Is Montevideo worth visiting?

Montevideo is a charming and friendly capital city with a population of about a 1,3million people, located at the mouth of the river La Plata on the Atlantic coast. From the tourism point of view, the Uruguayan capital doesn’t exactly belong to the category of cities that are on everyone’s bucket list for various reasons. I however personally believe that Montevideo could be a rather unique travel destination, especially if you are into culture and/or authentic experiences. So is Montevideo is worth visiting for you? Let’s find out.

In the following post, we’ll talk about what to expect from the city, how to set your expectations to get the most out of your visit, as well as what to look out for. In particular, except for briefly describing Monevideo‘s vibrant history, we’ll talk about places to see, hoods to stay and hang around in the city and while we’re at it, we’ll throw in a few establishments to consider checking out, as well as the usual practical information like how to get around, safety and so on.

Reasons to visit Montevideo

Due to its close proximity and similar cultural symbols with Argentina, such as tango, cuisine or maté, some travellers can’t help themselves to compare the Uruguayan capital to Buenos Aires that’s located just across Río de la Plata. And yet, from many perspectives, including the tourism one, Montevideo is a rather different city than its Argentine neighbour.

While the Uruguayan metropolis isn’t an ugly city, it can’t really claim the nickname Paris of Americas, like the Argentine capital. However, at the same time, Montevideo comes with tremendous amounts of authenticity and a local (non-touristy) atmosphere, as opposed to a tourist trap vibe, like a few popular hotspots, such as Caminito in Buenos Aires often suffer from.

In my humble opinion, Montevideo‘s tourism potential isn’t hidden in the number of iconic landmarks and general beauty, and although there are several beautiful and emblematic buildings to admire, I personally believe that the Uruguayan capital’s gems are more or less hidden in the city’s character, culture and people.

After all, when we talk about Montevideo, we’re talking about the cultural, political and business centre of one of the most progressive and liberal countries in the world, which increasingly attracts more and more creative and artistic people, not to mention the city’s general vibe that’s largely determined by the very friendly locals.

A brief history of Montevideo

The city was founded quite late, in 1726. The Spanish wanted to establish a permanent presence at the north side of La Plata river mouth, which was, and still is, a strategic trade route location. The city quickly became one of the main ports in the region and in just 50 years of its existence, it became the main naval base for the Spanish Armada in the region.

The first civilian population of Montevideo only consisted of a few families that came searching for new opportunities from Buenos Aires, who were soon joined by other migrants from Spain, mainly from the Canary Islands and Galicia. Their luck was however soon to be challenged by a series of conflicts between the colonial powers that were all eager to control such a strategic post on the important commercial route.

The string of events to come was rather terrible. First, in 1807 the city was briefly occupied by the British, then in 1811, it was claimed by the Independence fighters led by José Artigas, only to fall into Portuguese hands in 1816. The expansive colonial neighbours however soon gained independence from their European rulers (Argentina in 1816 and Brazil in 1822) but the new sovereign countries carried on with their respective claims over the Uruguayan territory, so this vibrant period just kept going on.

In 1821, the city, as well as the whole country, was annexed by Brazil, only to gain its independence in 1828. Unfortunately, even such a positive historical act failed to bring an end to this violent historical shitshow, because then the two Uruguayan independence leaders ignited a horrible civil war (1839 – 1851). This is however more of a subject to national history, which you could learn more about in Quaint Planet‘s Guide to Uruguay or here, on Encyclopedia Britannica.

Except for conflicts, Montevideo was also massively affected by migration. Many Europeans, mostly from Spain, Italy and Central European countries escaped the Old Continent, which was devastated by the Napoleonic Wars (1803 – 1815) and other numerous 19th century conflicts. There were also other migrants who didn’t come to the country on a voluntary basis, searching for new opportunities, because they were victims of the soon to be abolished (1842) slave trade. Immigration is therefore a very significant element that shaped the city culturally.

