Montevideo - Photos : Pablo Etchevers The City of Montevideo is the capital of Uruguay and is located in the South center of the country. It features the charms of modern times and progress, as well as the bohemian atmosphere and the history present in its streets.
With a moderately temperate climate, free of intense temperature extremes, it offers various alternatives for tours, entertainment and shows for all tastes and expectations.
Montevideo lies 170 kilometers away from Colonia del Sacramento and 130 kilometers from the City of Punta del Este. Only a 3-hour voyage separates it from neighboring Buenos Aires (Argentina capital city).
Just like in the entire big Metropolitan capital, transportation is quite varied and efficient. Buses, taxis and chauffer-driven cars enable visitors
to move from one place to another in a few minutes.
The city’s big love is its river, which gets dressed up as a lion, as a sea or an ocean depending on the direction of the wind. And it is the locals who always find some time to "matear" (drink some mate), with their flasks and all the necessary items, next to the particular beauty of this scenery, whether at the pier or the waterfront.
In the City of Montevideo, visitors may see the Parque Rodó neighborhood, which features twenty-five hectares of gardens that contribute color and oxygen to this great urban area. Not far away lies Batlle Park, where visitors may see the Centenario Football Stadium, where the first World Cup in history was played in 1930, and won by the local team: Uruguay.
One of the nicest tours -both during the day and at night- is an excursion to the Old City. This area still preserves the Citadel Gate, which up to 1829 used to protect the place from possible invasions. The historical shell lodges the most beautiful and picturesque colonial buildings: the Metropolitan cathedral, the Cabildo, the Solís theater and the Torres García Museum, to name a few attractive sights.
Carrasco and Pocitos, in the surroundings of the city, are worth a visit due to their beauty and eccentricity. The wealthiest families in Montevideo reside in these beautiful neighborhoods. Besides the glamour, Pocitos features a vast beach that reminds visitors of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), even if they are still in Uruguay. The shore displays numerous buildings raised during the construction zenith of the 1970s and 1980s, something that seems to be happening again.
But one of the most relevant events in the city concerns its people. It is the Montevideo Carnival, which is celebrated during February. A popular festival par excellence, it is held on 18 de Julio Avenue, the main street in the City of Montevideo, and not only does it summon people from the entire country but also tourists from all round the world who come along to enjoy the celebrations as well as all the other possibilities offered by this delightful great city.
