Uruguay Highlights
Montevideo
With a population of 1.8 million, Montevideo is the only city of any size in Uruguay. Economic downturns have given it a shabby but elegant look, with dilapidated, ancient cars still driving along its boulevards. The heart of the old city is the Plaza Constitución, housing the Cathedral and the Cabildo (City Hall).
Colonia del Sacramento
West of Montevideo, on the Río de la Plata, this is a charming 17th-century Portuguese town. Colonia has retained much of its original colonial flavour, with narrow cobbled streets leading to a riverside promenade.
La Agraciada
30 km upriver from Colonia del Sacramento, this is the site where the historic "33 Orientales" landed from Argentina and formed a batallion to expel the Portuguese from Uruguayan soil. A statue to General Lavalleja, the patriots' leader, stands on the riverfront.
Fray Bentos
This port on the River Uruguay commemorates a different kind of uprising in its Museo de la Revolución Industriál. Fray Bentos was the site of the country's first meat extract factory and is still a familiar name to many British visitors as the source of corned beef.
Paysandú
Further upriver from Fray Bentos, this is the town where General Artigas led his followers when they fled Spanish rule in Montevideo. Today, it's a popular spot for catching the delicious pez dorado game fish. North of Paysandú are the remedial hot mineral springs of Termas de Daymán and Arapey.
Piriapolis
A pretty coastal town east of Montevideo, with a curving bay and an old-fashioned promenade dominated by the imposing Hotel Argentino. The hotel houses a 1920s spa with mineral baths, stained-glass windows and an elegant solarium where you may sip the curative, sulphur-flavoured water.
Punta del Este
Home of the country's two best beaches, this glitzy resort on the south coast attracts well-heeled Argentinians as well as a fair share of international celebrities and European royalty. Those who don't share the local crowd instinct might find Punta more appealing off-season, when hotel rates drop and cooler autumn breezes clear the sand of sardine-packed sunbathers.
Santa Teresa National Park
Based around a Portuguese-built fortress, this park on the northern coast is a popular bird sanctuary. There are basic camping facilities here, and the uncrowded beaches are blissful (strong surf makes swimming unsafe but there are also freshwater bathing pools).
San Miguel National Park
As with nearby Santa Teresa, this beautiful park is also home to an 18th-century Portuguese fortress, and contains a wealth of wildlife: from giant anteaters on the pampas to wading birds along the shoreline.