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Region

Montevideo area

Sleep in Ciudad Vieja or Pocitos; do the old town and the market on foot, and take the coast and Colonia as separate trips.

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Key facts · Uruguay

Best months
Mar–May, Sep–Nov
Visa
Depends on your passport
Currency
Uruguayan peso (UYU, $)
Language
Spanish
Plugs
C · F · I · 220 V
Time zone
UTC−3 all year
Month by month here
Rules in force · 6Above 2,500 m (Bogotá, Quito, Cusco, La Paz) keep the fir…
  • South America ↗Above 2,500 m (Bogotá, Quito, Cusco, La Paz) keep the first day light; sleep lower where you can (Sacred Valley before Cusco) and descend if headache comes with vomiting or confusion.
  • South America ↗A yellow fever certificate is required on arrival in French Guiana, and asked for on some routes into Bolivia, Paraguay, Suriname and Guyana, or when arriving from Amazon areas — vaccinate at least 10 days before travel and carry the card.
  • South America ↗Overnight buses are the norm in Argentina, Chile and Peru, but pick top-tier companies and keep valuables on your body; on-board thefts from overhead racks are the common loss.
  • Uruguay ↗Check entry rules for your passport with Uruguay's Ministry of Foreign Affairs or a Uruguayan consulate; ferry passengers from Buenos Aires clear both countries' immigration at the terminal.
  • Uruguay ↗Buenos Aires–Colonia and Buenos Aires–Montevideo ferries sell out on long weekends and in summer: book ahead.
  • Uruguay ↗Pay restaurants, hotels and car hire with a foreign-issued card: non-residents get the 22% VAT (IVA) removed on restaurants and car hire roughly 15 November – 30 April, and on lodging — check the current season's rules.

Montevideo is the capital and the main gateway. It is compact enough for two or three nights, with the old town, the river promenade and a strong café and grill culture. Use it as the base for bus trips west to Colonia and east to the Atlantic coast.

Where to sleep

1 place in this region

Plan the nights

How to split the nights, day-trips and what to do with your bags

Open Plan the nightsClose Plan the nights2 partsNights · Bags

Night sequences

3 nights
Montevideo 3
5 nights
Colonia 1 + Montevideo 2 + Punta del Este 2
  • Buses and ferries in January and on long weekends sell out: book ahead.

Bags between cities

Keep the main bag at the Montevideo hotel for a night in Colonia or on the coast.

When to go

Months and weather

Open When to goClose When to go1 partSeasons

Seasons at a glance

From each city's month table

Pick a month to see where to go.

Show all 12 months, country by countryHide the 12-month table
CountryJFMAMJJASOND
Montevideo
Uruguay (country-wide)
Go: the good monthsFair: workable, mixedPoor: heat, rain or hazeAvoid: storms, floods, closuresno data yet

Computed from each country’s own data; hover a country name for the source. Advisory countries are left out.

Eat and move on

Regional food and where to go next

Open Eat and move onClose Eat and move on1 partGo next

Go next

Other regions of the country

Colonia and the west

planned

1–2 nights

Colonia del Sacramento's old town and nearby wineries

Atlantic coast

planned

2–5 nights

Punta del Este, José Ignacio, La Paloma, Cabo Polonio

Montevideo area: what we know, and what is coming

1 of 1 places open

On this page

  1. 1 places with their role: where to sleep, what to do as a day trip
  2. How to split 3 or 5 nights
  3. Seasons month by month, from the cities’ own tables
  4. What to do with the big bag between beds

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Climate strip by zone, with the storm and haze months
  2. Get in: airports and stations with door-to-door times
  3. Regional passes and cards, with a buy / skip verdict
  4. Regional food: what, where and when it works

Meanwhile

Planning aids

Built from this guide's own data

Open Planning aidsClose Planning aids3 partsIn numbers · Trips here · Local time

Region in numbers

Where to sleep
1 base
Nights suggested
3–5 nights

Trips that stop here

From the Uruguay guide

  • River and ocean

    7 days · 3 nights here

    Colonia del Sacramento → Montevideo → Punta del Este → Cabo Polonio

  • Whole coast

    10 days · 3 nights here

    Colonia del Sacramento → Montevideo → Punta del Este / José Ignacio → Cabo Polonio → Punta del Diablo

  • Buenos Aires and Uruguay

    14 days · 5 nights here

    Buenos Aires → Colonia del Sacramento → Montevideo → Punta del Este → Cabo Polonio → Montevideo

All Uruguay trips →

Local time

What time it is there now, compared with the clock on your device.

  • Montevideo

    …

    Checking your clock…America/Montevideo

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