Sights and landmarks in Montevideo

Sights and landmarks in Montevideo

1. See

   Aduana building

   Massive landmark next to Mercado del Puerto, hosting the Uruguayan customs administration.

2. See

   Carrasco

   Reached by bus or taxi it is a beautiful neighborhood full of trees by the beach twenty minutes from the Ciudad Vieja. It has nice restaurants with outdoor tables. It's really nice to walk around and visit the small upscale boutiques in nice houses, bookstores, a small shopping center Arocena and a movie theater. The best ice cream parlor Las Delicias. If weather permits the beach is really nice and good for long walks and swimming. There is a very large street fair on Wednesdays full of fruits, foods, and clothing, especially bathing suits! Also has upscale hotels.

3. See

   Casa de Fructuoso Rivera

   The home of the first president of Uruguay is today a museum of the country's political history.

   Mon-Fri 11:00-16:45

4. See

   Casa de Lavalleja

   The house of Juan Antolio Lavalleja, leader of the Thirty-Three Orientals who fought against Brazil for Uruguayan independence in the 1820s. Part of the National History Museum.

5. See

   Castillo Pittamiglio

   Eccentric small brick castle at the beach. A guided tour, arranged four times a week, is the only way to see the inside of the castle.

   Tue Thu Sat Sun at 17:00·U$100

6. See

   Castillo Soneira

   Neo-Gothic building from the 19th century that used to be the residence of a wealthy family.

7. See

   Catedral Metropolitana

   Montevideo Metropolitan Cathedral

   The Catholic cathedral of Montevideo and the seat of the archdiocese of Montevideo. The cathedral features beautiful artwork, among them the picture of Our Lady of the Thirty-Three, the patron saint of Uruguay. Mass at least one time per day, the schedule is posted outside the door so you can check the schedules in the case you want to attend one or if you want to have a closer look at the church without disturbing a ceremony.

8. See

   Cathedral of The Most Holy Trinity

   Templo Inglés

   An Anglican church and the oldest non-Catholic place of worship in Montevideo. Looks more like a Roman temple than a church.

9. See

   Central Cemetery

   Cementerio Central

   A historic cemetery with sculptures. Founded in 1835 and the final resting place for many important Uruguayan politicians, authors and artists.

10. See

    Edificio Ciudadela

    Glass-framed office building at the western end of the square with a terrifying number of air conditioning units.

11. See

    El Cabildo

    Cabildo de Montevideo

    During the Spanish rule in the early 19th century and the first decades of independence, El Cabildo was the parliament building. Later on various governmental departments were housed there, but since 1959 the building has been a museum, Museo Histórico Municipal, displaying the city governments archives.

    Mon-Fri 12:00-17:45, Sat 10:00-16:00·Free

12. See

    El Prado

    Parque del Prado

    The largest park in the city proper is a few kilometers north of Palacio Legislativo. It is bisected by a creek named Miguelete. The botanical garden of the city is here too, as is the Juan Blanes museum and several pretty residences from the turn of the century. A popular place to hang out for locals.

13. See

    Fortaleza General Artigas

    This fort, on the top of the Cerro Hill, houses a collection of armoury. It is the original fort from which Montevideo originated. The fort sits on the top of a hill and can be seen from many places in the city - and you'll have a fantastic view of the city from the fort. Visiting the fort can be hard, as the Cerro district is somewhat of a shantytown and reportedly not safe to wander around in — though it is possible to reach the fort by car or taxi.

14. See

    Fuente de los Candados

    The padlock fountain

    A small fountain at corner of Yi, completely covered by locks. Similar to bridges in many European cities, couples come here to attach a padlock to it. If they do so their love is supposed to last forever and they will also return to Montevideo someday.

15. See

    Hipodromo Nacional de Maroñas

    Accessible by car or taxi because surrounding neighborhoods are not the safest it is a great place to spend a weekend afternoon at the horse races. The building is absolutely gorgeous build in 1874 surrounded by a beautiful park a horse pool and the track. They have a restaurant and you can see the races and have drinks on the terrace. There is plenty to see for children and space for running around.