Of course, the city’s history is more than just conflicts and migration. Many other things took place here in the meantime, out of which quite a few were positive. For instance, Tango was born, theatres and hospitals were built, schools established and so on. But I believe that we should move on to the travel-related information. In case you were interested to learn more about Montevideo‘s history, economy and facts, please click here to read its Encyclopedia Britannica‘s page.

Today, Montevideo is a modern city that upholds some of the most progressive values in the whole Latin American region. Except for being the capital of the country with the highest income per capita in the whole of Latin America, the city also hosts the headquarters of the Latin trade blocs Mercosur and ALADI, which makes it a sort of Latin American Brussels, from the economical and political point of view.

Things to do in Montevideo

FYI, the links that are highlighted in red are Google Maps locations, in case you've fancied to start creating your own Montevideo itinerary. Just sign in into your Google account and if any listed place sounds like your cup of tea, just click "want to go". You can also download that Google Map to your phone to use it in an offline mode. 

Sightseeing in Ciudad Vieja

In order to get to know the city properly with its perks, I would personally recommend taking one of the city walking tours as they often come with extra stories, numerous tips and mainly from an insider point of view. But such a thing is not for everyone so let’s go through the so-called “must-see” spots in Montevideo, in case you wanted to check out the city individually.

Most of Montevideo sightseeing opportunities are concentrated in and around the original old citadel, Ciudad Vieja. The focal point of the city is Plaza Independencia with the pretty and perhaps most iconic building in the country, Palacio Salvo (see the featured image), the statue and mausoleum of the Independence hero José Artigas, the gate to the Old Town’s citadel, Puerta de la Ciudadela.

The vibrant Calle Sarandí will then take you to the Plaza Matríz, that’s also called Plaza Constitución, with yet another emblematic building that defines the city Catedral Metropolitana de Montevideo. There are few other landmarks around here, such as Teatro Solís or Mercado del Puerto, but the whole area of Ciudad Vieja is worth exploring, as it is rather picturesque, not to mention the shops, cafés, restaurants and so on. The whole area also feels pretty local, rather than touristy…

Other landmarks and views

Other notable landmarks in the city are for example Palacio Legislativo, which is the impressive neoclassical parliament building; then there’s the popular Mercado Agrícola de Montevideo and the National Football Stadium, in case you were into football, AKA soccer. Then there are of course plenty of old churches, the most remarkable of which is perhaps the gothic Las Carmelitas.

For some cool views of Montevideo, I’d recommend checking out the old fortress with military museum Fortaleza Del Cerro which overlooks the Bay of Montevideo. If you wanted a 360 degrees view, from the height of 80 metres above the city, then check out the Mirador panorámico de la Intendencia de Montevideo, for which you can book your free visit here.

La Rambla and Montevideo’s beaches

One of the major attractions in the city is La Rambla, which is a 22km avenue that stretches along the river bank. It’s therefore lined with buildings, parks and the city’s beaches, where locals often socialize over their maté, jog, drink, swim and so on. As for swimming and the beaches, please be prepared for an adequate quality of the river water.

Although it doesn’t feel like that, Montevideo‘s shore is a riverbank, rather than an Atlantic coast and the river water gets rather muddy here. So if you expect the Caribbean turquoise, you might get a bit disappointed, especially in the southern parts of the city. But it’s still worth checking at least some of them out to soak up the vibes.

For instance, just under the popular/arty/artisanal Parque Rodó, there’s the most central Playa Ramírez. One of the most popular beaches in town is the huge and lively Playa de los Pocitos, located in the eponymous hood. Other beaches worth checking out are Playa de los Ingleses for peace and quiet and Playa Honda for surfers.

The thing with the water is that the further north you go, the more clean oceanic water you’ll get in the mix with the muddy river water. So in case you wanted to get that real Atlantic city beach, then consider going as far as Playa Verde or even Playa de Carrasco.

