This guide is for you if you have half a day in Montevideo and want to spend it in the old part of town: a morning before a ferry, an afternoon after a flight lands, or a few hours off a ship. It helps you choose the start time and the day of the week, decide whether to go inside the theatre or the parliament, and work out how much walking is involved.
Morning or afternoon, and which day
You pick a 07:00 or a 13:00 start. The order of the stops is the same either way. What changes is the hour at which you reach each place.
On the early start you are at the Legislative Palace before most of the city is at work, in Plaza Independencia around 08:00 and walking the Ciudad Vieja through the middle of the morning. You reach the Mercado del Puerto at about 10:00, ahead of the lunchtime crowd that fills its grills. It suits people who like quiet streets and photographs without traffic.
The 13:00 start puts the market at the end of the afternoon, after the lunch rush has gone. It suits a day when you land in the morning or have a ferry to catch early.
Think about the day of the week too. The Ciudad Vieja empties on Sundays and many of its shops stay shut. That is good for a slow walk and poor for shopping. If browsing matters to you, choose a weekday or a Saturday.
Going inside: the theatre and the parliament
The tour shows you both buildings from outside. Going in takes planning, because each runs its own guided visits.
The Teatro Solís opened on 25 August 1856 with Verdi's Ernani. It offers five kinds of guided visit, in several languages, through the auditoriums and the main rooms of the building, and around 40,000 people take one each year. There is a café and a shop in the Bartolomé Mitre wing, which is useful if you want a seat between stops.
The Legislative Palace was opened for the centenary of Uruguay's declaration of independence. Its guided visits, in Spanish or English, run on weekdays at set times. Our stop there comes about twenty minutes after pick-up, at 07:20 or 13:20, so a visit may not line up with either start on its own. Times change, so check the official sites before you go, then tell us when you book which visit you want. We will build the route around it.
How the four hours are used
The first hour is mostly in the car: from your hotel to the palace at the top of Avenida del Libertador, then down to Plaza Independencia. From there the day slows down. The part that takes longest is the Ciudad Vieja on foot, about an hour and a quarter along Calle Sarandí to Plaza Matriz and the cathedral, with the Teatro Solís on the way.
The Mercado del Puerto fills the last hour. It opened in 1868, and the streets around it, especially the pedestrian Pérez Castellano, form the eating quarter of the port. Food and drink are not included, so you pay for whatever you order there.
The car does not follow you through the old streets. Your driver drops you at one end and waits near the other. At four hours, you finish wherever suits you: back at the hotel, at a restaurant, or at the port.
Because the car is yours, the order can change on the day. Ask for more time in the old town and less at the palace, or the other way round.
On your own or in a private car
The old centre is compact. You can walk from Plaza Independencia through the Ciudad Vieja to the market without a car. If that is all you want, you do not need this tour.
What the car adds is the Legislative Palace, which sits well away from the old town, and the ability to stop walking when you have had enough. It also takes the planning off you on a short day: you are collected at the door and left where your next plan starts, which matters when there is a boat or a flight later. The price depends on the size of your group; see it on the tour page.
What the weather does
Montevideo has four clear seasons. The warm months run from early December to mid-March, with average highs above 24 °C. The cool season runs from late May to late August, with highs below 17 °C. July is the coldest month, averaging between 7 °C and 14 °C.
It is a windy city. The windiest stretch runs from late August to late February, with November the windiest month, and the wettest period runs from mid-October to late April. On the walk through the old town you are close to the water, so bring a layer even on a sunny day.
What to bring
- Flat, comfortable shoes. The streets of the Ciudad Vieja are level, but you are on foot for over an hour.
- A windproof layer, whatever the season.
- Sun cream and a hat between December and March.
- A way to pay for coffee or lunch at the market, and for any guided visit you add.
Who it suits
It is a good first look at Montevideo, and it fits a short window before a ferry or a flight. Pick-up is from any hotel or address in the city, including Carrasco and the cruise port.
If you have the whole day, the full-day city tour covers the same old town and adds the Cerro, the Prado, the stadium and the Rambla. If you have two half days, pair this tour with the Rambla, Pocitos and Carrasco tour, which shows the river and the beaches. Our guide to day trips from Montevideo compares all five.
Questions people ask
How much walking is there?
About an hour and a quarter in the Ciudad Vieja, on flat streets, plus short walks at Plaza Independencia and the market. The car meets you at each end.
Can a group of more than 16 come?
Yes, in two vehicles on one booking. Message us through the contact page and we will price it.
Can we cancel?
Yes. Cancel up to 24 hours before pick-up and you get a full refund. See our cancellation page.
Booking the half day
Choose the start time, think about whether you want a weekday for the shops or a Sunday for quiet streets, and tell us if you want to go inside the Teatro Solís or the Legislative Palace. The stops, times and what is included are on the Montevideo old city tour page, where you choose the size of your group and book.