16. See

    Holocaust memorial

    Memorial del Holocausto del Pueblo Judío

    A work of contemporary art at the beach in Punta Carretas. It's intended to be experienced by walking through it from northwest to southeast.

17. See

    MAPI

    Museo de Arte Precolombino e Indígena

    Museum of indigenous art and Uruguayan archaeology. As the name reveals, it showcases native American artefacts from all of South America.

    Mon-Fri 11:30-17:30, Sat 10:00-16:00·U$65

18. See

    MNAV

    Museo Nacional de Artes Visuales

    National museum of modern Uruguayan art, exhibiting paintings. They have a permanent exhibition featuring works of Juan Blanes, Rafael Barradas, Pedro Figari and José Cuneo.

    Tue-Sun 14:00-19:00·$U200

19. See

    Mausoleo de Artigas

    This large monument in the Plaza Independencia pays tribute to José Gervasio Artigas, one of the heroes of the Uruguayan Independence. Under the monument is the mausoleum, which is open on the weekends. It contains an urn with his ashes and two honor guards keeping watch.

20. See

    Mercado del Puerto

    This is a covered market full of restaurants and some shops selling handicrafts and souvenirs that is worth seeing as a sight, an eating place, and as a place for shopping. The main market is open every day during lunch hours. The restaurants around the exterior offer indoor and outdoor seating, and they remain open for dinner.

21. See

    Museo Andes 1972

    In October 1972 a plane carrying Uruguayan rugby players to Santiago crashed in the Andes, 16 of the passengers managing to survive over two months in terrifying circumstances before they eventually were found and rescued. This museum tells the story of the event, known as the 1972 Andes flight disaster.

    U$200

22. See

    Museo Blanes

    Museum of Uruguayan art from the 19th to early 20th centuries, named after one of the most famous Uruguayan painters, Juan Manuel Blanes. Also features a Japanese garden.

    Tue-Sun 12:00-17:45·free

23. See

    Museo Casa Vilamajó

    Built in 1930, Uruguayan architect Julio Vilamajó`s house has been fully restored by the local architecture university and functions as a museum. Fine example of early modernist Uruguayan architecture. The house is open just a few times per week; be sure to check beforehand on the museum`s website.

    free

24. See

    Museo Torres Garcia

    Displaying works by one of the most prominent Uruguayan artists, the painter and sculptor Joaquín Torres García (1874-1949).

    Mon-Fri 09:30-19:30, Sat 10:00-18:00

25. See

    Museo de Historia del Arte

    MuHAr

    Archeological museum with exhibits from Uruguay and other parts of the world, the exhibits include even Egyptian mummies.

    Tue-Sun 12:00-17:30·free

26. See

    Museo del Carnaval

    Small museum with carnival costumes and paraphernalia. If you don't have the opportunity to visit Montevideo during the yearly carnival, at least you will get to see some costumes and drums here.

    Wed-Sun 11:00-17:00·U$80

27. See

    Museo del Fútbol

    Football museum

    It's in the stadium where the first football world championships were held in 1930. You can see old photos, flags, jerseys, posters, trophies, flags and such. You will also get access to the stadium itself (unless there is a game going on).

    Mon-Fri 10:00-17:00·U$100

28. See

    Museo del Gaucho y de la Moneda

    Two museums in one building. The one showing the gaucho (South American cowboy) culture has everyday objects from drinking horns to weapons, as well as silverware, all from the 19th century, when the gauchos were riding around on the Pampas. The other museum, Museo de la Moneda, is a numismatic museum featuring bills, coins and medals from the last centuries. The museums are in Palacio Heber Jackson, a Cultural Heritage Monument and one of several iconic buildings along the avenue.

