Uruguay Holiday Guide

Guide to Uruguay

The Secret of South America

The RealWorld Guide to Uruguay

Uruguay Map

Sleepy Uruguay is a bit off the beaten track when it comes to holidays in South America, and most people bypass it as they hotfoot between Brazil and Argentina, but we think that's a bit of a shame. Uruguay has a distinct charm that's all its own, and it's well worth a few days of your time.

Uruguay is often described as the Switzerland of South America, partly for the air of calm prosperity which you'll notice as soon as you arrive here, and partly because its banks have always been seen as the most stable (and secretive...) in South America. Uruguay can't promise you mountain peaks or skiing, but it can offer you some great beaches, a chilled but fun pocket-sized capital city, and one of the prettiest colonial towns anywhere in South America...

Montevideo

Montevideo, Uruguay

With a population of around 1.3 million people, Montevideo isn't large by the standards of South American countries, even though it has nearly half of Uruguay's total population. It has a vibrant cultural life, however, and consistently rates as one of the best places to live in South America. It's not hard to see why, with a mild climate, lovely city beaches and parks, and fantastic Art Deco architecture making it one of the prettiest capitals in South America.

There are regular flights connecting Montevideo with Buenos Aires in Argentina, and you can also catch one of the regular ferries across the Rio de la Plata.

Colonia del Sacramento

Colonia in Uruguay

And if you think Montevideo is nice, just wait until you see Colonia... Just along the coast, this picture-postcard colonial village is a favourite for day trips for visiting porteños from Buenos Aires, and with its white-painted colonial houses covered with bougainvillea, pretty shingled beach, and great selection of cafes and restaurants, we'd heartily recommend it to anyone on holiday in South America as well.

Colonia is just a hop across the Rio de la Plata from Buenos Aires and it makes a great day trip from either Argentina or from Montevideo.

Holidays in Uruguay

People do usually combine their holidays in Uruguay with time elsewhere in South America, as away from the coast, there's nothing which attracts the attention of most tourists. Happily, however, time in Uruguay is easy to fit into any of our other South America holidays, particularly if you're already planning to visit Argentina or Brazil.

So if you'd like to add on a quick holiday in Uruguay to a longer trip in South America, just get in touch and let us know what you'd like to see - we can do the rest!

Contact us about holidays in Uruguay