Uruguay Itinerary 7 Days: Montevideo, Colonia and Punta del Este

Forty-five minutes, free, with a time slot booked on the city hall website. Carrasco airport is 20 km from downtown by taxi or bus. After check-in, ride up to the lookout at almost 80 meters: you see the bay, the Cerro and the Old City, which is the rest of the day. The entrance is on Soriano street.

Forty minutes, free, a 1.3 km walk down Avenida 18 de Julio. The tower of Palacio Salvo, from 1928, was briefly the tallest building in South America. Under the Artigas statue there is an underground mausoleum with an honor guard, open to the public. Teatro Solís, from 1856, is on the south corner and offers guided tours.

Ten minutes, on the west side of the square. It is what is left of the Spanish wall that once surrounded the city. Walk through the gate and follow Peatonal Sarandí, the pedestrian street with bookshops and antique stores that leads to the port.

An hour and a half for dinner, 1 km west along Sarandí. The 1868 iron market is now a hall of parrillas grilling beef, sausage and blood sausage over wood embers. The biggest ones stay open until 11 pm Monday to Saturday; on Sunday they close in the afternoon.

Eat at the counter around the grill: it is cheaper than a table and the grill master will suggest the cut. Order a medio y medio, the mix of sparkling and white wine that was born there.

One hour, free, at 9:30 am, by taxi or bus 6 km from downtown. The rose garden has iron pergolas and four fountains, and blooms from October to December. Cross the street to the free Botanical Garden, or walk among the 19th century summer mansions of the neighborhood.

Two and a half hours with lunch, by taxi to the waterfront. The Rambla runs 22 km along the Río de la Plata, and the Pocitos stretch is the liveliest: people drinking mate, jogging and fishing. Have lunch at a neighborhood café and walk to the giant Montevideo sign at the east end of the beach.

One hour, free, a 1.6 km walk from the sign along the waterfront. Open 8 am to 5 pm, so it fits mid-afternoon. Marble mausoleums under palm trees overlook the river, and it sees far fewer visitors than Recoleta in Buenos Aires.

Twenty minutes, free. The COT bus leaves Tres Cruces terminal and reaches Colonia in about 2.5 hours; the terminal is 800 meters from the historic quarter. The town was founded by the Portuguese in 1680 and has been a World Heritage Site since 1995. Enter through the wall gate, with its wooden bridge over the moat.

Twenty minutes, 100 meters from the gate, via Plaza Mayor. The cobbled street slopes between low Portuguese houses down to the river. The Basílica del Santísimo Sacramento, the oldest church in Uruguay, is two blocks north.

Forty minutes, a ticket of a few Uruguayan pesos paid in cash at the door. The 1857 lighthouse was built on the ruins of the San Francisco convent, and the top looks over the whole quarter. Stay for sunset on the Rambla just below: the sun sets over the river, with Buenos Aires on the other side.

One hour, at 10 am, 5 km from downtown by bike, taxi or local bus. The 1910 bullring hosted few fights before bullfighting was banned in 1912, and sat abandoned for a century. Restored in 2021, it opened an interactive museum about its history in 2026. Open daily, until 8 pm in summer.

Forty-five minutes, free. Colonia to Punta del Este is about 5 hours by bus, changing at Tres Cruces. The Punta terminal is 200 meters from the sculpture by Mario Irarrázabal, from 1982, which became the symbol of the town. Arrive for sunset, when the beach empties.

Half an hour, free, in the morning. Sea lions climb onto the dock next to the fish stalls waiting for scraps. Do not feed them or get close: they bite. Pick up your rental car on the peninsula; it serves until the end of the trip.

Two hours, about US$ 70 per adult, leaving the port at noon with a minimum number of passengers. Book the day before and confirm on the day: the boat does not sail in rough seas. The island is a protected reserve and nobody lands. The boat circles the rocks where one of the largest sea lion colonies in the South Atlantic lives.

An hour and a half, 600 Uruguayan pesos, 15 km from the peninsula. The painter Carlos Páez Vilaró built this white home and studio on the Punta Ballena hillside over 36 years. The museum opens at 10 am and closes after sunset, when a recording of his poem to the sun is played. Arrive 40 minutes early to get a seat.

Twenty minutes, 10 km from the peninsula. The 1965 bridge rises and falls in waves over the Maldonado stream, and driving over it feels like a roller coaster. Park on the far side for photos and stroll past the shops and galleries on the main street of La Barra.

Two hours, free, 7 km inland on Ruta 104. The contemporary art museum, opened in 2022 and designed by Carlos Ott, has a curved wooden structure and temporary shows of Latin American artists. Next door is the Pablo Atchugarry Foundation sculpture park, also free. Hours change with the season: check the website.

Two hours in the late afternoon, 30 km from MACA. The village of sand streets has low-key summer houses and some of the most expensive restaurants in the country. You can climb the 1877 lighthouse for a token fee. End at Playa Mansa, which faces west, where the sun sets over the sea.

One hour, free, at 10 am, 5 km from Punta del Este. The Spanish built the stone barracks between 1771 and 1797 to defend the bay from the Portuguese and British. Today small museums surround the cannon courtyard.

Half an hour, two blocks from the barracks. The neoclassical cathedral, completed in 1895, faces the main square, with shaded cafés. Then drive to Carrasco airport, about 1.5 hours away, where the rental company takes the car back.