    Mon-Fri 10:00-17:00·free

29. See

    Museo del Tango de Montevideo

    Tango Museum of Montevideo

    The historic place of Tango music in Uruguay. It is the place where La Cumparsita, the Tango of all Tangos was first played 100 years ago, in 1917. It conserves the original pieces of the time, and a large collection of Uruguayan Tango history. Working victrols play tango all day long on original records. It is one of the most visited sites in Montevideo.

30. See

    National History Museum

    Museo Histórico Nacional

    Spread between five old historic houses, holds important bits of the country's history.

    No entrance fee

31. See

    Old Sepharadi Synagogue

    Sinagoga de la Comunidad Israelita Sefaradí

    Synagogue in the old town that was opened in 1956. It was inspired by the Portuguese synagogue in New York.

32. See

    Palacio Estévez

    Estévez Palace

    The Palacio Estévez was the office building of Uruguayan presidents until 1985. Today it is a museum of the Uruguayan presidency.

33. See

    Palacio Legislativo

    National parliament, the first one in South America and an iconic symbol of Uruguay's long lasting democracy. The building was completed in 1925, inaugurated the same year to celebrate the centenary of the country's declaration of independence. It is a National Historic Landmark and quite impressive as it stands in the middle of a large square. It houses the legislature and the general assembly.

34. See

    Palacio Municipal

    Intendencia

    The massive brick building is not just a city hall but also hosts the museums of photography and art history (MuHAr). There is a viewing platform in the tower that is open to the public.

35. See

    Palacio Salvo

    Eastern side of Plaza Independencia. Once South America's highest building, the 95-m-high Art Deco building Palacio Salvo still dominates Montevideo's skyline. In the past there used to be an observation deck that could be accessed for free.

    U$200-300 for 30-min tour including observation deck

36. See

    Palacio Taranco

    Museo de Artes Decorativas

    Location of the Museum of Decorative Art with over 2000 exhibits from all periods. Here you can see works by European masters from the last five centuries and ancient archeological artefacts such as Roman amphoras and furniture used by French kings. The building was built as the residence of the Taranco Ortiz family.

    Mon-Fri 12:30-17:30·Free

37. See

    Parque Lecocq

    A conservation area of over 50 hectares northwest of the city. It is a kind of semi-open zoo where both Uruguayan animals and animals from elsewhere are roaming around. You can see llamas, capybaras and ostriches here, among others. One of the largest colonies of the critically endangered white antelope, native to the Sahara, lives here as well. Parque Lecocq also borders the wetlands (humedales) of Santa Lucía.

38. See

    Parque Rodó

    The main park of southern Montevideo, named after the writer José Enrique Rodó and there is also a memorial in the park dedicated to him. The district north of the park is also named Parque Rodó, but the park itself stretches down into Punta Carretas. That part of the park is called Parque de las Instrucciones del Año XIII in homage to the document from 1813 demanding independence for the provinces of east of Rio de la Plata (today's Uruguay) and has a nice little lake. West of Avenida Cachon there is a small hill from which you can get a good view over Montevideo. Parque Rodó also features an amusement park (closed in the Southern Hemisphere winter) as well as outdoor sports facilities and a market on Sundays.

39. See

    Plaza Independencia

    The square at the end of 18 de Julio Ave., with the latter being the main commercial artery of the city. On the last Saturday of September, all the museums and historical places of interest around the Plaza Independencia open for free to the public. There is also a large "Murga," or a traditional South American parade in which all the Uruguayan political parties take part. The event is known as El Día del Patrimonio, the Day of Heritage. On the middle of the square there is a statue of general José Artigas, and under it, his mausoleum.

40. See

    Pocitos Beach

    Perhaps the nicest beach in Montevideo. At its eastern edge is the famous sign (Cartel/Letrero de Montevideo) that spells Montevideo in big letters—a popular spot for photos, and well known enough that it has inspired similar signs in other Uruguayan cities like Colonia and Rivera.

Browse all 104 places in Montevideo

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Montevideo (CC BY-SA 4.0).