Rambla
Plaza Independencia
A trip to Montevideo isn’t complete without visiting the city’s main plaza. From here, you can visit most of the old town’s attractions, such as Teatro Solis and Palacio Salvo.
Teatro Solis
This is the second biggest theatre in the whole of South America and is, of course, important to Uruguay. It mainly hosts opera shows, but concerts can also be watched in this 1500-capacity theatre.
El Puerto Market
Once home to a fruit and veg market, this is now a great place to find a restaurant to rest in and soak up Uruguay’s culture. You may also catch a few locals playing chess on the street!
Experience a Candombe
Candombe is a music and dance piece involving drums being played along the streets, which was first brought over to South America by African slaves. Have a hunt or ask a local about any playing whilst you are there, otherwise, if you are in Montevideo on a Sunday, you can experience one at 7 pm in the Palermo district.
Piwo Helados
Great for a delicious pit stop whilst exploring the city, Piwo Helados has amazing ice cream in many different flavours. Highly recommended!
Collection museum
Outside of the old town is a somewhat strange attraction, but it is definitely worth seeing. Where else are you going to see the biggest collection of pencils in the world? The collection museum is full of trinkets collected by Mr. Emilio Arenas Florin, most impressively, the pencil, perfume bottle, and matchstick box collection. There’s also a cute shop with different spreads and cheeses to try.
Hire a Golf Buggy
One of the ways to explore the cobbled streets of the old town is by hiring a golf buggy. Some of them even look like vintage cars! Definitely a fun way to enjoy Colonia.
Original City Gate and Wall
Upon entering the old town of Colonia, the first thing you will see is an old gate and walls where the moat used to be. Once past the gate, you can go up to the top of the walls to experience the view the soldiers would have had next to the cannons.
Lighthouse
There is a lighthouse in the middle of the old town; it’s very cheap to enter so head up to the top to enjoy the views of the town and sea.
Iglesia Matriz
Stroll around the old town
The old town of Colonia doesn’t need much instruction; the best thing to do is just take a stroll around the streets and discover the charm of this town for yourself. One street we would recommend going down, though, is La Calle de los Suspiros, which means street of sighs – named this as the street was once full of prostitutes, and all you could hear was the sound of men sighing. Here you can also find the Gallery of Sighs, which has the original thatched ceiling.
