Tour of the “NEW CITY” & “OPEN CITY” of Montevideo
Enjoy a tour of the different neighborhoods of Montevideo which started developing after the demolition of the Old City Walls of Montevideo which took place on September 1829. Unlike the old city, La Ciudad Nueva (the new city), was planned with wide and tree lined streets, with magnificent stores and residences. From the Plaza Independencia we can admire the surrounding buildings of different heights and styles, which clearly define it as a city facing the future. The main avenue 18 de Julio, starts here. A few blocks away, we will visit the Plaza Fabini or “Plaza del Entrevero”, with a magnificent sculpture of a horse battle between the first Spanish settlers and the native inhabitants, masterpiece of the Uruguayan artist José Belloni. From this spot we have a clear view of the Palacio Legislativo (Congress) a multi-coloured marble building, one of the most sumptuous of Latin America. We will visit the Montevideo City Hall Observation Deck and will then continue onto the “Ciudad Abierta” (the open city), the area of Montevideo which gradually grew into an open city of green parks, famous monuments and residential areas.
We will see the famous “Estadio Centenario” (Sports centre – entrance not included), Monumento a la Carreta and the residential area of Carrasco and Punta Gorda.
The tour will include a visit to one of the following places:
- The Legislative Palace, where the parliament operates (Monday – Friday 10:30 & 3 pm – needs prescheduling)
- The “ Mercado Agricola” where guests will have the opportunity to taste a local artisan beer produced in Uruguay (not included) and some local shops
- One of the local art museums (EAC: Wed – Sun 2pm to 5pm /MNAV: Tue – Sun 2pm to 7pm. Needs prescheduling)
- The gaucho museum (Mondays – Fridays 10am to 5pm. Needs prescheduling)
Length of the activity: 4 hrs.
Available: All year round with previous booking only
Montevideo Art Tour
It’s hard to believe that a country like Uruguay, with a small population, has so many original visual artists with great deal of creativity. From the map of South America, which Joaquin Torres Garcia placed head over heels in 1935 to the present, many liters of painting have run on canvas and papers. Depending on the interest of each guest, this tour can be done as a half day tour or a full day tour including the Museum of Visual Arts of Montevideo where we will begin with an introduction to Uruguayan art and then continue onto the MHUAR museum and the EAC (Espacio de Arte Contemporáneo – www.eac.gub.uy ). Our tour will take us to the Old city to enjoy aa walking tour visiting the “Fundación Union” (http://www.fundacionunion.org), the Torres Garcia Museum (a very important art school in Uruguay) and one of the local artist´s studios. For art lovers, we can finish with an exclusive visit to the private collection Engelman- Ost. Both Carlos Engelman and Clara Ost started buying different pieces of art because it meant something to them; they knew some artists, they attended exhibitions and so one day, they decided they wanted to have some pieces in their house which meant something to them and which they considered as a testimony of the times they were living. Their first piece of art was bought in 1963. They do not have the number of works of art that they own but they suggested we dedicate at least 2 hours to visit the collection since it is very complete.
Length of the activity: 4 hrs.(6 hours for the full day version)
Available: All year round with previous booking only
Carnival Tour
This tour was designed to enjoy the colors, flavors and rhythms of the “Uruguayan Carnival” first hand and discover its Spanish & African roots including the famous “murgas”, “candombes” and “tamporileadas”.
The tour starts at the “Museo Figari” to understand carnival through Pedro Figari’s paintings and art. Understand the figure of the “ConventilloS” such as the “Medio Mundo Conventillo”, an old boarding house site of cultural movements in the 70’s which used to house 54 families. It was located on Cuareim 1080 until it was destroyed by the city in 1978 during the tumultuous dictatorial period because of its said precarious structure. Ironically, the next year it was declared a national monument. Even though the building was destroyed, the “Candombe spirit” could not be silenced. Every drum “call” (a small drum parade is called a “call”) symbolized resistance, strength and the memory of a difficult past. The habitants of the Medio Mundo where uprooted from the Barrio Sur and Palermo neighborhoods, but no one could take away their drums and culture and they kept returning to the neighborhoods because that’s where the heart of their community was. These pilgrimages are kept until our days as a whole symbolism that no one was able to destroy. Barrio Sur and Palermo neighborhoods combine both tangible heritage (in the form of historic buildings) and intangible heritage in the form of the Candombe and other Afro-Uruguayan cultural expressions. Visit a local drums store and participate on a percussion workshop; without any prior knowledge of music, dare to enter the magical world of the drum and join other participants on this percussion experience. The tour finishes with a Candombe rehearsal where a big fire is organized along the street to warm up the drums and all characters involved in Carnival such as the “Mama Vieja”, the “Gramillero” and “ Escobero” will be present.
