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Puerto de Montevideo and Mercado del Puerto

  • February 5, 2009
  • Rated 4 of 5 by SeenThat from Tel Aviv, Israel
Puerto de Montevideo and Mercado del Puerto




Montevideo’s port is the main one in the country and one of the most important merchandise entry points to the Mercosur. The port sits on the River Plate, the estuary formed by the combination of the Uruguay and the Paraná rivers. Extending 290km from the rivers' confluence to the Atlantic Ocean, it is the widest estuary in the world, 48km wide where the rivers meet and a staggering 220km where it reaches the Atlantic Ocean.

In a sense, this port is the opposite to the Buenos Aires one, the last was born as the result of the needs of a great city, while Montevideo – and Uruguay - grew up around this strategically placed natural port. Thus, the port is Uruguay’s economy main engine and is open at all times and it offers several attractions for the wandering traveler.

Spain designated this port as its main one in the Americas in 1776. Later, the modern port was inaugurated in 1909, as a competition to the one in Buenos Aires, saving the ships the need to deal with the mud along the Argentinean side. Eventually it became the key point along the route Sao Paulo-Buenos Aires, the main axis of the Mercosur economic activity.

From the travelers’ point of view, the main point of interest in the port itself is the Buquebus Terminal. It can be accessed only by foot from the main entrance of the port and is located at the end of the entrance path. Next to the security booth is an office of the Uruguayan Ministry of Tourism, where souvenirs can be purchased and information about Uruguay received from professional hands.

Buquebus is the name of the fast boats service connecting Buenos Aires with Montevideo.

A direct trip costs well over a hundred American dollars. Tickets can be purchased also at the Tres Cruces Bus Termina, which was also reviewed in this journal. If buying there, the ticket includes also the bus trip to the port. A way of lowering the expense is taking a bus to Colonia del Sacramento and then the boat in a shorter line to Buenos Aires.

Colonia del Sacramento is one of the major touristic attractions in Uruguay – maybe even in South America – there are frequent buses to there from Montevideo. Such a detour is thus fully justified from a traveler’s point of view and highly enjoyable.

Mercado del Puerto

The second attraction in the area is the "Mercado del Puerto," the "Port’s Market." It is located a block away from the port’s main entrance toward the Ciudad Vieja (see that entry in this journal).

The building was inaugurated in 1868. A sign of the country’s tiny dimensions is the fact that the president of the republic found then the time to inaugurate a food market. Its eclectic style resembles a spacious hangar; within which whole structures are located (every stall has its own ceiling, despite the market having a very high roof). A clock tower placed at its center in 1897 has been restored; nowadays the masterpiece faithfully shows the time. In 1975 the market was nominated a national historic monument. The area surrounding its main entrance has been transformed into a walking street and features many souvenirs shops.

So, what’s the attraction in an old market placed in an old fashioned hangar? Simply, this is the most renowned place for a "parrillada" in Montevideo. The fourteen restaurants placed in its interior specialize in the grilling of various meats and serve tourists and locals as one extra-sized "parrilladas," the famous South American Barbecue. A word of warning: the locals here charge significantly more than similar restaurants elsewhere in the city, though no other place compares in ambience to the "Mercado del Puerto."

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