After checking off some awesome places to visit in Uruguay on an Uruguay road trip, I now consider this country one of the best to have an absolutely epic coastal road trip. Many of Uruguay’s main cities and points of interest lie along its coast, which begins along the largest river in the world, the Rio de La Plata.
Uruguay’s coast stretches all the way from its border with Argentina to the Atlantic Ocean, finishing at its border with Brazil. I’m sure there are lots of beautiful little farming towns to see in the middle of the country, but this Uruguay road trip will focus on the long stretch of coast between Montevideo and Punta del Diablo.
There are 17 amazing road trip stops, including Punta del Este, and recommendations on where would be good to spend a night or two. You can also start in Colonia del Sacramento if you want, for a complete schedule of beautiful places to visit in Uruguay.
But first, here are a few practical things before you plan your trip to Uruguay – and make sure to check this road trip packing list before you go!
Getting to Uruguay:
Uruguay is accessible via a few international airports, and also by ferry from Buenos Aires.
Ferry: To get here, I took the easily accessible Colonia Express ferry to Colonia del Sacramento from Buenos Aires. The fastest ferry is to Colonia del Sacramento, but there’s at least one connection to Montevideo and Punta del Este each day.
Fly: You can fly into Montevideo or Punta del Este from many international airports. The cheapest flights are from Brazil and Argentina, but there are sometimes flash sales from as far as Europe.
- Check the cheapest flights to and from Uruguay on CheapOAir.
What to Know Before Your Uruguay Road Trip
If you’d like to start in Colonia del Sacramento, check my Uruguay Itinerary for things to do there and in Montevideo. This route will start in Montevideo and go through all the places to visit in Uruguay along the coast to Punta del Diablo.
Before you begin driving, you’ll want to know a few tips for driving in Uruguay. This post is important to read a few things I learned on my road trip that you will definitely want to know as well.
To make the most of your Uruguay road trip, I recommend taking the coastal routes as much as possible. These Uruguay road trip stops are listed in order, but it’s up to you to decide how much time you would like to see it all.
I recommend a few days in Montevideo, a few in Punta del Este, and maybe a few in Punta del Diablo too. One week is perfect, but you can do it in 3 days if you need. Remember to check my Uruguay Travel Guide and my Punta del Este Guide for more specific recommendations for each city and for accommodation.
Uruguay Road Trip Stop 1: Montevideo
You should obviously stay for a few days in the country’s capital, learning about its history and exploring lots of sights. Check my Uruguay Itinerary for more on what to do in Montevideo in three days!
Montevideo is full of beautiful coastlines, little pedestrian streets, and busy markets serving up the best Uuguayan fare (and LOTS of amazing meats). There are stunning beaches here where you could spend days relaxing in the sun. It’s a great place to rent a bike, take a walking tour, and check out the bar scene too.
Uruguay Road Trip Stop 2: Dunes and Beaches Just Outside the City
After you get on the road, if you’re like me, you’ll be a bit giddy at the sight of the sand dunes and miles of pristine beaches. I pulled off the road at some sand dunes just to take in the amazing view and sea breeze.
I’m sure that all the beaches just outside Montevideo are perfect to spend a day on the sand, but it depends how much time you have!
Uruguay Road Trip Stop 3: El Aguila (The Eagle)
The first turnout before Atlantida is the way to El Aguila, a beautiful eagle sculpture with a dolphin’s body, that actually used to be the artist’s home (see photo below). It was made by an Italian artist who was infatuated with the Uruguayan coast, and retired to his eccentric self-built home on the hill.
You can see sweeping beach views in both directions as you admire the house/sculpture, which is situated up a set of stairs from the sand.
Uruguay Road Trip Stop 4: Atlantida + Sun Sculpture/Beach
Atlantida has a beautiful Rambla along the water, with more sea-view parks where locals hang out and share mate with their friends.
You’ll find some more sea sculptures, trails going down to the sand, and a few restaurants and coffee shops in town.
Uruguay Road Trip Stop 5: Castillo de Piria Castle
After driving along the coast past Atlantida and enjoying the view of a creek, you’ll have to get back on the highway for a little while (make sure you have cash for tolls – have you read my tips for driving in Uruguay?)
After a while driving through farmland, it’s once again time to turn back to the coast. Once you get on the 37 highway from the main one to head back to the beach, it’s hard to miss Castillo de Piria on your left. Its definitely one of the most unique places to visit in Uruguay!
This Castle was actually made to be the living quarters of a Uruguayan businessman named Fransicso Piria. He is famous for taking a trip to Europe and coming home with the inspiration to create the next town on this Uruguay road trip itinerary, Piriapolis, and to encourage tourism of the beautiful Uruguayan coast.
Inside the castle, you can find plants from all over the country and from Europe, different artifacts and possessions of Piria, incredible architecture from different historical periods, and also a winery.
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Uruguay Road Trip Stop 7: Piriápolis
Piriapolis is a gorgeous little beach town with a lovely beach overlooked by a few hills clad with expensive homes. It was originally created as a spa city, and is very geared toward tourism with hotels, casinos, and booming nightlife in the summer.
Sculptures and gardens line the beach boardwalk, surely making it a great place for a picnic lunch, a beach day, or to explore through town.
Uruguay Road Trip Stop 8: Cerro San Antonio
This is one of the best views in the country in my opinion! After turning off the coastal road just past Piriapolis, you will wind your way in circles up the hill until you reach a final parking lot.
