Uruguay gets few international visitors compared to its neighbours which is an added bonus for those lucky travellers who do discover its subtle charm.
Montevideo is a wonderful city, full of tree-lined avenues, cafes, interesting architecture and great places to eat steak - the Mercado del Puerto is an absolute lunch-time must - unless you're vegetarian! Inland, the city of Salto is worth a visit, if only for sunset over the River Uruguay and the nearby thermal springs - especially good on a cool winter evening.
Where Uruguay really shines is its beaches, boasting miles and miles of golden sand. If you're thinking of going, Punta del Diablo is great (though a bit touristy in high summer nowadayas), Cabo Polonio is a cool, hippie hang-out and Punta del Este is the place to go to play with the jet-set.
Unsurprisingly, there is not a lot available in terms of maps and guides. Lonely Planet was used to publish a guide to Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, but it has now been discontinued. So if you can get hold of an old copy, it's as far as you can get. However, the nice 1:800,000 ITMB map of Uruguay covers the whole country and there is a fine locally produced street map for Montevideo.
Author: Matt Godfrey
Date: 1 March 2001
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