Montevideo City Tour Half Day
Montevideo is a modern city with European flair in Uruguay and has an appealing mix of architectural influences, both in modern and historical buildings. In the afternoon you will be picked up at your hotel for a comprehensive tour around the city. The main points of interest are in the Historic City Center, among them Plaza de Constitucion with the Cathedral and the Colonial Town Hall. You will also see the magnificent Solis Theatre and Independence Square with a monument of national hero José Gervasio Artigas and his mausoleum. A unique experience is the visit of the old market hall at the port of Montevideo (Mercado del Puerto), a lively place with street musicians and local artists showing their handicrafts.
Follow the lively street 18 de Julio, that is lined with shops, cafés and office buildings, on your way to the Legislative Palace (seat of the Uruguayan parliament). This impressive building was constructed in the beginning of the 20th century, using beautifully colored local marble for its construction and abundant decoration. Your next stop will be the Mercado Agricola, an old recently renovated and reopened market hall where you can get in insight in the culinary customs of Uruguay. In the past, the market hall was used for selling cattle, today you can buy fresh vegetables and fruits and can also see and maybe try some typical pastries such as bizcochos or torta frita. Then continue to Batlle and Ordoñez Park, passing by the Obelisk, to the Centenario Soccer Stadium which was constructed for the very first World Cup in 1930. Continue your tour to the residential area of Carrasco, where you will stop at Plaza Virgilio with a monument dedicated to the fallen soldiers of the navy. Here you can enjoy an excellent view of the city, a great spot for photographers.
Montevideo Jewish Heritage tour Half day
Enjoy an insight into Jewish immigration and life in Uruguay from the last century. You will travel to the Old City, where Jewish immigrants began to settle at the end of the 19th century. Pass by Golda Meir Square and the Hebraic Maccabi Sports Centre as well as the Sephardic and Ashkenazi synagogues. You will visit the main Community Centre to see the synagogue and different working areas of the community. In the Goes area, view the colorful housing projects built in the early 1920s by real estate Developer Emilio Reus, as well as the old synagogue. Catch a glimpse of present-day life in the Pocitos Residential Area. Passing the Jewish schools, you will stop at the Holocaust Memorial, the only one of its kind in South America. Back in the city, stop at the Gurvich Museum to study the works of Uruguay’s most famous painter, Gurvich. Born in Lithuania, Gurvich immigrated to Uruguay in 1933. All his paintings register elements of Jewish religious iconography. In 1973, Gurvich was invited by the Jewish Museum of New York to hold a retrospective exhibit.
Return to the hotel upon completion of your tour.
**Remarks: inside visit to the synagogues are only possible on week dates (Monday to Friday am/pm) & Saturdays mornings only.