Uruguay is a travel destination in South America. Its capital is Montevideo. December and June are its two best months to visit, ranked on 1991–2020 climate averages.
Top places to visit in Uruguay
Colonia del Sacramento (city, Colonia) — UNESCO Portuguese-Spanish colonial town — cobblestone lighthouse quarter bulging into the Río de la Plata.
Punta del Este (city, Maldonado) — South America's St-Tropez — La Mano sculpture on the beach, celebrity yachts, and dune-backed Atlantic shores.
Montevideo Old City (city, Montevideo) — Art deco Palacio Salvo, Mercado del Puerto grill halls, and a 2 km rambla waterfront promenade.
Cabo Polonio (natural, Rocha) — Off-grid lighthouse village in shifting dunes — no electricity, enormous sea-lion colony, and end-of-world silence.
Quebrada de los Cuervos (natural, Treinta y Tres) — Narrow palm canyon with Uruguay's tallest waterfall — parakeets, raptors, and ancient sedimentary walls.
Salto (city, Salto) — Uruguay's second city — Salto Grande hydroelectric dam, thermal spa resorts, and murgas carnival culture.
Valle del Lunarejo (natural, Rivera) — "Moon Valley" — winding red-soil roads through subtropical cloud forest in Rivera, the Uruguayan Amazon.
Carrasco Rambla Park (natural, Montevideo) — Verdant Art Nouveau coastal suburb of Montevideo — Lussich botanical park and belle époque mansions.
Estancia tourism, Tacuarembó (natural, Tacuarembó) — Working cattle ranches open to guests — gauchos, mate, bonfire asados under infinite pampa skies.
José Ignacio (natural, Maldonado) — Chic lighthouse village — boutique wineries, artisan fishing boats, and the best surf beach in Uruguay.