By air
Punta del Este (PDP), ~20 km from the centre
South America · Uruguay
Punta del Este, Uruguay
South America's glamorous summer resort
Getting there
Best time to visit
December to February for the full season; March and April are quieter and still warm
Don't miss
Playa Brava
Playa Mansa
La Mano sculpture
Casapueblo
Isla Gorriti
José Ignacio lighthouse
Punta Ballena
Things to do
Beach days on Playa Brava and Playa Mansa
Sunset at Casapueblo
A boat to Isla Gorriti
Surfing and kitesurfing
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Roberto Tietzmann · CC BY 2.5
What to pack
Beachwear, a jacket for Atlantic evenings, smart casual clothes for the restaurants
A quieter corner
The quiet beaches of José Ignacio, a fishing village with a lighthouse half an hour up the coast
Questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Punta del Este?
December to February for the full season; March and April are quieter and still warm. What to pack: Beachwear, a jacket for Atlantic evenings, smart casual clothes for the restaurants.
How do I get to Punta del Este?
Fly into Punta del Este (PDP), ~20 km from the centre.
What is there to do in Punta del Este?
Beach days on Playa Brava and Playa Mansa, sunset at Casapueblo, a boat to Isla Gorriti, surfing and kitesurfing. A quieter find: The quiet beaches of José Ignacio, a fishing village with a lighthouse half an hour up the coast.
What should I eat in Punta del Este?
Grilled fish and seafood, asado, chivito, local sparkling wine, medialunas at a beach café.
About Punta del Este
- Coastal
Where it is
Punta del Este is a resort town on a narrow peninsula in Maldonado Department, on Uruguay's Atlantic coast about two hours east of Montevideo.
History
A fishing settlement on the point where the Río de la Plata gives way to the Atlantic, Punta del Este became a seaside resort in the early twentieth century and, after the Second World War, the summer address of Argentina's and Brazil's wealthy. Towers rose along the beaches, artists settled along the coast, and the Uruguayan painter Carlos Páez Vilaró built Casapueblo on the cliffs nearby.
People
In season the town fills with holidaymakers from Buenos Aires and São Paulo and the restaurants and clubs run late; the rest of the year it is a quiet coastal town of fishermen, retirees and surfers.
Known for
- La Mano, the fingers in the sand
- Playa Brava and Playa Mansa
- Casapueblo at sunset
- Summer nightlife
Did you know?
The peninsula divides the river side, with its calm Playa Mansa, from the ocean side with the surf of Playa Brava.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.