Café Bacacay (Bacacay 1306, Ciudad Vieja, Montevideo) – housed in a building constructed in 1844, this restaurant (located across the street from Teatro Solís), offers dishes of various international influences, ranging from the fish of the day with wasabi or limoncello sauce, to sirloin steak in ginger sauce with sun-dried tomatoes and boiled potatoes, chicken […]
Bus – unlike Buenos Aires in nearby Argentina, there is no Metro subway system that provides public transportation in Montevideo – only buses (run by various private services). The problem is that there are no maps of the bus routes or timetables posted at stops. Taking a bus in Montevideo will often mean checking your […]
TAXI – the black and yellow taxis that operate on the streets of Montevideo use meters that count fichas (pulses) – at 1/10 km per pulse. When one reaches his/her destination, the driver calculates the fare from the number of pulses that elapsed. The average fare from the Centre to Pocitos (for example) is US$4 […]
CAR RENTALS – the following car rental agencies operate in Montevideo: Aventura Rent a Car: +598 02 683 2836 Avis: +598 02 903-0303 Budget: +598 02 712-2020 Dollar: +598 02 682-8350 Europcar: +598 02 401-0575 Hertz: +598 02 712-5000 Multicar: +598 02 902-2555 Puntacar: +598 02 900-2772 Thrifty: +598 02 481-8170
Punta Brava Lighthouse (Punta Carretas, Montevideo) – built in 1876, this 21-meter tall lighthouse is vital for guiding commercial vessels into Banco Inglés, Buceo Port and the entrance of the Santa Lucía River (west of Montevideo). With the lighthouse becoming electric in 1962, it is still active to this day.
Plaza Independencia (central Montevideo) – this is Montevideo’s most important plaza (which separates its old section – “Ciudad Vieja”, from its downtown areas). Among the buildings found here are the country’s oldest theater (the Solis Theatre), Estevez Palace, and the President of Uruguay’s workplace (the Executive Tower), along with the Artigas Mausoleum.
Palacio Salvo (Av. 18 de Julio y Plaza Independencia, Montevideo) – this landmark building was built by Italian immigrant Mario Palanti in 1928 (using Italian gothic, classical, and neo-romantic architectural styles). For decades, it was the tallest building in South America. Nowadays, along with it being a tourist attraction, some of the floors are rented […]
Naval Museum of Montevideo (Rambla Charles de Gaulle, Pocitos, Montevideo) – this museum is dedicated to the country’s navy, complete with historical cannons, along with model ships, photos and other memorabilia of this military branch’s past. A library and archives can also be found here. The most interesting exhibit here is the account of the […]
National Museum of Visual Arts (Av. Tomás Giribaldi 2283, Parque Rodó, Montevideo) –opened in 1911, this museum displays the works of various Uruguayan artists (Blanes, Barradas, Figari, Sáez, García Torres, Cuneo). It has also held exhibits of renowned international artists, such as Auguste Rodin, Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Joan Miró, Henry Cartier Bresson, Goya, Diego […]
Museum of Decorative Arts (Palacio Taranco, Plaza Zabala, Ciudad Vieja, Montevideo) – this museum has a collection of various paintings, sculptures, textiles, ornaments, and European furniture (including that of Louis XV, Louis XVI, Ribera, Teniers, Mierevelt, Van der Helst, Appiani, Pradila, Zuloaga, and Sorella. This museum also has a collection of Classical Art and Archaeology […]