flying in to Montevideo monday...

[Zackdotcom]

what should a i see, eat, and stay away from...

Your top 5 things please?!

Grassy ass!

 

[marksoc]

1 - Las Ramblas: take a bike or nice sport shoes and cycle/walk part or every 25 kmof them looking at the city and the "sea".

2 - El "Mercado del Puerto": you should go on Saturdays but anyway, it is a nice pavillion with some overpriced and some cheap restaurants with all the Uruguayan meat you could always want.

3 - Pocitos: Like Palermo, but in Montevideo. Nice streets.

4 - The center, run down and melancholic; the National Assembly, the sister building of the Argentinian Congress. Also, Parque Rodó.

5 - About the "cerro", Ive never been there, but supposedly is nice, but in a bad neighborhood, any help with this one?

6 - Take a bus to Punta del Este for a couple of days, or Piriapolis if you like quiet, sea and hills, or head farther if you are staying more (Valizas, Cabo Polonio, Punta del Diablo).

7 - One hour from MVD there is a town called Minas, is small and have small hills around it. It is green,gentle, and great to walk and see real small town uruguayan life.

8 - If you can get to a "murga" show (the main thing is in February, but maybe there is a retrospective or something) go to see it.It is the special uruguayan carnaval thing, generally groups of twenty singers at the same time with satirical songs about the country and politics. Google "Agarrate Catalina" (one of the main groups) and see if you like it.

Remember, MVD is not BA.It is like a time machine, like going back 10 or 20 years. It is mostly safe but it needs a good painting job. And I almost forgot: Drink LOTS of mate, lots of it, the locals will help you with that. And listen to a tango while at it.

 

[Zackdotcom]

im in MV just 12 hrs... forgot to mention that sorry

 

[sergio]

The Teatro Solis isn their equivalent of the Teatro Colon. Opened a couple of years ago after extensive renovation. Certainly a major destination.

 

[SaraSara]

In twelve hours you can see most of Montevideo - it's a small city. Feels like stepping off the time machine. It is rundown and looks as no maintenance has been done since 1930. That has the advantage that you can see most buildings still in their original condition. The Palacio Salvo on Plaza Independencia is one of them

1- La Ciudad VIeja, at the tip of the peninsula Montevideo is on. There's a nice pedestrian street with cafes. The Mercado del Puerto is there. You can walk down the mall to the Plaza Independencia, a mixed bag of horrible "modern" buildings and the majestic Palacio Salvo at one end.
2- The Rambla, the avenue fronting the river with views of dazzling white sand beaches.
3- Pocitos is like BA's centro with a beach - mostly apartment houses and lots of restaurants. Punta Carretas is also interesting, with many old houses and a huge shopping mall.
4 - El Cerro is VERY dangerous, and very seedy, right next to a villa. Everything stolen in Montevideo is sold there.
5 - The teatro Solis is beautiful, and with luck you'll be allowed inside.

WATCH YOUR WALLET while you are in Montevideo - pickpockets are as common there as they are in the hottest BA areas.

If you happen to be there on a Sunday, don't miss the fascinating Feria Tristan Narvaja, on that street. Vendors sell everything: crafts, car parts, antiques, underwear, school supplies, and all sorts of livestock like chickens, horses and sheep. Carry your wallet inside your shirt while you are there...!

 

[mcaffa]

The cerro is definitely worth a visit. The surrounding neighborhood is not safe but you'll be fine if you go in a taxi and have the driver wait for you. The fortress is guarded by the military, so you'll be perfectly safe as you walk through the museum.

Here's an article from my website about what to do in Montevideo: http://virtualuruguay.com/montevideo-travel-guide/

 

[SaraSara]

The cerro is definitely worth a visit. The surrounding neighborhood is not safe but you'll be fine if you go in a taxi and have the driver wait for you. The fortress is guarded by the military, so you'll be perfectly safe as you walk through the museum.

Good idea, taking a cab and have the driver wait.

I was in El Cerro only once, driving around and trying to find the house of an old Spanish Anarchist and pick up some archives he was donating. I was not familiar with the area, and it took me about an hour to find the right street and get to the house.

Local friends had warned me it was dangerous to drive on my own there, and in an Argentine-tagged car to boot. I was lucky, but it is definitely not a good place to visit on your own.