Length of the activity: 4-6 hrs.
Available: Every Friday and Saturday, all year round with previous booking only
Uruguayan Cigars Tasting & Pairing Experience
The art of handcrafted tobacco and fine cigars is probably one of Uruguay´s best kept secrets. The Alvarez family has been elaborating hand-rolled cigars in the region of the Santa Lucia River (about 30 minutes away from the capital city) for more than 40 years but with a legacy of 130 years received from their Cuban ancestors. The fifth generation nowadays continues the same line of excellence of those expert hands that rolled each cigar, dedicating time and care to what they love to do. The main qualities of a good Cigar are: burn process, texture, flavor, elasticity, smell, color and the balance of oils and nicotines. Our Uruguayan Cigars exhibit all of these characteristics. Learn all about the tobacco development process that leads to the quality of the end result, participate on a cigar hand roll demonstration followed by a tasting and cigar pairing session with some of Uruguay´s best liquors, ports and wines. This region is also known for its wines and vineyards making it the perfect spot for such an experience which will take place in a local family-ran winery located only 5 minutes from the tobacco plantations. Manuel Filgueira, enologist and wine lover, started with “Los Nadies” boutique winery after a lifetime within the wine industry. He produces two superb wines that you will have the opportunity to taste.
Even the most seasoned cigar smokers and spirit connoisseurs can sometimes find themselves at a loss when pairing drinks with cigars. The very ability to pair cigars and spirits strikes many as a mystery but it is simply a matter of learning how to taste. The more we use our sense of taste, the more refined it becomes. That’s how professional cigar makers and winemakers develop their expertise. Few things are more satisfying, from a palate pleasing point of view, than pairing a good cigar with a suitable libation. The main criteria are not to let the drink dominate the cigar, or vice versa. The magic is to match the body of the beverage to the body of the cigar. A light-bodied cigar will go well with some white wines or young reds. Pairing cigars with wines and spirits is just one part of the celebration, but in the end, your own taste, whether it’s the first time or a connoisseur’s, is the final judge as to what will work and what won’t when it comes to pairing cigars and spirits. During the experience you will have fun testing out different smoke and drink combinations and developing your own perfect pairings.
Length of the activity: 4 hrs.
Available: All year round with previous booking only
Sensory Training Workshop
Enjoy an unforgettable sensory analysis of a “Uruguayan day of local tastes” carefully planned to introduce you gastronomically into our culture. You will have the opportunity to enjoy a mate tasting with some local pastries including “dulce de leche” and “bizcochos”, followed by a “Uruguayan picada” with regional cheeses, olives and salamis. Lunch will include our typical “asado”, mollejas (sweetbread) and chorizo (sausage) accompanied by fresh salads with locally farmed ingredients, Olive oils and local balsamic. You will learn why the Uruguayan asado is grilled with wood (not coal) and how to light up the fire and know when the fire is ready to grill! Assorted desserts will include our typical dulce de leche, butia and chocolate “salchichon”. Everything paired with the right wines on a tasting guided by a specialized sommelier who will teach you how to choose your wines and build your cellar: Spirits, Champagnes and the sparkling world. We will finish with Uruguayan liquors and cigars locally elaborated. Eat Local.
Length of the activity: 6 hrs.
Available: All year round (lunch or dinner) with previous booking only
Montevideo Bike Tour
Enjoy a cycling tour from the Old town of Montevideo to the area of Carrasco. Bike along the panoramic coastal “Rambla” which borders the different neighborhoods of the “Open City” such as “Parque Rodo”, “Punta Carretas”, “Pocitos”, “Buceo” and “Malvin”. Make a stop to enjoy a picnic lunch at the Montevideo Golf Club Gardens overlooking the River Plate. Learn about the different areas of the Capital city before getting to the beautiful “Virgilio Sqaure” located on the peninsula of “Punta Gorda” from where an amazing view of the River and downtown Montevideo can be appreciated. Share a typical “mate tasting” with local pastries such as the “bizcochos” and “pastafrola” and continue onto Carrasco where the tour ends.
(Tour includes specialized guide, support vehicle throughout the ride snacks and water, bikes with helmet and handle bag & picnic. Transfer back to hotel. The average distance ridden is 20 kms but this may be adapted to clients’ skills and interests).
Length of tour: 6hrs. Approximately
Available: All year round with previous booking only.
Discover the wine maker behind the wine!
