Montevideo 3 Day Itinerary

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use.

Three days is the honest full amount of time Montevideo needs on its own: the old-city core, football and the beach, then Colonia del Sacramento as a genuine day trip. Shorter, the 2-day plan drops Colonia. Longer, the 4 through 7-day plans add Punta del Este and wine country.

Book these before you go

  • A Colonia del Sacramento day tour or the Buquebus/Colonia Express schedule, since weekend departures sell out.
  • Your Ciudad Vieja or Pocitos hotel, especially in summer (December-March) or during Carnaval.
  • A foreign-currency card for the automatic restaurant and hotel VAT discount.

Day 1

Arrive via Carrasco International Airport; Uber or Cabify runs $15-25 into town, a taxi $22-35. Spend the morning in Ciudad Vieja: Plaza Matriz, the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Cabildo, and Sarandí street. In Plaza Independencia, take in Palacio Salvo, the tallest building in South America when it opened in 1927 (not the world’s tallest), and the equestrian Artigas statue over the national mausoleum.

Lunch at Mercado del Puerto: El Palenque for the classic asado experience, $20-40 for a solid main. Walk the Rambla toward sunset in the evening; it’s free and it’s the best introduction to how the city actually lives.

Tip: pay with a foreign card today and every day; restaurant VAT drops from 22% to 9% automatically.

Day 2

Morning at Estadio Centenario and the Museo del Fútbol, built for the 1930 World Cup and the site of its first-ever final. A few dollars gets you into the museum, which holds the actual match ball.

Lunch at Mercado Agrícola (MAM), the restored 1913 market turned food hall. If it’s Sunday, swap in the Feria de Tristán Narvaja flea market in Cordón instead, running since 1909; go around 9am. Spend the afternoon at Pocitos beach, then dinner at a parrilla away from the market, ordering the chivito at least once.

Tip: there’s no metro, so budget Uber or bus fare (about $1.25) between Estadio Centenario and the beach barrios rather than walking it.

Day 3

Day trip to Colonia del Sacramento, 2 to 2.5 hours from Montevideo and genuinely walkable in 6-8 hours. The UNESCO old town (Portuguese-founded, 1680) is the single best day trip from the capital, with cobblestone streets and a lighthouse worth the whole day. Lunch at one of the small restaurants along the waterfront rather than rushing back for a Montevideo meal.

Tip: confirm your return bus or ferry time before you start wandering Colonia’s old town; the last convenient departures back to Montevideo aren’t as frequent as you’d expect for a day-trip town.

Book the Colonia del Sacramento day tour on Viator if you’d rather not arrange transport yourself, and check Montevideo hotel rates on Booking.com before you commit to a neighborhood for all three nights.