Museo Nacional de Artes Visuales
Montevideo
Uruguay’s largest collection of paintings is housed here in Parque Rodó. The spacious rooms are graced with works by Blanes, Cúneo, Figari, Gurvich,…
Must-see attractions in Uruguay
Punta del Este
Gleaming white in the sun and cascading nine stories down a cliffside, Uruguayan artist Carlos Páez Vilaró’s exuberantly whimsical villa and art gallery…
Punta del Este
Punta’s most famous landmark is this monster-sized sculpted hand protruding from the sands of Playa Brava. Constructed in iron and cement by Chilean…
Montevideo
No visitor should miss Montevideo’s old port market building, at the foot of Pérez Castellano; the building's impressive wrought-iron superstructure…
Montevideo
Housed in the ornate Palacio Heber, this museum eloquently conveys the deep attachments between the gauchos, their animals and the land. Its superb…
Montevideo
Just off Plaza Independencia, elegant Teatro Solís is Montevideo’s premier performance space. First opened in 1856, and completely renovated during the…
Museo de la Revolución Industrial
Uruguay
Possibly the words 'tour an old meat extraction plant' don't appear on your list of must-dos for Uruguay, but Museo de la Revolución Industrial highlights…
Montevideo
On the east side of the Plaza Independencia, the 26-story structure with the crazy beehive hairdo is Palacio Salvo, the continent's tallest building when…
Montevideo
Also known as Plaza Constitución, this leafy square was the heart of colonial Montevideo. On its west side stands the Iglesia Matriz, Montevideo’s oldest…
Colonia del Sacramento
Uruguay’s oldest church – begun by the Portuguese in 1680, then completely rebuilt twice under Spanish rule – is the centerpiece of pretty Plaza de Armas…
Montevideo
Dating from 1908, and still playing host to Uruguay’s Asamblea General (legislative branch), the three-story neoclassical parliament building is also open…
Montevideo
Montevideo's largest downtown plaza commemorates independence hero José Artigas with a 17m, 30-ton statue and the subterranean Mausoleo de Artigas, where…
Uruguay
On Laguna de Castillos' western shore (near Km 267 on Ruta 10), brothers Marcos and Juan Carlos Olivera, whose family received this land from the…
Montevideo
Opened in 2013, this unique museum documents the 1972 Andean plane crash (made famous in the book Alive!) that cost 29 Uruguayans their lives and…
Centro Cultural Bastión del Carmen
Colonia del Sacramento
Incorporating part of the city’s historic fortifications, this theater and gallery complex adjacent to Colonia's Puerto Viejo hosts rotating art exhibits…
Montevideo
Former home of Fructuoso Rivera (Uruguay’s first president and Colorado Party founder), this neoclassical 1802 building is the centerpiece of Montevideo’s…
Montevideo
This museum houses a wonderful collection of costumes, drums, masks, recordings and photos documenting the 100-plus-year history of Montevideo’s Carnaval…
Uruguay
Ten kilometers south of Piriápolis is Uruguay’s premier marine-animal rescue and rehabilitation center. Run entirely by volunteers, its emphasis is on…
Uruguay
A source of national pride, this massive hydroelectric dam 14km north of Salto provides over 50% of Uruguay’s electricity. Free 90-minute guided tours …
Uruguay
Housed in a former pulpería (the general store/bar that used to operate on many estancias), this sweet little museum documents Tacuarembó’s claim as…
Colonia del Sacramento
One of the town’s most prominent landmarks, Colonia’s 19th-century working lighthouse provides an excellent view of the old town and the Río de la Plata…
Punta del Este
Boats leave every half hour or so (daily from December through Carnaval, weekends rest of year) from Punta del Este’s yacht harbor for the 15-minute trip…
Uruguay
The 1874 completion of this local lighthouse marked La Paloma’s genesis as a summer beach resort. The unfinished first attempt collapsed in a violent…
Punta del Este
About 10km offshore, this small island is home to the world’s second-largest southern sea-lion colony (200,000 at last count), along with colonies of…
Uruguay
An ecological reserve protected under Uruguay’s SNAP program, this vast and beautiful wetland 10km west of La Paloma has populations of black-necked swans…
Montevideo
On the Rambla between Punta Carretas and Pocitos is this eccentric legacy of local alchemist and architect Humberto Pittamiglio. Its quirky facade alone…
Colonia del Sacramento
Off the southwest corner of Plaza Mayor 25 de Mayo are the ruins of the 17th-century Convento de San Francisco, within which stands the 19th-century faro…
Uruguay
This impressive hilltop fortress, 4km north of park headquarters on Ruta 9, is the star attraction of Parque Nacional Santa Teresa. Construction was begun…
Punta del Este
In summertime, Punta del Este's busy yacht harbor overflows with beautiful people, who come to see and be seen at the surrounding restaurants and clubs…
Montevideo
In the middle of the downtown Plaza Independencia is the Mausoleo de Artigas, whose above-ground portion is a 17m, 30-ton statue of the country's…
Montevideo
The Palacio Taranco, a wealthy 1910 merchant’s residence designed by famous French architects Charles Girault and Jules Chifflot, is filled with ornate…
Montevideo
Along the eastern waterfront in Buceo, this museum traces the role of boats and ships in Uruguayan history, from the indigenous Charrúa’s canoe culture to…
Uruguay
This historical museum displays evocative images from the multiple 19th-century sieges of Paysandú, including of the bullet-riddled shell of the cathedral…
Colonia del Sacramento
The most dramatic way to enter the Barrio Histórico is via the reconstructed 1745 city gate. From here, a thick fortified wall runs south along the Paseo…
Colonia del Sacramento
Houses Roberto Banchero’s personal collection of Charrúa stone tools, exhibits on indigenous history, and an amusing map upstairs showing how many…
Uruguay
Paying romantic tribute to Uruguay’s gauchos and indigenous peoples, this museum’s collection includes stools made from horse and cow bones, elegantly…
Museo Paleontológico Alejandro Berro
Uruguay
About 3km west of town, in an sprawling 19th-century edifice, this museum displays a substantial fossil collection, including an impressively well…
Colonia del Sacramento
In this old house on Colonia's main square you’ll find Portuguese relics including porcelain, furniture, maps, Manuel Lobo’s family tree and the old stone…
Montevideo
One of Ciudad Vieja’s newest museums is devoted to Uruguayan painter Pedro Figari, whose landscapes and portraits masterfully convey a sense of Uruguayan…
Colonia del Sacramento
On the northwest edge of Plaza Mayor 25 de Mayo, the tiny Archivo Regional contains historical documents along with pottery and glass excavated from the…