This hill (Cerro) has over 180 degrees of ocean views, as it is on a little peninsula. You get a wonderful view of Piriápolis and down the Uruguayan coast, out to sea (or out across the Rio de La Plata as they say), over the rest of the point (Punta Colorado), and even all the way up to Punta del Este. The view is truly spectacular and the sunset angle is absolutely perfect. There are sculptures to admire and also restaurants and kiosks to grab refreshments and snacks.
Uruguay Road Trip Stop 9: Casapueblo
This is definitely one of my very favorite places to visit in Uruguay and a must-see on your Uruguay road trip. Casaapueblo is a massive hotel (Club Hotel Casapueblo – you can stay there too!) and museum constructed all in a unique white undersea-style, by famous artist Vilaró.
You can actually stay here, or you can pay about 50 pesos (about $2) to go into the museum, check out Vilaró’s other art, and have a look around this fascinating property.
It’s best to go for sunset, where legend has it that they sometimes even read Vilaró’s poetry as the sun goes down. You can also hike down the hill next to Casapueblo for even more sweeping views of the building and the sea.
Uruguay Road Trip Stop 10: Punta del Este
Punta del Este is much more than just a road trip stop, as it’s one of the most popular places to visit in Uruguay. I recommend staying at least a few nights in Punta del Este and checking out the beautiful pinensula, the nightlife, the surf, and shopping, and harbor, and the beautiful sunsets.
For more information on things to do in Punta del Este and where to stay, click the image below for my guide!
The rest of these Uruguay road trip stops can be completed in a jam-packed day, or you can take your time checking out different places to visit in Uruguay along the coast. The best places to stay the night if you want are Cabo Polonia, La Pedrera, and Punta del Diablo.
Uruguay Road Trip Stop 11: Puente de La Barra
This bridge is a fun quick first stop out of Punta del Este. I’ve never seen anything like it – it’s actually in the form of two wavelike hills that feel like a rollercoaster as you drive over it.
Uruguay Road Trip Stop 12: La Barra
La Barra is a super trendy area just outside Punta del Este (just across the Puente de la Barra) with hip outdoor bars and restaurants. This is actually where a lot of the most famous nightlife in Punta del Este actually takes place.
To put this area in perspective, as I was driving by I saw a super modern trendy building with an outdoor patio and thought to myself, ‘Woooah, that’s a cool bar!’ Then I re-read the sign and saw that it was a real estate office. It’s THAT kind of place.
Uruguay Road Trip Stop 13: José Ignacio
This is a tiny and affluent beach town which would also be an amazing and more remote place to stay in a nice vacation rental.
Modern, boxy houses face the vast expanse of beach and ocean, with sweeping glass windows and visibly minimalistic design. Thin and sand-swept streets separate beautiful homes, and you can find some stylish cafes and restaurants bordering the central square and also near the sea.
Uruguay Road Trip Stop 14: La Paloma/La Pedrera
La Paloma is (surprise) another cute little beach town. This one is quieter, with a few shops in town if you need to stock up, and a beach with old boats on the sand. There’s also a lighthouse that is visible from La Pedrera or La Paloma.
La Pedrera is a bit more lively, with beach houses scattered over the oceanfront hill that are totally #goals. It’s situated on a point looking out over two vast expanses of sandy beach. There are also some beach/surf hotels here.
Driving acros the beach to Cabo Polonio in a 4×4
Uruguay Road Trip Stop Stop 15: Cabo Polonio National Park
You’ll need to time this one right, because as a vast sandy national park, you can’t actually drive into Cabo Polonio. You’ll have to park at the entrance and wait for a massive safari 4×4 vehicle to pick you up and make the 30 min drive into this fascinating national park.
After you make your way through deep, sandy tire tracks through a forest, you’ll make it to the beach and speed along the water until you make it to this tiny sand-dune community on the point. Cabo Polonio is awesome to walk around – check out the beaches, hiking trails, and people selling things on the road. You’ll also have to make sure you time your bus ride back, though!
Uruguay Road Trip Stop 16: Aguas Dulces
This is another cute and colorful beach town with seafood stands, miles of beaches, and even a nude beach called ‘La Sirena!’ It’s got the relaxed Uruguayan beach vibe and is as charming as can be on a warm summer day.
Uruguay Road Trip Stop 17: Punta del Diablo
What is a quiet beachside community in the winter turns into a party-central in the summer! Punta Del Diablo is yet another beachside community with sand-swept roads, but this one has a higher concentration of waterside bars, restaurants, and clubs that come alive in the summertime.
There’s a strip of venues right along the beach if you want to get amongst it all, but there are also lots of beach boardwalks, removed hotels and Airbnb’s, hostels and hotels for travelers of all budgets, and miles of beaches if you want to get away from it all and relax.
Passionate, full-time travel blogger with over 230k on social media and 150kMPV blog. Extraordinary photographer with two DSLR's + a drone with a love for capturing candid moments, epic drone shots, and magical compositions. I'm a natural-born content creator originally from California, but I've been on the road for 9 years living, working, traveling, blogging, and photographing my way around the world. I recommend the most amazingly adventurous and unique + boutique travel experiences/stays and helpful products to my audience and write comprehensive guides on my website that have helped millions of travelers so far. I love to inspire people to plan their dream trips, and many readers have given feedback as such. The reach on my platforms continues to soar, especially when combining cutting-edge social content with optimized articles on my high-authority website.
A day-tripper’s guide to colourful Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay - Globe Guide
Tuesday 31st of July 2018
[…] to get to Colonia: Most visitors arrive from Montevideo as part of a stop on their Uruguay road trip, or from Buenos Aires, Argentina. It takes just over two hours to drive to Colonia from Montevideo, […]