Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, is only a 2 hours and 15 minutes ferry ride away from Buenos Aires. Therefore, it is perfect for a weekend getaway. I heard people say that Uruguay isn’t any different from Argentina. After I have been to both countries, I’d say this is the same statement as claiming that Austria is the same as Germany. Or in other words: It couldn’t be further from the truth. Obviously, they have the same dialect in Montevideo, the “castellano rioplatense” (i.e. Spanish spoken in the area of the river Plate) and similar meal preferences (steak, empanadas, ice cream), but the city and its people are very different from those in Buenos Aires. And besides; steak, empanadas and ice cream form part of the cuisine of most Latin American countries.
Accommodation
I arrived Friday at 6.30pm at the harbor and could walk to my hotel (10 minutes). This is one of the advantages of taking the ferry versus flying: you leave from and arrive in downtown and thus, you won’t need a taxi ride in either city. I chose a hotel in the old town (ciudad vieja) as this area interested me the most. However, note that this area is rather quiet during the weekend evenings and Sundays in general. I stayed at the Axsur Design Hotel and breakfast was included in the room rate. The room was spacious, clean, modern (thus the name “Design Hotel”) and nicely furnished. The breakfast buffet consisted of coffee/tea, freshly squeezed orange juice, toast, bread, pastries, fresh fruits as well as cereals and yoghurts. In addition they offered eggs cooked any style. After checking in and enjoying watching some TV after several weeks of abstinence (the Big Bang Theory in Spanish has its charm), I finally headed to the restaurant around 9.30pm and was still to early for the locals, i.e. I was surrounded by tourists. This didn’t hinder me to enjoy my set menu though (for more info see below). There are tons of hotels downtown. When selecting one, I’d choose one close to the things I wanna see or do. For me that was the old town. Hotels in general are inexpensive in Montevideo (well, excluding the Sheraton and the like.)
Sights / Activities
In the morning I headed to the Teatro Solis and then visited the Plaza de Indepencia with the Artiguas Mausoleum in the middle of it, which is a monument to the Uruguayan hero José Artiguas.
Thereafter, I spent an intense hour at the Museo Andes 1972. Montevideo offers a range of museums, but since the weather was so nice, I didn’t want to spend the weekend inside. Later I had lunch at the Mercado del Puerto. Afterwards I walked around the old town and then took some rest in my room.
I wasn’t that hungry this night and chose a casual place (see more below at cuisine) and just had a quick bite. Sunday was all about walking. Weather was perfect with blue sky, 24° Celsius (= 75° Fahrenheit) and a nice breeze from the ocean every now and then. I walked the Ramblas, i.e. the shore until the light house and then spent some time at the Punta Caretas Shopping Mall.
A little note here: Shopping isn’t cheap neither in Argentina nor in Uruguay. Later in the afternoon I got back to my hotel, grabbed my backpack and spent two wonderful hours in a wine bar called the Montevideo Wine Experience (see more below) until I boarded the ferry leaving at 8.15pm. One word about the Latin American way of boarding (may it be the bus, the ferry or the plane): They always start a line immediately, regardless of the actual boarding time. In my limited experience, this behavior can mostly be watched with Argentinians. The result is a line that sometimes goes through the whole gate area and makes you stand for up to 30 minutes instead of sitting comfortably in the waiting area.
Cuisine
As the Argentinians, the Uruguayans love Asado, i.e. barbecue:
And you’ll find ice cream stands anywhere and I have yet to eat bad ice cream in South America. As I was only there for a weekend, I can’t recommend many restaurants. One that I liked was the restaurant Dueto. It is situated in the old police station and the bathrooms downstairs used to be the prison cells. They offer a set menu of three courses for UYU 800 (which currently equals approx. USD 30): I had a vegetable soup, then picaña steak with mashed potatoes mixed with dried tomatoes and olives and for dessert homemade ice cream (chocolate and passion fruit).
A place you shouldn’t miss is the Mercado del Puerto: it’s a large market hall with several Parillas or restaurants with a grill. I don’t say you’ll have the best meal in your life there, but it’s fun to go; sit down have a medio y medio (white whine mixed with sparkling wine and to my shame, I actually liked it) and do some people watching, while enjoying a steak. Brave/curious eater should start their meal with a Morcilla (blood sausage):
At the entrance of the market hall was the highlight of my weekend: The Montevideo Wine Experience. This wine bar is just fabulous. Before you come to Uruguay, you probably don’t know that they produce good quality winey. The situation here is similar to Portuglal: They have excellent wines, but only a few get exported – if any. When it comes to red wine, the have their own autochthonous grape, called Tannat. Originally from France (what else?) it is very successfully grown in Uruguay. They also grow Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Tempranillo, etc. A locally produced Sauvignon Blanc I tried was also crisp and simply delicious. Nico, the owner, couldn’t be friendlier or more eager to help and the tasting was quite an experience. When I got there on Sunday at 5pm, the bar was almost empty. Later a couple from Chile joined the tasting and we became a group of six people, chatting, tasting wines and just having a good time. For two glasses of wine and tasting (and that was not just a sip, but rather half a glass poured) four different wines and a platter of cheese and prosciutto, I paid UYU 850 (which currently equals USD 32). For two hours of great entertainment I consider this a bargain. If I had stayed longer in Montevideo, I’d have returned to this place FOR SURE. It is a bit hidden, go to the entrance of the side of the port. When standing outside and looking at the market hall, it is on your left.
Another place that I’ve tried was rather disappointing: Santa Catalina. This is a place that is heavily frequented by the locals, but the food that I had was strange – to say the least:
Can you guess what that’s supposed to be?? EMPANADAS! Yo, I ain’t sure what it was, but you better ain’t calling that an empanada. 😉 I’d suggest go there, have a drink, observe the locals and then go somewhere else for dinner.
Conclusion
Montevideo offers many cultural and historical sights and a tropical feeling thanks to its large shore as well as great views to the river Plate. The whole city is just more “Latin American” than Buenos Aires, which is characterized by its European style. The atmosphere is very laid back. For me, it was well worth a visit, but I’d say that a weekend is enough time to explore the city.
Travel Tips
- When traveling from Buenos Aires, then take the ferry and don’t travel by plane. The ferry isn’t that much cheaper than the plane, but you’ll arrive in the midst of the city and instead of sitting in a tiny airplane, you can walk around in the ferry and you’ll have a great view of Bs As and Montevideo.
- Prices on the ferry for food and beverages are steep (ARS 40 for an alfajor that otherwise costs around ARS 20-25), so bring your own food and drinks.
- DO NOT change money on the ferry and neither at he exchange at the port. In the city you’ll find plenty of exchange places and all of them have fair rates. Bring USD to change. Rates for CHF or EUR are always worse.
- I found the website Guru’guay very helpful for tips when traveling to and staying in Uruguay. The only time they disappointed me was when they recommended Santa Catalina. Otherwise, their tips are solid.
- Normally, I try to pay cash when abroad. However, in Montevideo when paying with a foreign credit card in a restaurant, the VAT is automatically reimbursed. VAT in Uruguay is 22%, which means you’ll have a 18% discount on all meals! (If you now think “wait a minute, isn’t the discount 22%?!?”, think again and do the math: For UYU 810, I got a reimbursement of UYU 146.)
- Safety: While a safe area during the day, the streets old town get deserted during the night and I would advise against walking home from the restaurant or the bar. Spoil yourself and get a taxi or an Uber for a couple of dollars. Better be safe than sorry.