Museums

An art-lover can be looking forward to a few treats in Montevideo. Besides numerous art galleries, such as Galería Diana Saravia or Ciudadela Galería de Arte, the city is home to several art museums. Perhaps the most popular of them all is Museo Nacional de Artes Visuales (info) that’s located in a pretty and rather social Parque Rodó, where you can see the works of Picasso, Moore, Goya as well as some local masters, such as Juan Manuel Blanes, the country’s most famous painter.

In case you liked that sort of “docu art” of Señor Blanes, you could explore his work further in Museo Blanes (info), located nearby another city park Prado, which hosts a popular Montevideo’s Botanical Garden (info). A tip, in case you needed a little peace and quiet break, then check out the pretty little Japanese Garden nearby 😉

Some European art pieces, like paintings from Diego Velázquez as well as some archaeological exhibits and an impressive decor of a magnificent building, could be admired at Palacio Taranco, which hosts the Museum of Decorative Arts (info). In case you were still hungry for more art, you could always check out the art artefacts from all over the world at Museo de la Historia del Arte (info), Pre-Columbian and Indigenous Art Museum (info) or the tiny Romantic museum (info) in the city centre.

As for the “non-art” museums, some tourists also appear keen on visiting are: Museo del Gaucho (info) which obviously displays gear of the South American “cowboys”; Andes 1972 Museum (info), which is a museum dedicated to the infamous Rugby team plane crash, you might know off from the 1993 movie Alive, with fragments of the crashed plane and some artefacts; Carnival Museum (info) that maps the history of the annual event as well as Cannabis Museum (info).

In order to learn about the city’s history in a stunning building, check out the small Museo Histórico Cabildo de Montevideo (info). If you were looking for something a bit different, then perhaps consider checking out the tiny Tango Museum (info) at Palacio Salvo or Castillo Pittamiglio (info) with its unique-shaped rooms and maze-like corridors.

Go out and events

One of the liveliest areas in the city is undoubtfully Ciudad Vieja which hosts numerous restaurants, bars, venues, clubs, cafés and cultural centres. There are therefore numerous options for dining and/or socializing. If you wanted to explore some of the popular spots to grab a few in the old citadel are Mercado del Puerto, with few options to eat and/or dine, whether it’s the hip bar La Ronda, the local-vibe bars El Pony Pisador and Baar Fun Fun, one of the charming cafés, such as Brasilero or La Farmacia and so on.

Of course, Montevideo‘s nightlife isn’t only a question of its Old Town. Other popular hoods to hang around are also Pocitos, especially around its beach area, or if you wanted something posher, then check out Carrasco nearby the emblematic Hotel/Casino/Spa Sofitel. In case you were into exploring the hip hoods, check out Punta Carretas with the famous Bar Tabaré or the neighbouring Palermo, and Parque Rodó, where I’d recommend checking out the cool The Living Bar.

Palermo is also the area that hosts few universities, which means that you find few nightclubs, although, for proper electronic beats, I’d recommend checking out Phonotheque (RA/fcbk page) that’s a few blocks north of here. For more traditional music genres, like Candombe, Milonga or Tango, look into the listings of El Hacha (wiki/esp), Tundra Bar (fcbk page), Joventango (website/esp), Tango Bar Victoria (fcbk page/esp) or El Milongón (fcbk page).

Montevideo has a great reputation for its gastronomical treats, which you can explore in all of the above-mentioned hoods with plenty of stylish restaurants available at your gourmet disposal. In case you wanted to get more details from the food scene of the city, here‘s a rather explanatory culinary guide to Montevideo by Jamie Lafferty.

If you were into contemporary art, make sure to check out El Bajo (fcbk page) as well as Espacio de Arte Contemporaneo (fcbk page), not to mention the city’s street art, for which you could perhaps consider taking this popular graffiti tour. Theatre fans should definitely consider visiting the Teatro Solís (website) at least for the cool guided tour.

Well, and last but not least, there’s another cultural phenomenon in the whole of Latin America, which is football. In spite of being a rather small nation, Uruguay has enjoyed quite significant success at the international level in this popular sport. In fact, they’ve hosted and won the first-ever World Cup in 1930, only to win it again in 1950. Montevideo‘s most popular and successful clubs are Peñarol and Nacional, both of which sometimes rent the national stadium Estadio Centenario for their international matches.

