Tailor-made Uruguay holidays shaped around your passions

Uruguay’s fine food and wine, ranching experiences, heritage architecture, and beachside resorts offer a beguiling mix of indulgence and adventure. You could ramble around Uruguay’s sophisticated cities with their historic buildings, museums, and art galleries, lingering over coffee as you watch the world go by, relishing the finest of meals, or learning to tango.

In the open pampas you’ll find ranches and gauchos and can head out on horseback to explore the grasslands or even take a polo lesson with an expert. Head for the coast to laze on dreamy beaches or visit small fishing villages and vineyards. Or explore historic towns where the Spanish and Italian influence is palpable in the ornate buildings and cafe culture.

Best of all, thanks to its diminutive size, sights are relatively close together so there’s no need for long journeys between them.

Uruguay has a broad range of places to stay from working estancias (cattle ranches) and fincas (rural estates) to elegant beach hotels and urban hideaways. In most rural retreats, characterful decor combines with home-cooked food, good wine, and a range of outdoor activities for a memorable stay.

You could relax in style in a beachfront retreat or a sleek, modernist wine lodge with a farm-to-table restaurant. Discover nearby beaches and natural trails from a coastal art hotel or explore Uruguay’s cities from a base in a historic townhouse with a private garden. For more ideas, browse our collection of places to stay in Uruguay.

Most visitors arrive in Uruguay’s capital Montevideo, and then make their way to Carmelo, Colonia del Sacramento, and José Ignacio. Montevideo is an affluent, progressive city with grand plazas lined with 18th-century buildings, vibrant markets, and nine separate beaches.

By contrast, Colonia del Sacramento is a UNESCO-protected riverside city with cobbled streets lined with historical buildings, while nearby Carmelo with its rolling hills and wineries offers vineyard tours, wine tastings, and fine food.

For beachfront relaxation, Punta del Este and José Ignacio are well-heeled coastal retreats with white-sand beaches, surfing, and lively nightlife, while inland, Uruguay’s estancias offer the chance to learn about gaucho life, dine under the stars, and enjoy horseback rides into the hills.

It takes around 14 and a half hours to fly from the UK to Uruguay.

The time zone in Uruguay is UTC-3 hours. Daylight Savings Time isn’t observed.

The best way of getting around in Uruguay is to travel by road. Uruguay’s infrastructure is good and it’s easy to rent a car to get around the sights. Alternatively, we can arrange for a local driver and guide.

A trip to Uruguay also combines well with time in Argentina, either in the form of a visit across the River Plate from Buenos Aires to Colonia del Sacramento or Montevideo, or by ending a trip around Argentina with a beach stay on the Uruguayan coast.

Use our travel tool to find up-to-date visa and passport requirements for Uruguay. Enter where you’re travelling to and from (including any stopover destinations en route or flight layovers), along with your intended travel dates and passport details, for a full list of requirements.

• Entry requirements travel tool

Speak to your doctor about vaccine advice for Uruguay and ensure you’re up to date with the recommended vaccinations for your home country. You can also check the suggested vaccinations on the Travel Health Pro website.