What to see in Montevideo in 1 day

Ciudad Vieja deserves the first hours of the day: the colonial historic center, built on a peninsula between the harbor and the Río de la Plata, preserves seventh and eighteenth-century buildings along narrow streets that converge toward Plaza Independencia.

On the square stands the Palacio Salvo, for years the tallest building in South America, whose eclectic architecture remains the architectural symbol of the city.

Heading toward the harbor you reach Puerto Market, the nineteenth-century wrought-iron covered market where dozens of grilles grill meat in front of customers, the heart of Uruguayan gastronomic tradition.

For lunch, one of the grille stalls in Puerto Market remains the choice most consistent with the gastronomic identity of the city.

In the afternoon, the Rambla is the coastal promenade where Montevideans gather to drink mate watching the Río de la Plata, so wide it seems like an open sea.

The Centenario Stadium, built in 1930 to host the first football World Cup in history, is today also home to a museum dedicated to Uruguayan football.

As evening falls, heading back to Ciudad Vieja, the restaurants around Plaza Independencia are the obvious place to dine, perhaps accompanied by a live tango show.

Ciudad Vieja, Palacio Salvo, and Mercado del Puerto already tell Montevideo's historical soul well, while an afternoon choice between the Rambla and Estadio Centenario adds the coastal or football side.

The Pocitos neighborhood, with its urban beach, and a trip to Colonia del Sacramento, nearby, remain chapters for a second journey. Watching the Río de la Plata open like a sea along the Rambla at sunset sums up Montevideo better than anything else.