Safety

Uruguay is one of the safest countries in the whole of Latin America and that applies to its capital as well. I haven’t personally experienced any trouble, although I admit that I’ve intentionally moved away from the more remote parts of the Ciudad Vieja, as it appeared a bit rougher around the edges, with the lesser police presence after office hours. However, when speaking to some friendly locals, it could have been only a paranoid move of someone who looks visibly foreign in a poorer neighbourhood.

That however doesn’t mean that certain types of street crime, such as bag snatching and pick-pocketing don’t occur in the Uruguayan capital. In fact, such incidents have been slightly on the rise in Montevideo in the last few years ): I personally believe that the usual precautions, of being aware of your surroundings and mainly not advertising your valuables, such as your newest iPhone and expensive jewellery around should do the job. In case you were interested, more tips on safety while travelling in Latin America could be found here.

How to get to Montevideo

The capital’s Carrasco International Airport (website) has a direct regular connection only with Panama City, Madrid, Asunción, São Paulo, Santiago de Chile, Buenos Aires, Miami and Lima. This means that quite a lot of passengers from other destinations arrive at the neighbouring Argentinian capital first, before heading to Uruguay.

The cheapest way to get to Montevideo from Buenos Aires is to take a 2hrs (€46) ferry from Buenos Aires to Colonia del Sacramento from where you’ll be picked up by the bus heading to Montevideo‘s bus terminal or where you can stay and enjoy the strolls around beautiful old town colonial streets and cafes. You can also take a more expensive ferry straight to Montevideo. Find the schedules here.

Get around Montevideo

As for public transport, friendly Uruguayans will be always happy to tell you which bus to take and where to get off. Unlike in most cities in South America, in Montevideo, you can purchase a ticket from the driver. Otherwise, there are tons of taxis. For a cool and flexible alternative, check out the Grin scooter, for which you’ll need the Grin app (Android, Apple).

When to visit

For the most social and cultural purposes, it’s definitely Carnaval, The longest carnival in the World, it takes over Uruguay’s capital for 40 days from mid-January to mid-March. Get more details here. Otherwise, the warmest weather is from October to March but the city has generally rather good weather and plenty of cultural events to enjoy all year round.

Entry requirements

It is generally rather easy to enter Uruguay for people from most countries. The entry requirements to get to Uruguay could be found here.

Stay

Among the most convenient hoods to stay in is definitely Ciudad Vieja and Centro as well as Cordón or Palermo, however, some people also like to stay in Pocitos. I’ve personally stayed in a nice and spacious and rather charming Contraluz Art Hostel nearby Parque Rodó in Palermo hood. At $12 per night, I considered my bunk bed a bargain in this rather expensive country. The bed wasn’t something to remember but the place was cool. However, if you were looking for backpackers’ party hostels, you’d need to be looking elsewhere, in places like Viajero Hostal.

So is Montevideo worth visiting?

Quite a lot of travellers opt for a 2-3 day trip to visit the Uruguayan capital as some sort of a side trip from Buenos Aires. Without knowing much about what to expect and what to seek out, such a visit might not show the Uruguayan metropolis in the best light, if sightseeing and architecture were your main goal, especially when coming from the Argentine Capital.

In spite of an undeniable charm and several extraordinary landmarks, such a switch feels similar to if you for example visited Bratislava after Prague, from both perspectives, the cultural symbols as well as the overall feeling one gets from both cities.

Like the Slovak capital, Montevideo‘s urban planning also isn’t exactly a nominee for some prestigious prices, because, Montevideo suffers from a rather eclectic mix of architectural styles, that sometimes puts art-deco, renaissance, neoclassical or post-modern buildings right next to ugly soviet-style towers or the new steel&glass buildings.

