Montevideo, Uruguay — Where to Go
Montevideo Sightseeing Overview
La Puerta de la Ciudadela (The Door of the Citadel) is the most interesting way to enter the Ciudad Vieja (Old City), with its mix of architectural styles. The Plaza de la Constitucíon is the largest square in the old center, flanked by the cathedral, the Cabildo (Town Hall) and the Museo Histórico Nacional (National Historical Museum).
A few blocks east, the Plaza Independencia sits between the old and the new city, dominated by a monument of revolutionary leader José Gervasio Artigas and the country’s tallest building, the 26-story Palacio Salvo (1928). Nearby is the Teatro Solís.
East again is the bustling Avenida 18 de Julio - home to most of the city’s theaters, museums and art galleries, as well as the Palacio Municipal. Please note that although all the museums are free, most of them have erratic opening times.
Montevideo Tourist Information
Municipal Tourist Office
Explanada Municipal
Tel: 1950.
Website: www.montevideo.gub.uy
Offers information on the city, including free maps and leaflets, together with details of special events.
The Uruguay Tourism Ministry
Avenida Libertador 1409 at Colonia
Tel: (02) 908 9105.
Website: www.turismo.gub.uy
Provides tourist information for the whole country.
Montevideo Sightseeing
There are no city passes available in Montevideo.
Montevideo Sightseeing
There are no city passes available in Montevideo.
Key Attractions in Montevideo, Uruguay
Museo del Gaucho y de la Moneda (Gaucho and Money Museum)
This small, quirky museum in a 19th-century mansion has interesting displays relating to the gaucho (South American cowboy), including fine silverwork and their distinctive clothing, as well as an exhibition on the history of Uruguay’s currency.
Avenida 18 de Julio 998
Tel: (02) 900 8764.
Free admission.
Museo Nacional de Artes Visuales (National Museum of Visual Arts)
Opened in 1911, this museum is home to the most significant collection of Uruguayan visual art, with changing national and international exhibitions.
Julio Herrera y Reissig at Tomás Giribaldi, Parque Rodó
Tel: (02) 711 6054.
Website: www.mnav.gub.uy
Free admission.
La Rambla
The city’s promenade is backed by a series of white sand beaches along the Rio de la Plata area. Walk or jog along the coast-hugging thoroughfare, or relax with a drink while watching the sunset.
Between Ciudad Vieja and Carrasco district
Free admission.
Mercado del Puerto (Port Market)
Dating back to 1868, this elaborate iron structure is home to the most atmospheric part of the city, filled with local crafts, food stalls and restaurants. Every afternoon and at weekends, musicians and other performers join the throng.
Piedras 237
Tel: (02) 600 6211.
Website: www.mercadodelpuerto.com.uy
Free admission.
Museo Torres García
This museum is dedicated to the artwork of Joaquín Torres García (1874-1949), a modernist pioneer born in Montevideo who studied and worked in Spain with Picasso and Gaudí. His cubist and abstract art is displayed throughout the building on several floors.
Peatonal Sarandí 683
Tel: (02) 916 2663.
Website: www.torresgarcia.org.uy
Admission charge.
Further Distractions
Museo Romántico (Romantic Museum)
An extravagant merchant’s residence built in 1830 is the fitting site of this museum, filled with period furnishings, furniture, clothing and personal effects of the city’s old elite.
25 de Mayo 428
Tel: (02) 915 5361.
Museo Municipal de Bellas Artes Juan Manuel Blanes
This national art museum, housed in a late 19th-century mansion, is dedicated to painter Juan Manuel Blanes (1830-1901) but its many rooms also contain the work of Uruguay’s most important artists from all periods of the country’s history.
Avenida Millán 4015
Tel: (02) 336 2248.
Website: www.montevideo.gub.uy/museoblanes
