Travel Tips | Punta del Este (Eng.)

TRAVEL TIPS

PUNTA DEL ESTE

OVERVIEW TRANSPORTATION VISÃO GERAL TRANSPORTE ATTRACTIONS ATRAÇÕES

WHERE TO STAYONDE WHERE TO EAT SHOPPING COMPRAS FICAR ONDE COMER

OVERVIEW Punta del Este draws everybody’s attention:

You can stay in a luxury hotel at the beach, in

lush beaches, casinos, beautiful wonderful

a hostel close to the best nigthclubs or in nice

buildings, luxury hotels, art fairs and an

hotels that remember the farms.

exciting nightlife. In other words, Punta suits everyones tastes. The city has an

People need to walk through Punta and get to

incomparable beauty and a sophisticated

know everything. Every street has a history, an

architecture. Always prepared to receive the

attraction or a street market for you to visit.

tourists, there is no lack of attractions. The city delights everyone, including many celebrities.

Want to travel to Punta? There is no mistake, at

There is always something new to discover in

anytime of the year you will be well received

Punta. In the summer the population increases

and will have plenty of activities to do. But do

a lot, reaching almost 300 thousand tourists. In

not forget, if you prefer a vibrant nightlife it is

Punta it is possible to walk through the Playa

better to visit the city at the Summer.

Brava, enjoy the sun and also appreciate the Monument to the Drowned.

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CLIMATE

BEST TIME TO VISIT

It is essencial to know the wheater, so you

Although the most interesting activities

can enjoy everything the city has to offer. In

happens during the Summer (from December

the autumn it is great to visit historic places,

21 to March 20) it is nice to visit Punta del Este

mountains and the maritime farms because of the pleasant temperatures during the day and the fresh breeza from the night. In the winter you can schedule more calm activities, like going to the movies and to restaurants. The temperature are 8`C and 15`C. The weather is warmer in spring, that is the perfect time to

at anytime of the year. It is hard not to find something to do in the city.

In the summer everything is prepared to receive tousands of tourists. There are plenty of cultural attractions like art exhibitions, theathers, movies, concerts, dance clubs and much more. The nights in Punta are very

visit the beautiful parks and gardens. In the

charming. Besides these attractions the tourists

summer you will have temperatures around

can appreciate the pubs, bars, restaurants,

28`C. You can appreciate the fantastic beaches

nightclubs and the fascinating casinos.

and the intense nightlife, with many fashion events, concerts, casinos and parties.

We cannot forget the delightful beaches. If you enjoyed all night, there is nothing better than relaxing at the beach, listening to the sound of the sea and admiring the natural beauty from Punta.

Punta offers you more than 40 km of beautiful beaches with a wide variety of styles: nude beaches, pristine beaches, with calm or wild waters. You just need to chose your favourite.

There are also admirable historical places and many hotels, from the best luxurious ones to

Most of the social and cultural events happen

the simple hotels. Between July and November

in the summer, but that does not make the

it is possible to see the southern right whale

rest of the year monotonous. Ecological tours,

migrating through the seas, antartic fur seals

sports, tracks and other different activities are

and elephant seals. At this time not only

great options to enjoy the nature and relax.

the tourist but the entire city rests from the bustling summer.

TRANSPORT The best option is to stay in a good located hotel so you will not have to spend much money on transportation. Since Punta del Este is a flat city, you can walk to almost everywhere. There are many streets with so many things to do and see. There is no need to use the public transportation, only if you want to get faster to a place. In that case, the best options would be busses and taxis, which are really cheap. If you are planning to stay a long time in the city, renting a car is optimal. You can also visit the nearby cities like Montevideo and Colonia.

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ATTRACTIONS

the city and togheter with the Craftsman Fair, at the Plaza Artigas, offers a great variety of handicrafted objects like wooden boxes,

There are plenty of things to do in Punta del

keychains and others souvenirs.

Este: go shopping, go to great restaurants, make tours, visit touristic places... You will

Parque El Jaguel – in the park you find a nice

surely find something that suits for you.

playground for the kids with swings, slides, bridges and animals sculptures made with

Boat tours – There is nothing better than sailing

wood and acrylic fibers. They have horses that

through the waters from Punta. Some tours take

can be rented to take a horseback riding and

you to the Isla Gorriti or to the Isla de Lobos

also cars.

(that is the home of the biggest sea lion natural reserve in South America). It is possible to see

Punta del Este Lighthouse – The lighthouse

them from the harbor, but in the island you can

is 54 meters tall and was built in 1860. It is a

have a better contact with the animals.

great historical monument to learn more about the city and it is perfect for those who enjoy

Avenida Gorlero and the Craftsman Fair – The Gorlero Avenue is the main comercial site in

cultural activities.

Paseo de las Americas – Along the Playa Brava you find many sculptures made by the chilean artist Mario Irrazabal. It is an interesting combination of beach and art.

Ralli Museum – Built in 1965 and designed

by Leonel Visse, the museu is located in at the exclusive neighborhood Beverly Hills. The Museum has paintings and sculptures from many latin-american artist and some sculptures made by Salvador Dali.

