Activities in Uruguay

Watersports
Windsurfing and water-skiing are popular along the coast. Boating is a favorite Uruguayan pastime. Santiago Vazquez on the St Lucia River is one of several popular centers. Arrangements can be made for hire of motor or sailing boats in Montevideo and elsewhere.

There are plenty of places to swim when the weather permits. The ‘metropolitan’ beaches (from Ramirez and including Pocitos) tend to be dirty and unsuitable for bathing. Those along the Atlantic coast are, however, clean and are suitable for swimming. Many of the resort areas in the interior have swimming pools. The mineral baths at Minas are worth a visit.

Fishing
There are three fishing areas: along the Rio de la Plata from Colonia to Piriapolis for surf-casting; from Piriapolis to Punta del Este (considered one of the best fishing areas in the world); and along the Atlantic Coast towards the Brazilian border. Boats and tackle can be hired in fishing clubs in Fray Bentos, Montevideo, Mercedes, Paysandu, Punta del Este and Salto.

Golf
There is a municipal course in Montevideo, plus clubs at the Punta del Este Country Club and Victoria Plaza Hotel.

Spectator sports
There are two main horseracing tracks: Hipodromo de Maronas (Saturday and Sunday afternoon); and Las Piedras (Thursday, Saturday and Sunday). Football is the most popular spectator sport; matches are played regularly throughout the country. Dune walking is increasingly popular in Cabo Palonia.

Tourist Attractions in Uruguay

Uruguay is drawing increasingly more visitors each year, and for good reason. The country enjoys 500km (300 miles) of fine sandy beaches on the Atlantic and the Rio de la Plata, woods, hills, hot springs, hotels, casinos, art festivals and numerous opportunities for sport and entertainment.

Montevideo
The capital contains more than half of Uruguay’s population and is the country’s natural trading center. There are nine major bathing beaches, the best of which are Carrasco, Malvin, Miramar, and Pocitos. The suburbs have restaurants, nightclubs and hotels.
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Montevideo’s architecture combines colonial, European and modern influences. The old inner city, known as the Ciudad Vieja (Old Town), is a small peninsula surrounded by the sea near the metropolitan port. The Cabildo (the old town council hall), the Cathedral, the Plaza Matriz, the Plaza Zabala and the Port Market are fine examples of Uruguay’s colonial past.

The Old Town, also a center for antique shops, contrasts dramatically with the rising number of modern buildings and office blocks surrounding the area. The most interesting entrance to the city is via the Puerta de la Ciudadela (Door to the Citadel), part of the old wall that still surrounds Montevideo leading on, via the Plaza Independencia, to the popular and lively city center.

Elsewhere
To the west of Montevideo is Colonia Suiza (’The Swiss Colony’), reached by hydrofoil from the capital. It has a delightful old quarter. Other beach resorts along the Uruguayan coast include Atlantida, Piriapolis and the fishing port of Paloma. Carmelo on the River Uruguay and Mercedes on the Rio Negro (a tributary) are amongst the many picturesque river ports; further up Uruguay is Salto, one of the country’s largest cities.

Fray Bentos, near Mercedes, gave its name to the famous processed meat company. The journey north through Florida and Durazno to Tacuarembo on the Brazilian border takes one through the heart of the country’s agricultural lands. The beautiful hills surrounding the town of Minas are well worth a visit, as is Colonia del Sacramento, which has been rebuilt in its original 18th-century style.

Resorts
The Atlantic coast resorts are popular from December to April, and have fine beaches. Most fashionable of these is Punta del Este, 145km (90 miles) from Montevideo. It has two main beaches and offers water-skiing, fishing, surfing and yachting; there is also a golf course. Villas and chalets can be rented in the wooded area on the edge of town. Two nearby islands, Gorniti and Lobos, are worth a visit.