Things to do
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Ciudad Vieja
The colonial grid on the peninsula holds the port, the cathedral, the banks and the older museums, its balconied facades in varying states of repair. Weekday lunchtimes bring office crowds into the pedestrian streets around Peatonal Sarandí; after dark the quarter empties and caution is sensible west of Plaza Zabala. The old gate at Plaza Independencia marks the boundary.
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Mercado del Puerto
Wrought iron shipped from England in 1868 roofs a hall by the docks that is now a row of parrilla grills, wood fires burning under racks of beef, sweetbreads and chorizo. Lunch is the meal to come for, and Saturdays fill every counter. The medio y medio, a mix of still and sparkling wine, is the house drink.
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Museo Torres García
Joaquín Torres García returned from Europe in 1934 and built a school of constructivist painting around a grid filled with symbols; his inverted map of South America became the image of it. Several floors of the old city house hold his work and that of his followers. Entry is ticketed, the rooms are small, and a short visit covers it.
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Palacio Salvo
Built in 1928 on the site of the café where La Cumparsita was first played, this eclectic tower carries a spike that made it the tallest building in South America for a time. Much of it is private flats and offices; guided visits reach the upper floors and a small tango museum. The exterior reads clearly from across the square, and the lift queue can be long.
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Plaza Independencia
Artigas sits on horseback above his own mausoleum in the square that divides the old city from the new, guarded around the clock and open to visitors below ground. Government house, the Solís theatre and the Palacio Salvo all stand on its edges. Crowds cross it constantly, and the changing of the guard draws a small audience.
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Pocitos Beach
A crescent of sand inside the city, backed by a wall of apartment towers and busy from November through March with swimmers, sunshades and beach volleyball. Water quality is posted at the entrances and the river current is gentle here. The rambla behind carries cafés and ice cream counters, and the sand stays in use for football long after dark.
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Rambla of Montevideo
More than twenty kilometres of promenade follow the river from the old city through Pocitos and Carrasco, joining the beaches into a single walk. Late afternoon fills it with runners, cyclists, fishermen and thermos flasks of mate; sunset over the water is the local ritual. The river runs brown with sediment, though the beaches are swimmable in summer.
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Teatro Solís
The national theatre opened in 1856 beside Plaza Independencia and still programmes opera, ballet and the philharmonic across a season that runs much of the year. Guided visits explain the Italianate horseshoe auditorium, the restored acoustics and the busts along the foyer. Tickets for a performance are easy to get outside the festival weeks.