Beaches – everywhere you look you will see a beach. There are so many good beaches that tourists usually cannot enjoy all of them, unless they stay a long time in the city. One of the most famous beaches is the “Playa Brava”. Here you will find the Monument to the Drowned, a sculpture of five fingers partially submerged in sand. The name “Brava” means wild, so you should take care when going to the water. Beyond this beach there are many others like the “Playa Mansa”, “Los Ingleses”, “Playa del Chileño”, “Manantiales” and the “Playa El Emir”.

Events/Concerts – The city hosts several events and concerts, mainly during the summer. There are many artistic and cultural events like tango shows, capoeira, magic shows and fashion shows. Artistic exhibitions and streetmarkets are also very common in Punta. The best of it all is that you can enjoy most of these activities for free and in the outside. You just need to take a walk through Punta that you will find many diferent entertainment options.

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WHERE TO STAY

the calmness of the farm with a view from the lake and many animals.

A cheaper option is to stay at a hostel.

There is no lack of hotels in Punta del Este,

However, it is necessary to make a reservation

specially when talking about luxury hotels by

in advance, otherwise you won’t find anything.

the sea. After all, the city is constantly being

The “Backpacker de La Barra” is, with its

visited by tourists from all over the world.

interesting prices and location, one of the best

Most of the hotels emphasize the glamour

hostels in Punta. There are many other hostels

from the beaches and the interesting

with inviting prices and in a good location,

nightlife from Punta.

close to the beach, to nightclubs and there is no need to depend on the transport to go

The L’Auberge Hotel, located at the Playa

anywhere. There are also other options in

Brava, serves the famous belgian waffles. At

Maldonado and Piriapolis.

the trendy beach Jose Ignacio you will find good hotels like The Setai. At the hotel Estancia Vik you can enjoy the rustic architecture and

DINING OUT

The prices vary depending on the restaurant.

With 20 dollars it is possible to enjoy a good meal with startes, main dish and dessert.

In Punta you will find many restaurants.

The world culinary is here. The best dishes

The restaurant “Al Mare”, that serves the

and a great variety of options in one city.

delicious “Corvina a la Manteca”, and the

Internacional restaurants, coffee shops,

restaurant “Artico” are two great options to

bars and pubs offer the best of the spanish,

have a high quality meal but with better prices.

the french, the arab, the chinese and the mediterranean cuisines. Some seafood

Some fancy restaurants have 100 dollars

restaurants have a uruguayan specialty:

meals, but with all the comfort and privacy.

Chivito. It means “little goat” and is a big

In that case it is recommended to make

sandwich that can serve two people. The

a reservation to ensure the place. The “B

sandwich is made with bread, beef, ham,

Restaurant & Bar” ist an interesting option:

cheese, lettuce and tomatoes. Also the

you can enjoy the regional cuisine, a delicious

uruguayan meet cutting is very famous

italian coffee, a great wine list and distilled

worldwide and is worth trying it.

beverages.For those who need or prefer to

DUFRY TRAVEL TIPS PUNTA DEL ESTE

save some money, it is possible to find meals

others. Most of them are located at the Calle 20.

for 10 dollars. There are also many fast-food

The Outlet Valentino has really attractive prices,

chains, which is a good option not to waste

when comparede with the brand’s normal

much time and enjoy more the day.

prices. The uruguayan store Daniel Cassin is specialised in young clothing and the Indian

At any of those restaurants you will be well

Emporium sells beachwear with a great price.

received. Punta del Este is one of the most famous balnearios of the world and receives

The Punta Shopping offers a great variety of

tourists during the whole year, always

stores and is only 5 minutes away from the

prepared to offer the best services.

península. There you find everything a great mall must have: cheap and expensive stores, food court, game room for the kids and a parking lot.

SHOPPING Punta del Este is one of the world’s most luxurious balnearios, where celebrities enjoy their time at their millionaire yachts. The most famous and expensive brands took advantage on that and settled their stores in the city. You can find Versace, Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent, Carolina Herrera, Fendi and many

STREET MARKETS The Gorlero Avenue is the main comercial site in Punta. The avenue got its name in 1918, as a tribute to the former mayor from Maldonado (Juan Gorlero). There you find clothing stores, coffee shops and real estate companies. The best option is to walk through the avenue and visitors can easily spend an entire day there.

You will find many salesmen selling darts,

casino objects and wooden boxes painted with local symbols like the sun. At the Plaza Artigas

IMPORTANT NUMBERS

there are many handicraft stores, they usually are opened in the weekends at 10 a.m. until the end of the evening.

CURRENCY The local currency is the Uruguayan peso but the brazilian real and the dollar are widely

598 42 911 122

NATIONAL CODE CITY CODE EMERGENCY GUIDE REPORTS

accepted. You can pay with credit cards like American Express, VISA, Diners Club and Mastercard in most of the stores. If there is any problem you can exchange money in the many authorized banks and agencies.

The most indicated is to travel with the local currency, so you can avoid any money problem.

POLICE

44 1991 FIRE STATION

22 3777 INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

(598) 4255 9777 FAX

(598) 4255 9197 TAXIS AT THE AIRPORT

(598) 42559 100 BRAZILIAN CONSULATE

094-415352 BRAZILIAN EMBASSY

(00X X5982) 707-2119 FAX

(5982) 707-2086 BUS STATIONS TRES CRUCES

(0X X5982) 408-8710 TERMINAL DE PUNTA DEL ESTE

(00 X X 598 42) 494-042