The fact is, that it might sometimes feel, as if the urban planners played several versions of Tetris at the same time, which is the case in more Latin as well as Central&East European cities. Bellow, there are several examples of what I mean by that regarding Montevideo only. In case you wanted to see examples of the “Urban Tetris”, in different cities please click here to see my growing collection and feel free to contribute, if you feel like 😉

As mentioned above, in my humble opinion, the ideal way to get the best out of the city is to set realistic expectations and goals, but I guess that is advice that could be applied to many other places, things or even people. What I’m trying to say is that if you were looking for an authentic, non-touristy and perhaps also a bit creative experience, visiting the Uruguayan capital could be worth it for you.

One more tip: Please do not expect Montevideo to be some sort of Latin Amsterdam, because Uruguay legalised cannabis, please. There are no coffee shops and thousands of souvenir kiosks with various smoking gadgets. Montevideo doesn’t provide such an instant/touristy/cliché experience as Amsterdam. And the legal purchases of the products from the plant are only possible for locals anyway. Also, be aware that Uruguay is a rather expensive country if compared to other options people have in the region…

How long to stay in Montevideo?

In the context of the few previous paragraphs, this is entirely up to or what you’re after. For sightseeing only, I’d say that in 3 days you should cover the highlights. In case you wanted to grasp some of the city’s vibes and creative energy, it might take a little longer, depending on your personality, events that are taking place during your stay and so on.

Link summary

History

• History of Montevideo: Here‘s the brief history of the city, according to Encyclopedia Britannica
• History of Uruguay: Learn more about the country’s past here on Encyclopedia Britannica
• European conflicts that boosted the migration to the Americas are listed here on Wikipedia
• Tango history: Dancefacts website talks about the origins and characteristics of Tango here
• Milonga: Learn about the popular dance that behing the origins of tango here on Dancefacts
• Candombe: Here‘s UNESCO’s page dedicated to this African ancestry folk dance

Tourism

• Tourism info: The official and rather informative website of Montevideo could be found here
• Insider’s guide to Montevideo: click here to check out the informative piece by María Zanocchi in The Guardian
• Events: Here are Eventbrite‘s listings for Montevideo
• Carnival: Here‘s the Carnival’s website
• Panoramatic view booking site could be found here
• Montevideo Airport: International Carrasco Airport‘s website could be reached here
• Ferry: Schedules for the Buenos Aires – Montevideo or Buenos Aires – Colonia could be found here
• Grin scooter apps: Android/Apple
• Entry requirements: The official government’s website that lists the entry requirements could be found here
• Guide to Uruguay, including the history, safety, cuisine, places to go and much more could be found here

Museums

• National Museum Of Visual Arts: Here‘s some info on the official tourism website Descubrí Montevideo
• Juan Manuel Blanes: Learn more about life and work of the most famous Uruguayan painter here on Encyclopedia Britannica
• Blanes Museum: Here‘s some info on the official tourism website Descubrí Montevideo
• Museum and Botanical Garden “Prof. Atilio Lombardo”: Here‘s some info on Descubrí Montevideo
• Museum of Decorative Arts (Taranco Palace): Here‘s some info on Descubrí Montevideo
• Art History Museum: Here‘s some info on Descubrí Montevideo
• Museum of Pre Columbian and Indigenous Art: Here‘s some info on Descubrí Montevideo
• Romantic Museum: Here‘s some info on Descubrí Montevideo
• Gaucho Museum: Here‘s some info on Descubrí Montevideo
• Andes Museum 1972: Here‘s some info on Descubrí Montevideo
• Alive: Here‘s the imdb 1993’s movie about the tragic plane crush
• Carnival Museum: Here‘s some info on Descubrí Montevideo
• Cannabis Museum: Here‘s some info on Descubrí Montevideo
• Cabildo Historical Museum: Here‘s some info on Descubrí Montevideo
• Tango Museum: Here‘s some info on Descubrí Montevideo
• Pittamiglio Castle: Here‘s some info on Descubrí Montevideo

