 survi
Town Beaches
Beaches are the big daytime draw in sunny Punta. On the peninsulas western (Río de la Plata) side, Rambla Gral Artigas snakes past calm Playa Mansa , then passes the busy yacht harbor , overflowing with boats, restaurants and nightclubs, before circling east to meet the open Atlant
Plaza Independencia
Montevideos largest downtown plaza commemorates independence hero José Artigas with a 17m, 30-ton statue and the subterranean Mausoleo de Artigas , where an honor guard keeps 24-hour vigil over Artigas’ remains. Other notable structures surrounding the plaza include the stone gatew
Monte de Ombúes
On Laguna de Castillos western shore (near Km267 on Ruta 10), brothers Marcos and Juan Carlos Olivera, whose family received this land from the Portuguese crown in 1793, lead two- to three-hour nature excursions. Tours begin with a 20-minute boat ride through a wetland teeming with
Palacio Salvo
On the east side of the Plaza Independencia, the 26-story structure with the crazy beehive hairdo is Palacio Salvo, the continents tallest building when it opened in 1927.
Museo del Gaucho
Housed in the ornate Palacio Heber, this museum eloquently conveys the deep attachments between the gauchos, their animals and the land. Its superb collection of historical artifacts includes horse gear, silver work, and mates and bombillas (metal straws with filters, used for drin
Mercado del Puerto
No visitor should miss Montevideo’s old port market building, at the foot of Pérez Castellano, whose impressive wrought-iron superstructure shelters a gaggle of bustling parrillas (steak restaurants). On weekend afternoons in particular, it’s a lively, colorful place where the city
Teatro Solís
Just off Plaza Independencia, elegant Teatro Solís is Montevideo’s premier performance space. First opened in 1856, and completely renovated during the past decade or so, it has superb acoustics. Regularly scheduled tours provide an opportunity to see the actual performance space w
La Mano en la Arena
Punta’s most famous landmark is this monster-sized sculpted hand protruding from the sands of Playa Brava. Constructed in iron and cement by Chilean artist Mario Irarrázabal, it won first prize in a monumental art contest in 1982 and has been a Punta fixture ever since. The hand ex
Casapueblo
Gleaming white in the sun and cascading nine stories down a cliffside, Uruguayan artist Carlos Páez Vilaró’s exuberantly whimsical villa and art gallery sits atop Punta Ballena, a jutting headland 15km west of Punta del Este. Visitors can tour five rooms, view a film on the artist’
Doing business & staying in touch while in Uruguay
Uruguay: Doing business & staying in touch
Uruguay Weather, Climate and Geography
Uruguay Weather, climate and geography
Uruguay History, Language and Culture
Uruguay History, Language and Culture
Uruguay Travel Guide and Travel Information
Uruguay Travel Guide
