Legislative Palace
The home of Uruguay's parliament, a large neoclassical building finished in the early twentieth century. Its marble halls, stained glass and grand staircase can be seen on guided visits.
Montevideo
Tango, steakhouses at Mercado del Puerto, an old town and a long riverside promenade mark the relaxed capital.
Attractive locations
Plaza Independencia
The main square between the old town and the modern centre, with a statue of national hero Artigas and a mix of historic and modern buildings around its edges.
Solis Theatre
The country's oldest and most important theatre, a nineteenth-century building facing Plaza Independencia, hosting opera, ballet, concerts and plays and open for guided tours.
Montevideo Metropolitan Cathedral
A neoclassical Catholic cathedral overlooking Constitution Square in the old town, with a domed roof and a calm interior, and one of the city's oldest religious buildings.
Palacio Salvo
A tall 1920s building on Plaza Independencia and one of the most recognisable landmarks of Montevideo, with an eclectic tower.
Mercado del Puerto
A 19th-century iron-framed market hall near the port, now filled with grill restaurants serving beef and other meats. Musicians and crowds fill the lanes around it.
Rambla of Montevideo
A long seafront promenade along the Río de la Plata, where people walk, jog, fish and gather at sunset. It runs along much of the city's coast.
Airports
Carrasco General Cesáreo L. Berisso International Airport MVD
It is about 17 km in a straight line from Montevideo.
Capitan Corbeta CA Curbelo International Airport PDP
It is about 100 km in a straight line from Montevideo.
Scams and safe taxis
Taxi and scam advice for this country is on the Uruguay page
Weather by month
Each month shows its average temperature in °C and its mm of rain per month.
- Jan23.2 °C102 mm
- Feb22.9 °C106 mm
- Mar21.1 °C118 mm
- Apr18.0 °C114 mm
- May14.6 °C84 mm
- Jun11.7 °C98 mm
- Jul10.3 °C92 mm
- Aug11.5 °C89 mm
- Sep13.0 °C96 mm
- Oct15.8 °C103 mm
- Nov18.8 °C96 mm
- Dec21.4 °C86 mm
Driest months: May, Aug, Dec. Wettest months: Feb, Mar, Apr.
Costs
Prices here are about 66% of US prices (World Bank, 2025). This compares a country's overall prices, not the cost of a trip.
Festivals and events
festival
Uruguayan Carnival (Desfile de Llamadas)
Candombe drum parades feature in what is the longest carnival in the world.
festival
Uruguayan Carnival (Desfile de Llamadas)
Candombe drum parades feature in what is the longest carnival in the world.
Who can help
Emergency
911 for all emergencies.
ngo
Uruguayan Red Cross (Cruz Roja Uruguaya)
Helps with: National Red Cross society. It trains people in first aid, runs emergency response and disaster risk work, and has a service to help people who have lost contact with relatives reconnect.
Who qualifies: People in Uruguay needing its first aid, emergency response or family contact services.
Phone: +598 2480 1956
Email: cruzroja@cruzroja.org.uy
Address: 8 de Octubre 2990, Montevideo 11600
un agency
International Organization for Migration (IOM) Uruguay
Helps with: The UN migration agency, present in Uruguay since 1956. It supports migrants, displaced people, returnees and host communities, with work on migration management and crisis response.
Who qualifies: Migrants, displaced people and returnees in Uruguay. It is not a help service for ordinary tourists.
Phone: +598 290 44064
Address: Edificio Plaza Mayor, Plaza Independencia 831, Oficina 508, Montevideo
local government
Emergency number 911 (police, ambulance and fire)
Helps with: Reaches police, ambulance and fire services. UK government travel advice lists this number.
Who qualifies: Anyone in the country, including visitors.
Phone: 911