Uruguay: Aktivitäten und Erlebnisse

Montevideo, the capital, sits on the Río de la Plata, with a long seafront promenade called the Rambla, an old town with the Solís Theatre and a port market where meat is grilled over embers. Residents carry thermos flasks for maté tea through the streets.

Punta del Este, at the point where river meets ocean, is the country's glamorous resort, with a harbour and a sculpture of a giant hand rising from the sand. Colonia del Sacramento, founded by the Portuguese in 1680, is a UNESCO-listed town of cobbled lanes and a lighthouse across the river from Buenos Aires. Cabo Polonio and Punta del Diablo have dunes and wild beaches.

Asado, beef grilled slowly over embers, is the heart of Sunday, with chivito, a steak sandwich, dulce de leche and alfajores. Tannat is the signature red wine. Carnival, with candombe drumming, fills Montevideo's streets in summer. Beach weather runs from December to March, and winters are cool and damp.