travel tips | punta del este (eng.)

PUNTA DEL ESTE

TRAVEL TIPS

VISÃO GERAL ATRAÇÕESTRANSPORTE COMPRAS ONDE FICAR ONDE COMEROVERVIEW ATTRACTIONSTRANSPORTATION SHOPPINGWHERE TO STAY WHERE TO EAT

OVERVIEW

Punta del Este draws everybody’s attention: lush beaches, casinos, beautiful wonderful buildings, luxury hotels, art fairs and an exciting nightlife. In other words, Punta suits everyones tastes. The city has an incomparable beauty and a sophisticated architecture. Always prepared to receive the tourists, there is no lack of attractions. The city delights everyone, including many celebrities. There is always something new to discover in Punta. In the summer the population increases a lot, reaching almost 300 thousand tourists. In Punta it is possible to walk through the Playa Brava, enjoy the sun and also appreciate the Monument to the Drowned.

You can stay in a luxury hotel at the beach, in a hostel close to the best nigthclubs or in nice hotels that remember the farms.

People need to walk through Punta and get to know everything. Every street has a history, an attraction or a street market for you to visit.

Want to travel to Punta? There is no mistake, at anytime of the year you will be well received and will have plenty of activities to do. But do not forget, if you prefer a vibrant nightlife it is better to visit the city at the Summer.

DUFRY TRAVEL TIPSPUNTA DEL ESTE

BEST TIME TO VISITAlthough the most interesting activities happens during the Summer (from December 21 to March 20) it is nice to visit Punta del Este 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 charming. Besides these attractions the tourists can appreciate the pubs, bars, restaurants, nightclubs and the fascinating casinos.

CLIMATEIt is essencial to know the wheater, so you can enjoy everything the city has to offer. In the autumn it is great to visit historic places, 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 15̀ C. The weather is warmer in spring, that is the perfect time to visit the beautiful parks and gardens. In the summer you will have temperatures around 28`C. You can appreciate the fantastic beaches 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.

Most of the social and cultural events happen in the summer, but that does not make the rest of the year monotonous. Ecological tours, sports, tracks and other different activities are great options to enjoy the nature and relax.

There are also admirable historical places and many hotels, from the best luxurious ones to the simple hotels. Between July and November it is possible to see the southern right whale migrating through the seas, antartic fur seals and elephant seals. At this time not only 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.


ATTRACTIONS

There are plenty of things to do in Punta del Este: go shopping, go to great restaurants, make tours, visit touristic places... You will surely find something that suits for you.

Boat tours – There is nothing better than sailing through the waters from Punta. Some tours take you to the Isla Gorriti or to the Isla de Lobos (that is the home of the biggest sea lion natural reserve in South America). It is possible to see them from the harbor, but in the island you can have a better contact with the animals.

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

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

Parque El Jaguel – in the park you find a nice playground for the kids with swings, slides, bridges and animals sculptures made with wood and acrylic fibers. They have horses that can be rented to take a horseback riding and also cars.

Punta del Este Lighthouse – The lighthouse is 54 meters tall and was built in 1860. It is a great historical monument to learn more about the city and it is perfect for those who enjoy 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.


WHERE TO STAY

There is no lack of hotels in Punta del Este, specially when talking about luxury hotels by the sea. After all, the city is constantly being visited by tourists from all over the world. Most of the hotels emphasize the glamour from the beaches and the interesting nightlife from Punta.

The L’Auberge Hotel, located at the Playa Brava, serves the famous belgian waffles. At 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

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

A cheaper option is to stay at a hostel. However, it is necessary to make a reservation in advance, otherwise you won’t find anything. The “Backpacker de La Barra” is, with its interesting prices and location, one of the best hostels in Punta. There are many other hostels with inviting prices and in a good location, close to the beach, to nightclubs and there is no need to depend on the transport to go anywhere. There are also other options in Maldonado and Piriapolis.

DINING OUT

In Punta you will find many restaurants. The world culinary is here. The best dishes and a great variety of options in one city. Internacional restaurants, coffee shops, bars and pubs offer the best of the spanish, the french, the arab, the chinese and the mediterranean cuisines. Some seafood restaurants have a uruguayan specialty: Chivito. It means “little goat” and is a big sandwich that can serve two people. The sandwich is made with bread, beef, ham, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes. Also the uruguayan meet cutting is very famous worldwide and is worth trying it.

The prices vary depending on the restaurant. With 20 dollars it is possible to enjoy a good meal with startes, main dish and dessert.

The restaurant “Al Mare”, that serves the delicious “Corvina a la Manteca”, and the restaurant “Artico” are two great options to have a high quality meal but with better prices.

Some fancy restaurants have 100 dollars meals, but with all the comfort and privacy. In that case it is recommended to make a reservation to ensure the place. The “B Restaurant & Bar” ist an interesting option: you can enjoy the regional cuisine, a delicious italian coffee, a great wine list and distilled beverages.For those who need or prefer to


save some money, it is possible to find meals for 10 dollars. There are also many fast-food chains, which is a good option not to waste much time and enjoy more the day.

At any of those restaurants you will be well received. Punta del Este is one of the most famous balnearios of the world and receives tourists during the whole year, always prepared to offer the best services.

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

others. Most of them are located at the Calle 20. The Outlet Valentino has really attractive prices, when comparede with the brand’s normal prices. The uruguayan store Daniel Cassin is specialised in young clothing and the Indian Emporium sells beachwear with a great price.

The Punta Shopping offers a great variety of stores and is only 5 minutes away from the 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.

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

CURRENCYThe local currency is the Uruguayan peso but the brazilian real and the dollar are widely 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.

59842

911122

NATIONAL CODE

CITY CODE

EMERGENCY

GUIDE REPORTS

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

(00XX5982) 707-2119

FAX

(5982) 707-2086

BUS STATIONS

TRES CRUCES

(0XX5982) 408-8710TERMINAL DE PUNTA DEL ESTE

(00 XX 598 42) 494-042

IMPORTANT NUMBERS

travel tips | punta del este (eng.)

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