Much has been said of wines, wineries and vineyards but very seldom do people get to know “the artist behind the art”. This tour is about discovering the winemaker behind an amazing wine. The visit starts with a walking tour of the vineyards guided by your deluxe guide: Manuel Filgueira, enologist, wine lover and owner of “Los Nadies” boutique winery. Whether this is your first time or a connoisseur´s, you will surely fall in love with this art of winemaking as Manuel´s passion can be contagious! After a lifetime within the wine industry, he decided he would dedicate to the production of very specific defined wines. At the present moment, he offers two superb wines: a white and a red selection. His challenge was to obtain two interesting and exquisite wines that would be memorable and distinguish from others and you will have the opportunity to taste them both and decide by yourself if he has achieved his goal or not! After a typical “Uruguayan picada” and wine tasting, you will enjoy a unique farm to table lunch under the trees, overlooking the vineyards and including the freshest locally farmed ingredients. The pleasure of using free range and organic produce allows one to experience what these products are really meant to taste like. Children will also be treated like VIP’s with a delicious kid´s menu and the possibility to feed the local animals and/or harvest their own lettuce and other vegetables for their meal.
(Includes specialized guide, lunch & tasting)
Length of tour: 4 hrs.
Available: All year round with previous booking only
Horseback ride along the vineyards
Enjoy a horseback riding tour along the vineyards of this family-ran winery and the private trails of the area. Manuel Filgueira, enologist and wine lover, started with “Los Nadies” boutique winery after a lifetime within the wine industry. He only produces two superb wines that you will have the opportunity to taste after an unforgettable horse riding tour within this wine region. You will learn about the Uruguayan wines and the life of those who have dedicated to its production. After the ride, enjoy a Uruguayan wine tasting at the winery.
(Includes specialized guide, water, horse and tasting. The average riding time is 1 hour but may be adapted to clients’ skills & interests. Price does not include transfer to winery).
Length of tour: 2 hrs.
Available: All year round with previous booking only
Unesco Awarded local artisan
Experience the Uruguayan culture through the eyes of a local craftsman whose work has been recognized by the UNESCO with the Award of Excellence for Handicrafts. Luis Alberto Gutierrez has dedicated his life to creating leather sculptures inspired in local popular elements as our famous “Tango”, our “Murgas” and “Candombe” (both of them music elements of the Uruguayan Carnival) and the Gaucho iconic countryside figure. Discover his atelier and home located in downtown Montevideo. The visit begins with a welcome coffee prepared by Alberto´s wife while he passionately explains his own history and growth as a leather artist which is inseparably linked to the recent history of handicraft art in Uruguay. With this background already acquired, we climb up to his atelier to find many of his leather sculptures in different steps of the creation process. Learn about the art of working with leather and participate in the creation of an emblematic Gaucho sculpture. With the guidance of Alberto, feel the leather in your hands and witness the birth of a new creation!
Length of tour: 2 hrs.
Available: All year round with previous booking only
Uruguay: Tango´s other side of the river plate
For the Uruguayan culture, “Tango” is a rhythm that has its roots in the poor areas of Montevideo around 1880. As Borges said: “…tango is African-Montevidean [Uruguayan], tango has black curls in its roots…” He sustained that the “…tango, which Argentineans known as “Argentinean tango”, is the son of the “Montevidean milonga” and the grandson of the “habanera”. It was born in the San Felipe Academy [Montevideo], a Montevidean warehouse used for public dances, among gangsters and the black community. The tour begins at the “Barrio Sur” where most of the famous “Conventillos” (boarding houses), used to be located. The “Medio Mundo”, was one of these old boarding houses, site of cultural movements in the 70’s which used to house 54 families and where candombe and tango were born. We will walk along the “Carlos Gardel Street” named after the Uruguayan tango singer and learn about his life and career. The street ends at the “Medellin Square” named after the city where Gardel died on a plane accident in 1935 and where a sculpture of his bust has been located. Every year, followers from different parts of the world visit this place on the 11th December for a classic memorial ceremony known as “a Flower for Gardel”. Continue onto the “AGADU (Association of Authors of Uruguay) Museum” to see historical pictures and the permanent exhibition of objects which belonged to local artists such as the piano of “Matos Rodriguez”, Uruguayan composer of “La Cumparsita”, known as the “King of tangos”. Our next stop will be Café Facal, an iconic location for dancing tango and where a sculpture of Carlos Gardel, created by the Uruguayan artist Alberto Morales Saravia, was placed on the event of the singer´s 80th death anniversary. Visit the Palacio Salvo, where the iconic Coffee shop “La Giralda” used to be located and “La Cumparsita” was performed for the first time. The tour ends with a private tango class and typical “milonga”
(Includes specialized guide, transfers and mentioned visits)
Length of tour: 8 hrs.
Available: All year round with previous booking only
