Uruguay: Montevideo and Colonia

Uruguay was not in our original plans, and not even in the plans when we arrived in South America.  We had thought we would do some more traveling within Argentina, but once we started looking at distances, bus times, and the costs of flights, it seemed most reasonable to just head across the river and visit Uruguay.  So, we booked a flight from Iguazu to Montevideo, connecting in Buenos Aires.  Unfortunately, the flight from Buenos Aires was delayed and we sat waiting to board the 45 minute flight to Montevideo for more than two hours.

After an hour on a local bus from the airport into the city, we found our way to our hostel, conveniently located in Plaza de Independencia, close to the tourist highlights.  For the great location, we paid the price of listening to a constant flow of buses coming and going right outside our window.  The room was okay except that it did not have heating and it got pretty cold.  We were sleeping with our beanies on.
The weather was poor while we were in Montevideo and it rained quite a bit.  If the weather had been nice, we probably would have enjoyed the city more.  Even so, we did enjoy getting to see a new place, and visiting a new country.


For the most part, we just wandered around the city, visiting various markets, museums, and buildings of interest.  It must not have been tourist season in Montevideo since most of the museums we visited (or tried to visit) were either closed or empty except for us.  In the Gaucho Museum, we looked around while the cleaning crew vacuumed and dusted.  In the Gurvich art gallery, we had a private viewing.  In the Exposicion Subte, we were asked to leave because, despite their open doors, they were apparently closed.  The only tourist attraction we visited where we were not alone was the Teatro Solis, Montevideo's oldest theater.  The theatre was built in 1856 and is considered the most important theatre in the city.  We took a guided tour through its brilliantly decorated foyers and multiple stage areas.

Other highlights of our brief visit to Montevideo included the discovery of a shop selling declicious empanadas and cakes, a wander around the "Old Town" with its 19th century buildings, the Mercado del Puerto, full of bustling restaurants and gift shops, and a private dining experience at McDonald's.  It is very strange to sit in a McDonald's with nobody else around.

Gaucho Museum

Gaucho Museum Exhibit

Montevideo Coastline

Palacio Salvo

Teatro Solis

Teatro Solis Interior

Rather than flying straight back to Buenos Aires from Montevideo, we took a bus a few hours north to the historic town of Colonia.  Because of the time of year, the town was quiet and a lot of places were closed.  Except for a very small area, it almost felt like a ghost town.  Although some of the old buildings, built in either a Portuguese or Spanish style depending on who occupied the town at the time, were interesting, overall we were unimpressed with Colonia.  Our experience might have been quite different during another time of year.  After only a little over an hour, we walked to the ferry terminal where we would take a boat back to Buenos Aires.