Uruguay is small and coastal: Montevideo along the River Plate, the colonial quarter of Colonia del Sacramento upriver, and the beach towns east of the capital, of which Punta del Este is the best known. Distances are short and the interior is largely ranch country.
The guides here cover Uruguay as a whole. The beach season runs December to February, when Punta del Este fills with Argentine and Brazilian visitors and prices rise accordingly; the rest of the year is markedly quieter. Montevideo works year-round. Uruguay is among the more expensive countries in South America, which surprises travellers arriving from neighbouring states.