Montevideo, Uruguay in a Weekend

My love for and my pleasantly-surprised reaction to Montevideo, Uruguay is no secret, as you can see in my blurb about the city for Journalist on the Run’s post on the World’s Most Surprising Travel Destinations (hint: check out #18!) and a feature for The Atlas Heart in her Travel Misconceptions series—but what exactly is there to do in Montevideo, Uruguay in a weekend?

The answer to that question is PLENTY. As a cosmopolitan capital city, Montevideo has many distinct cultural neighborhoods, thriving art and culinary scenes, and a picturesque old town, La Ciudad Vieja. It has a shore line that wraps around the southern edge of the city overlooking the Rio de La Plata, which is shared with Buenos Aires, Argentina, only a few hours away by bus and ferry.

Montevideo is a haven for those who appreciate the perks of a big city, but without the noise, the pollution, and the crowds, and it shares a lot of cultural traditions and architecture with its big brother, Buenos Aires. After living in the big city across the river for several months, a weekend excursion to Montevideo was exactly what I needed to rebalance myself and rekindle my love for South America and its incredible diversity.

How to Get There 

Lets be honest, Montevideo is not usually the number one destination for travelers visiting South America, but rather an addition to the itinerary when visiting Buenos Aires.

Take a ferry from the terminal in Puerto Madero. There are several options for ferries: SeaCat, Buquebus, and Colonia Express. I took SeaCat, which is usually the least expensive option, however it is the slowest of the three.

My ticket was about $80 round trip, which included the ferry ride and a bus transfer from the port in Colonia del Sacramento (another fantastic place in Uruguay), to Montevideo. Upon arrival in Montevideo, I took a city bus to my hostel in La Ciudad Vieja, called Los Jardines Colgantes de Babylonia Hostel, or “The Hanging Gardens of Babylon.”

What To Do (On A Budget)

Wander the streets of Montevideo! We arrived in the city around noon, right as the street life was picking up and vendors and performers were set up along along Calle Sarandi. This pedestrian-only street is full of boutique shops, restaurants, bookstores, and ice cream parlors, and crosses through the Plaza Independencia. The plaza is the home of several important buildings and monuments such as the Palacio Salvo, whose twin building resides just across the river in Buenos Aires and is inspired by Dante’s Inferno.

You can also enjoy a hearty Uruguayan lunch at the busy Mercado del Puerto, a mega-restaurant featuring many small individual Parillas, or barbecue joints. You can sit at the bar and watch your meat being cooked right in front of you—and when I say meat, that is all I mean. While side options are available, nothing can detract from the main attraction. Uruguayans and Argentines alike have a different name for each part of the cow—so having no idea what to order, I was literally shown a hand-drawn map of a cow, which pointed out each different type!

The Mercado del Puerto is also a fantastic because it is famous for the drink medio y medio, a bubbly concoction of champagne and white wine. This tasty beverage is guaranteed to help wash down your heavy steak lunch!

One thing that I really enjoyed in Montevideo were the museums. Mainly located in the Ciudad Vieja, Montevideo is home to several really fantastically curated museums whose entrance fees are more than affordable. The most memorable ones for me were the MAPI, or the Museum of Indigenous Art, and the Palacio Taranco, the Museum of Decorative Art.

I loved that in a country with virtually no remaining indigenous population, the MAPI was beautifully structured and full of educational exhibits that were visually appealing and informative. The best (and strangest) part might have been being followed around by a camera crew, who were filming for Uruguay Natural TV and asked us to walk around “acting natural.” I’m not sure how we were supposed to do that with our every move being documented, but we made fast friends with them and I recently found the clip online! Check out the commercial that Karl and I are featured in at about second 25: http://www.uruguaynatural.tv/videos/video/montevideo-museos. They asked us to take the selfie, I promise!

The last piece of advice that I will leave you with about Montevideo is to rent a bike or walk along la Rambla, the miles-long pathway that stretches the length of the river’s coast. There are beautiful views, great beaches, and it will allow you to see many different parts of Montevideo and enjoy is extremely friendly locals.

Becuase I’m in between computers right now and have terrible wifi, I can’t include my photos of the coast quite yet–enjoy these instead!

Karl and I did quite a bit of wandering, and took advantage of how touristy Montevideo isn’t. We were constantly being offered help from Montevideanos, and we never felt like we were the target of any tourist scams. I can honestly say that as a girl who doesn’t care much for massive metropolises (metropoli?), Montevideo is one of my favorite cities I’ve visited and it would be on the top of my list for expat life, if that time ever comes.

The best way to enjoy Montevideo is to appreciate it for its tranquility. Don’t write it off as “boring” just because it isn’t as booming as Buenos Aires is right across the river, but come here looking for a relaxing urban escape and a fantastic cultural experience. Uruguay is so overlooked, so I encourage you to see Montevideo in a weekend or spend a month there–but whatever you do, be sure to give it a chance on your next South American adventure!

What city did you visit that either surprised you or was significantly better in your opinion than one that it is near or often compared to? Let me know in the comments!