Uruguay

South America

Uruguay

Uruguay moves at a noticeably slower pace than its larger neighbors, built around wide sandy beaches, cattle ranches and a strong tradition of mate-drinking, shared communally from a gourd passed hand to hand. Montevideo's Ciudad Vieja mixes faded art-deco grandeur with a lively waterfront rambla, while colonial Colonia del Sacramento's cobbled streets sit across the river from Buenos Aires. Grilled beef, asado, is treated as a genuine cultural institution here.

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Main destinations

Food & drink to try

Asado

Beef and offal grilled over wood embers on a parrilla, a whole afternoon's work.

Chivito

Steak, ham, cheese, bacon, egg and salad in a bun, despite a name meaning young goat.

Milanesa

Breaded beef cutlet, fried and served with chips, or topped and baked napolitana.

Main destinations

Other destinations

Comfort in January · by notability

Food & drink to try

Asado

Beef and offal grilled over wood embers on a parrilla, a whole afternoon's work.

Chivito

Steak, ham, cheese, bacon, egg and salad in a bun, despite a name meaning young goat.

Milanesa

Breaded beef cutlet, fried and served with chips, or topped and baked napolitana.

Choripán

Grilled sausage split into bread with chimichurri, eaten before the asado is ready.

Fainá

Chickpea flatbread from Genoa, laid on top of a pizza slice and eaten together.

Morcilla dulce

Blood sausage made with orange peel and walnut, served sweet off the grill.

Pascualina

Chard and egg pie in thin pastry, the whole eggs revealed when it is cut.

Puchero

Boiled beef, chorizo and vegetables, with the broth served first.

Buseca

Tripe and white bean stew, an Italian inheritance eaten in winter.

Torta frita

Fried dough discs made whenever it rains, eaten hot with sugar.

Alfajores

Two soft biscuits around dulce de leche, coated in chocolate or rolled in coconut.

Dulce de leche

Milk caramel eaten by the spoon, on bread, and inside almost every dessert.

Postre chajá

Meringue, sponge, peach and cream assembled into a soft tower, from Paysandú.

Bizcochos

Sweet and savoury pastries bought by the dozen for the morning mate.

Mate

Carried under the arm with a thermos, drunk constantly and never stirred.

Medio y medio

Half sparkling wine, half sweet white, served cold with a plate of fish.

Grappamiel

Grape spirit softened with honey, drunk in the countryside in cold weather.

Tannat

A tough Basque grape that found its best expression on Uruguayan clay.

Entry & health

Set your passport

gov.uk wise.com worldstandards.eu

Advisory only — AI + web search, may be out of date. Confirm official sources before you travel.

Tipping & local customs

Tipping is voluntary but expected and appreciated; a service charge is rarely included except in some very touristy spots. A ~10% tip in restaurants is standard, and for a quick coffee or drink it's common to just round up to the nearest 10 pesos.

Mate (yerba mate tea) is a deeply social ritual — if offered a shared gourd, it's polite to accept, drink through the straw, and pass it back to the server rather than to your own neighbor
Drinking mate while driving is legally prohibited, along with texting/cell phone use behind the wheel
Greetings between acquaintances typically include a single cheek kiss, even between men who know each other, so don't be surprised by this common custom
Uruguayans value understated national pride and social equality — avoid loud, boastful behavior which can come across poorly
Meal times run later than in North America/Northern Europe (lunch ~1pm, dinner often after 9-10pm), so restaurants may be quiet earlier in the evening
Right turns at red lights are not permitted, and seatbelts/headlights-on are mandatory rules for anyone driving

Advisory only — AI + web search, may be out of date. Confirm official sources before you travel.

Before you go

Stay connected

Get an eSIM for Uruguay — mobile data the moment you land.

via Airalo

Travel insurance

Cover trip cancellation, medical care and delays.

via EKTA