Introduction: Punta del Este from Montevideo
At a certain point in our trip we decided not to stop by Punta del Este as we heard it was a modern beach town and instead, we chose to organise by ourselves a day trip to Punta del Este. After this trip, we are sure now that we made the right call.
Along our travel, we also met people that stayed in Punta del Este and all of them concurred that it was pricy.
Table of Contents
Getting there & Back
To get to Punta del Este from Montevideo, the easiest and cheapest option is by bus. There are regular scheduled buses that depart from Tres Cruces terminal every day with COPSA and COT.
We chose the 8am departure with COPSA Semi-directo (325 UYU). They also offer direct and line service. The ride last for 2h15 and is quite comfortable. Our bus stopped in Punta Ballena and Maldonado.
There are departures at 7:00am, 8h45, 9h30, 11h00.
We bought the day before we left for the trip our tickets and took the return at 4:00pm, 5:30pm, 6:45pm…
Punta del Este
Hand in the sand
When we arrived in Punta del Este, we simply crossed the road and saw the first site to be visited. Also called La Mano (the hand), it is a sculpture made by a Chilean artist in 1982. The meaning behind the drowning finger is a warning to swimmers/surfers to be careful of the rough and strong wave on the beach.
Lighthouse & Neighbourhood
From there, we simply followed the coastline (Rambla) for a while until we reach the edge of town. It was a nice walk along the coast where lots of people where running and practicing. You could really tell it is a beach town by the atmosphere around us.
From there, we passed the neighbourhood around which has amazing houses and villas. We also stopped in front of the lighthouse (it wasn’t opened to public) and the church.
We kept on until we ended up in the marina and at a small fish market.
Juan Gorlero
We finished our walked by strolling around the Juan Gorlero street, the main street of Punta del Este. There we did some window shopping and look at property to buy haha. After dreaming of a villa here, we simply rested a while on the beach.
Casa Pueblo
Getting there
After a good rest, we headed back to the bus terminal. In order to reach Casa Pueblo we had to take another COPSA bus, the same line we had our return ticket. We then bought a ticket from Punta del Este to Punta Ballena and asked if our return ticket could be used from there to Montevideo. It wasn’t a problem apparently.
So, we took the next bus and 15min later we arrived at the bus stop. In the middle of the highway We then walked for 1,5km toward the peninsula where Casa Pueblo is. It was a beautiful walk with great landscape and gorgeous villas around.
History & Price
Casa Pueblo was one of the residences of an Uruguayan artist called Carlos Páez Vilaró. Used as a workshop and summer house, it was the only place where the artist would return. He took him over 30 years to build it with help from the local fishermen. Now the place is a small museum and a big hotel/resort.
Carlos Páez Vilaró was famous for travelling the world and support the fight of black people in Uruguay and later in Africa. He would paint scene of them as well as some tribal sign.
The museum entrance is 300 UYU per person. It is a small museum with a small cinema room to learn about the artist, a coffee, a store and some gallery painting.
We really appreciate it, and also took the chance to hike a bit further to be able to see the beautiful house from outside.
Note
When we walked back to the highway where the bus stop was, we took the line bus from COPSA, it was possible to access it with our ticket but the bus driver told us that we could have bought the ticket on board the bus and that it would have been cheaper.
While we were walking, we also saw some COT bus going toward Casa Pueblo. If you want to avoid walking, it might be worst checking with them if they have a stop there.
“Wherever you go, go with all your heart!” – Confucius
Where to stay in Montevideo
- Dorms: MedioMundo Hostel
- Mid-Range: Chez Mario et Solange
- Luxurious: Alma Histórica Boutique Hotel
