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Uruguay travel guide

Best time to visit from the UK, weather, festivals, flights from London and FCDO travel advice.

Colonia del Sacramento
Colonia del Sacramento. Photo: JGHowes, photographer (Canon AE-1 camera)., Attribution, via Wikimedia Commons
14hflight from London
Uruguayan pesocurrency
No visafor UK passports
Type C, F, I, Lplugs

Laid-back beaches, steak and cobbled colonial towns

Don't miss

  1. Colonia del Sacramento
  2. Punta del Este
  3. Montevideo
Good forBeachesFood lovers

Best time to visit Uruguay from the UK

Best value: Apr–May, Sep–Nov. Nov–Mar for beaches. Busiest and priciest: Dec–Mar.

23.2 C23°J22.8 C23°F21.1 C21°M18 C18°A14.6 C15°M11.7 C12°J10.3 C10°J11.5 C12°A13 C13°S15.8 C16°O18.8 C19°N21.4 C21°D
Best valueBusy and pricierQuietAverage temperature in Montevideo, °C, 2001–2025 (NASA POWER).

Each bar is the average temperature in Montevideo for that month, and its colour shows the season for visitors: best value (good weather, fewer crowds and lower prices), busiest and priciest, or quiet (off-peak, sometimes because the weather is poorer).

  • Our pick: April and NovemberThe warmest of the best-value months (18–19°C), with fewer crowds than peak season.
  • Peak season: Dec–MarUsually 21–23°C. The busiest time, so book flights and rooms early and expect higher prices.
  • Quiet season: Jun–AugAround 10–12°C. The cheapest and least crowded time, though often because of rain or heat.
  • Warmest: January (23°C) · coolest: July (10°C)A 13°C swing between the warmest and coolest months.
Temperatures as a table
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
23.222.821.11814.611.710.311.51315.818.821.4

Festivals and events

  • Carnaval Jan–Mar · Montevideo (the world's longest)
  • Semana Criolla Mar–Apr · Montevideo
  • Punta del Este summer Jan · Punta del Este

Festival dates move from year to year: check before you book.

Getting there from the UK

Flight time
About 14h
Distance
11,026 km
Main airport
MVD

Flight times are straight-line estimates for a direct flight from Heathrow; journeys with a change take longer.

Add Uruguay to your bucket list Search flights to MVD

Practical info and travel guidance

Uruguayan pesoCapital: Montevideo
Type C, F, I, L · 220VBring a UK adapter
Drive on the rightOpposite to the UK
911
EmergencyPolice, fire, ambulance
Tap water safeAcross the country
  • VisaNo visa neededUp to 90 days
  • HealthcareNo free healthcareYou pay for treatment, so travel insurance with medical cover is essential.
  • LGBT+ travellersLegal and broadly accepted
  • Women travellersNo specific FCDO warningTake the usual precautions.

For British passport holders, summarised from the FCDO's advice for Uruguay, checked October 2026. FCDO page last updated 10 December 2025. Rules change: read the official FCDO travel advice for Uruguay before you book and again before you go.

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