We were surprised by how little we knew about Uruguay before visiting. Did you know that prostitution and marajuana are legal here? Uruguay is one of the least religious countries in South America, it’s a secular society that promotes LGBTQ+ rights. It has a stable economy when compared with its neighbours and is considered one of the most expensive countries to live in and, by extension, travel in South America. Uruguay also has the some of the highest standards of living in the whole of South America. Uruguay is not cheap, expect relatively high prices compared to Bolivia, Colombia and even Chile. We opted for a whistlestop trip to save money – check out our Uruguay travel experiences below!

Montevideo, Punta del Este, Colonia del Sacramento

Travel From Buenos Aires

We bought our ferry tickets in person in a mall in Buenos Aires to make use of the blue dollar, it worked out a lot cheaper to do it this way however it is also possible to buy tickets online. Ferries depart Buenos Aires for both Colonia do Sacramento and Montevideo in Uruguay. We found that the main two companies operating passenger ferries on these routes were Buquebus and Colonia Express. We booked a combo ticket with Buquebus which included a ferry to Colonia and then a bus to Montevideo, as this was cheaper than getting the direct ferry to Montevideo. We didn’t book this combo deal on the way back as we wanted to spend a day exploring Colonia independently. 

Make sure you arrive early at Terminal Buquebus (or alternative ferry terminal if using a different company), there are many departure points so make sure to double check that you get the right one. Similar to an airport, you will need to check-in and deposit your luggage, which is loaded onto the ferry separately. Remember your passport as you’ll need it to pass through security border checks at the ferry terminal in Buenos Aires. Once you arrive in Colonia do Sacramento, if like us you book the combo boat-bus to Montevideo then you’ll be herded straight onto a bus from the ferry terminal which will take you to the bus terminal in Montevideo.

Montevideo

I’m still not sure why The Rolling Stones have a plaque

Uruguay’s capital. The prices here were sky high here especially compared to Argentina with the blue dollar so we didn’t stick around for too long, but a couple of days was enough to get a pretty good taste of the city.

Accommodation

Circus Hostel – more like a hotel than a hostel, highly recommend although there isn’t a kitchen. It’s located very close to the Plaza Independencia, in the ‘Old town’. I say this with a bit of scepticism since most of the buildings are ultra-modern! Most of the walking tours meet in the Plaza Independencia so it’s a good place to base yourself when visiting.

Foodie Places

We tended to avoid eating out in Uruguay on the whole as the price of dining out was much higher here than anywhere else we visited in South America. We ended up eating mostly from the supermarket. Yummy!

Subway (guilty!)

Puerto Market – best empanadas of our whole trip here, there’s a small kiosk near the exit, the calabrese is fab! There are many other restaurants here too if you want something more substantial.

Puerto Market – a bustling food and craft market located close to the port

Activities

Montevideo Malecon for sunset

Artigas Mausoleum in Independencia Plaza – Artigas is the national hero and father of Independence in Uruguay. If you go down the steps into his mausoleum you’ll find a guard always on duty, similar to Buckingham Palace.

Apparently you’re allowed to take photos with the guard in Artigas’ mausoleum

Free walking tour around Montevideo – a winner as always.

Museo Andes 1972 – I was blown away by this museum, it provided minute detail about the Uruguayan plane that crash landed in the Andes and the miraculous stories of the survivors. The museum has artifacts from the crash and survivors. It explores the psychological aspects of the crash and is a living testament to those who did not survive the tragedy. The owner of the museum even introduced us to the museum and answered our questions. I didn’t want to leave the museum at closing time. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

We also tried to visit the city hall building to view the famous panoramic view of Montevideo from the rooftop, however this was closed for refurbishment during our visit.

Punta del Este

From Montevideo we also took an organised day trip to Punta del Este which included Museo Casapueblo, Puerto de Punta del Este, The Fingers of Punta del Este and Our Lady of the Candelaria. I highly recommend this day trip if you don’t have a car or a lot of time/money to spend in Uruguay. The trip covered the main sites of Punta del Este in a day without having to stay there. We also loved seeing the massive sea lions at the port. You can feed them fish if you ask the fisherman nearby for scraps, just make sure you tip!

Foodie Places

Chill Out Puerto in Punta del Este – I think it was this restaurant we were herded into by our tour guide, it’s pricey but the milanese was huge!

Colonia del Sacramento

A picturesque, quaint Portuguese-era walled fort city, the ideal place to wander around and explore on foot. With a mixture of cobble-stone roads and colourful little houses, avid photographers need look no further. 

Accommodation

Posada De la Ciudadela – good location and price.

Foodie Places

Los Kamikazes Colonial – this restaurant was on the cheaper side, fantastic location, you can eat outside overlooking the plaza, it’s an ideal place to try chivito.

Chivitos in Colonia

Activities

Self-guided walking tour that we found on GPSmycity which visited the fortress, marina and lighthouse. I highly recommend heading down to the marina at sunset to mingle with the locals and soak up the last rays of the day. We also walked to the Bullring, located slightly out of town, along the coast and found this to be a nice walk with interesting views of the old town.

Travel to Buenos Aires

We got the Colonia Express ferry back to Buenos Aires. Expect long queues when you arrive as everyone from the ferry has to go through immigration once the ferry has docked at Buenos Aires. This means that the hundreds of passengers all have to wait in one queue. Not an efficient system! 

Beware of the taxis directly outside the Colonia Express terminal in Buenos Aires, people were being herded into these taxis but they are unlicensed and we were scammed by one, they charged us £16 for a 10 minute journey with a faulty meter, this is an extortionate price. We were left feeling angry and ripped off but were cornered into paying as they had our bags in the boot. I recommend getting an Uber or walking onto a main street and hailing a cab. Don’t make the same mistake as us!

Enjoying a beer in Colonia