Tours and Activities:

A Matter of Promenades

Some people talk about piers, waterfronts or the coastline. In Montevideo, all these sites are referred to as promenades. There are so many and they are so beautiful that missing them is like missing a visit to the city.

Sudamérica Promenade introduces visitors to the City of Montevideo. It literally deposits them in the harbor area, where there are deep draft boats and other naval constructions as well as the vestiges of the Old City.

Before reaching the port, the promenade gets its name from American President Franklin Roosevelt. It crosses the entire Old City and the Port Market, as well as other ancient buildings, until it takes the name of 25 de Agosto and is the end to every street in the downtown area.

After bordering a small peninsula, it changes its name again. This time, it is called Francia Promenade and then it turns into Gran Bretaña and later into República Argentina.

It might be said that these three promenades enable the citizens of Montevideo to have a better contact with the Río de la Plata, even though the tradition of Montevideo sometimes refers to this water body as a sea, all this according to the way in which the wind blows and especially depending on the quadrant from where it blows. These beautiful promenades have been integrated to the Montevidean lifestyle in the last few years. They feature paths that enable people to go all along the shore on their roller skates or bicycles and also invite to take long walks, equipped with mate, both in the early morning and the afternoon.

The truth is that Montevideo does not turn its back to the river. On the contrary, it has incorporated it into its daily life in the last few years. Now, it could not survive without it.

Promenades and More Beaches

Though most of them display a coastline teeming with rock formations, the three promenades mentioned above are also sprinkled by small soft sandy beaches that encourage the locals to interact with them. More towards the South, and after the appearance of promenades such as President Wilson, Mahatma Gandhi, the United Nations Promenade and the República del Perú promenade, one of the best beaches in Montevideo comes into sight: Pocitos.

Pocitos is a real paradise that has managed to embellish the City of Montevideo in the last few years in such a way that much has been said for it to be declared World Heritage. On the warmth of its white sands, countless activities are practiced at all seasons, especially in the hot summer weather. Surfing, windsurfing, canoeing, kayaking, rowing, swimming, volleyball, football, long strolls and even marathons give life to this beautiful beach on which the most modern and elegant buildings in the City of Montevideo were settled, in the 1970s and the 1980, as well as today.

Charles de Gaulle Promenade, a tribute to the French people, takes us down to Carrasco, which has always been a symbol of the high Montevidean society. Thus, Montevideo has a promenade which runs for over 20 kilometers and permits a special approach to the water body that turns into the Uruguayan Sea to the North, where the so-called Eastern beaches begin to appear.

See also: Hotels in Montevideo and other accommodation venues