Venues, bars and restaurants

• Phonotheque: house/techno venue (RA/fcbk page)
• El Hacha: old sailors’ local bar (wiki/esp)
• Tundra Bar: tango bar (fcbk page)
• Joventango: tango bar (website/esp)
• Tango Bar Victoria: Milonga/Tango/Candombe venue (fcbk page/esp)
• El Milongón: Milonga venue (fcbk page)
• El Bajo: contemporary art project/venue (fcbk page)
• Espacio de Arte Contemporaneo: contemporary art space (fcbk page)
• Street art, for which you could perhaps consider taking this popular graffiti tour
• Teatro Solís: the second biggest theatre in Latin America (website)
• Culinary Guide to Montevideo: here‘s a rather explanatory culinary guide to Montevideo post on National Geographic by Jamie Lafferty

Next possible destinations

Buenos Aires

You can visit the amazing Argentine capital by taking a ferry from Montevideo or from Colonia del Sacramento as mentioned above. To learn more about the tremendous city, please click here, for a rather comprehensive hood-to-hood city guide that talks about places to see, museums, hoods to hang around, safety, how to get around and so on. In case you wanted to explore the city’s vibes in order to know if Buenos Aires is your cup of tea, click here.

Punta del Diablo and Cabo Polonio

If you wanted to embrace your inner hippie, or just to see and experience some unique vibes, head north to visit the settlements of Punta del Diablo and/or Cabo Polonio. All you need to know about these two special places located on the Atlantic shore could be found here.

Other destinations in Uruguay

Other possible destinations in the country could be found here, in Quaint Planet‘s comprehensive guide to Uruguay, which includes cuisine, history, safety, culture and more.

Iguazú Falls

While you are in this region, I would certainly recommend visiting the magical Iguazú Falls. In case you want to know more information about this special place, including a few tips, such as how to avoid the crowds, or whether the Brazilian side of the falls is better than the Argentinian, as well as how to get there from Montevideo could be found here.

Latin American locations covered on Quaint Planet

Santiago de Chile ► Valparaíso ► Santiago de Chile ►Punta Arenas – Ushuaia – Punta Arenas ► Puerto Natales – Torres del Paine – Puerto Natales ► El Calafate (Perito Moreno Glacier, Arg) ► El Chaltén (Los Glaciares National Park) ► Chile Chico (Ch) – Puerto Rio Tranquillo (Marble Caves) ► Coyhaique – Puyuhuapi – (Carretera Austral) ► Puerto Chacabuco – Quellón/Castro ► Puerto Varas – San Carlos de Bariloche (Arg) ► Buenos Aires ► Colonia (Ur) ► Montevideo ► Punta del Diablo – Cabo Polonio ► Montevideo ► Salto ► Concordia (Arg) ► Puerto Iguazú (Iguazú Falls) ► Salta ► San Salvador de Jujuy ► Tilcara ► San Pedro de Atacama (Ch) ► Uyuni Salt Flats Tour (Bol) ► Uyuni ► Sucre – La Paz (Death Road Tour) ► Copacabana (Lake Titicaca) – Isla del Sol – Copacabana ► Cusco (Per) ► Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu) ► Cusco ► Lima ► Máncora – Montañita (Ecu) ► Puerto López ► Quito ► Ipiales (Col) – Pasto ► Tatacoa Desert ► Bogotá ► Medellín ► Villa de Lleyva ► Santa Marta – Cartagena – Rincón del Mar Necoclí ► Capurganá ► Puerto Obaldía (Pan) ► Panama City ► Las Lajas ► Cerro Punta ► David ► Bocas del Torro ► San José (Costa Rica) ► San Juan del Sur (Nic) – Ometepe ► Granada ► Managua – El Rama – Bluefields – Corn Islans ► Léon ► El Tunco (El Salvador) ► La Antigua Guatemala – Lake Atitlán ► Lanquín (Semuc Champey) – Flores (Tikal) ► Belize City ► Bacalar – Tulum – Playa del Carmen – Mérida – Valladolid – Cancún ✈️ .