What to see and do in Uruguay
Montevideo
Hot Springs
One way of getting to know interesting sites in Montevideo is taking a
“caminatur” organized by the tourism department of the municipality.
“Caminaturs” are walking tours of certain sections of the city. The calendar for “caminaturs” is drawn each month,
and reservations must be made on the Monday previous to each tour.
There is one “caminatur” every Saturday and Sunday. The price is quite reasonable.
For more information call 913-06-49 (tourism dept. of the municipality) or go to the nearest “Centro Comunal.”
If available, the following “caminaturs” are worth taking:
Ciudad Vieja, the old city section of Montevideo.
Here you will find, among other sites, the largest theater in Montevideo called “Solis,” the Cathedral of Montevideo, the English Temple,
and the “Cabildo” (the city council in colonial times).
The neighborhood of “El Prado”
with its old manor houses and its rose garden.
Parque Batlle,
where the historic “Centenario” soccer stadium is located.
It is also an area of town with many original monuments and replicas by
Uruguayan and foreign sculptors.
Other places worth visiting are:
Palacio Legislativo
(Legislative Palace).This is where the two chambers of parliament meet.
It is a turn-of-the-century, marble building.
The main hall, called “Salón de los Pasos Perdidos,” has
a floor made of Uruguayan granite. The reception room has a gold leaf ceiling
and contains paintings that depict episodes of Uruguayan history as well as
portraits of some of the country’s heroes and leaders.
There is a guided tour every hour between 9:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
You may request an English-speaking guide.
Mercado del Puerto
(Port Market) is more than what its name tells about it.
It is a picturesque area of the city where handcrafts are sold and where
there are many restaurants with outdoor tables.You can have excellent “asado” (Uruguayan style barbecued meat) here
and enjoy the music of the amateur singers that frequent the place.
Tristán Narvaja
outdoor market. Held only on Sunday
morning and early afternoon, you will find that just about anything is sold
here, from groceries, to clothes, to pets, to bric-a-brac. Going to the market will also give you a good opportunity to visit the
antique dealers on Tristán Narvaja street.
Visit a tango place.
There are many places in town where you can listen to this typical music of the Río de la Plata.
Folkloric events.
If you happen to be in Uruguay at the right time of the year, you may enjoy attending the “Semana Criolla.”
This is held during Easter week in “El Prado,” and it is the Uruguayan version of a rodeo.
Also, in July or August, the “Exposición Rural” is held at the same place.
The best livestock of the country are exhibited and compete for a prize.
In addition, many countries keep a stand where they exhibit their national products.
Shopping malls.
Their stores are expensive, but they are good places to stroll on cold weekend afternoons and maybe have a cup of coffee
or see a movie. The largest shopping malls are Punta Carretas, Montevideo Shopping, Portones, and Tres Cruces.
Museums:
Museo Romántico
(Romantic Museum) is especially interesting. It is a restored 1830 merchant’s mansion filled with period furniture,
portraits, clothes, ladies’ fans, and other objects. It gives the visitor a good view of how the well to do lived in
Montevideo in the latter half of the last century. (25 de Mayo 314, tel. #915-5361, open Tue thru Fri, 1:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.)
Blanes Museum
is an old manor house that has been made into a museum. It contains the most significant patriotic works of
Uruguay’s most important 19th century painter, Juan Manuel Blanes
(1830-1901), as well as a large collection of works of the celebrated Uruguaian painter, Pedro Figari (1861-1938).(Avenida
Millán 4014, tel. #336-2248, open Tue thru Sun, 1:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.)
Museo de Artes Plásticas y Visuales,
located just behind Parque Rodó, is Montevideo’s “National Gallery of Art” and contains good examples of the most prominent Uruguayan painters.
(Avenida Julio Herrera y Reissig s/n, tel. #711-6127, open Wed thru Sun, 3:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.)
Museo del Gaucho y la Moneda
is a late 19th century mansion that contains garments, knives, spurs, stirrups, and a wide variety of
other items used by “gauchos” in the past. In addition, it has a collection of Uruguayan and foreign coins and bills.
(Avenida 18 de Julio 998, tel. #900-8764, open Tue thru Fri, 9:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m., 1:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m., &
Sat-Sun, 4:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.)
The Arapey hot springs are located 80 km north of
the city of Salto,traveling by route 3. You can stay at the hotel, one of the bungalows, or the campsite, which
has power, water and grills. Accommodations are run by the Salto municipality. Water temperature is 39 oC.
Daymán hot springs have
the hottest water (42 oC).They are 8 km south of the city of Salto, on route 3, and you can get
there through a continuous bus service from this city. There are eight pools. The area is wooded and suitable for camping.
Rental cottages, hotels, and motels are also available.
90
km from the city of Paysandú, along route 90, are the Almirón hot springs. Water
temperature is above 30 oC here. You can fish on the Guayabos Grande stream and explore the surrounding
landscape.Reservations for cabins should be made at least one month in advance.
Guaviyú hot springs are located on route 3, 70 km north of the city of
Paysandú.There are six pools. The tourist complex is run by the municipality of Paysandú. Thermal waters have a temperature of 38 ºC.
The high content of minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, and fluoride provide these waters with healing and sedative properties.
