Uruguay with kids: family-friendly information and tips!

Touring Uruguay with kids is being done by more and more families. Uruguay is certainly not yet as popular a travel destination as its neighbors Brazil and Argentina, but it is on the rise in terms of tourism. In two weeks you can already get a good impression of the country. In this blog, we give family-friendly tips for a nice tour of Uruguay and also provide an itinerary through Uruguay for families with kids of about 2 weeks.

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Best travel time Uruguay with kids

You can visit Uruguay year-round with kids. The best travel time is from October to March, when it is summer season. During these months the temperature is around 25-30 degrees Celsius and the sun shines abundantly.

Uruguay has mild winters (June-August), with temperatures around 10-15 degrees, but it can be too chilly then to go swimming with kids, for example. So the best travel time to visit Uruguay with kids is from October to March.

Transportation in Uruguay

The best way to travel around Uruguay with kids is by rental car. Here you have the most freedom as a family and then you can stop whenever you want if the kids need to pee on the way, for example. Uruguay’s roads are generally well maintained and the country is relatively small, making it easy to drive from one destination to another.

We highly recommend looking into a rental car through Sunny Cars at the airport in Montevideo, Uruguay’s capital city. We ourselves always rent a car abroad through this company, as they have an all inclusive formula with a super comprehensive insurance package and also lots of fine conditions regarding canceling the car and refunding the excess. So check online to rent a car at the Montevideo airport.

Uruguay also has a reliable bus network that connects many cities and towns. The buses are modern and comfortable, which is a good option for families who do not want to drive themselves. However, you should keep in mind that it will obviously take you a lot longer than traveling through the country in a rental car.

The big cities are of course great for walking with kids, and there are often plenty of cabs to take you to the various sights. You can often use a cab app like Uber in these cities. Then make sure you buy a local SIM card at the airport so you have Internet coverage on your phone everywhere.

Travel tips Uruguay with kids

Traveling through Uruguay is perfectly doable and below we provide some general tips for traveling through this beautiful country with the family.

Passport: most travelers from Europe do not require a visa for stays shorter than 90 days. Always check before you travel to see if a visa is required for your family, because you don’t want any surprises.

Money matters: Uruguay uses the Uruguayan peso. Make sure you carry enough cash with you, because especially in smaller towns and villages, you can’t always get cash at the ATM. You can easily withdraw money in the country’s major cities and airports, however.

Vaccinations: no mandatory vaccinations are required for Uruguay, but vaccinations against DTP and Hepatitis A are recommended. Still, it is always wise if you are traveling with kids to be well informed in advance about which vaccinations you all need for the country. You don’t want your kid to get sick abroad.

Cost: Uruguay is slightly more expensive than other South American countries, especially in tourist spots such as Punta del Este, for example. Keep this in mind when planning the budget. Still, you can often make a trip as expensive as you want. You have real budget accommodations in most destinations in Uruguay, so a trip to Uruguay with kids doesn’t have to be very expensive.

Safety: Uruguay is one of the safest countries in South America, yet in South America you must always watch your belongings. Don’t walk the streets with kids in the dark and always be well informed when you go anywhere. Also, don’t wear all kinds of expensive jewelry too ostentatiously when visiting the country. Still, you certainly don’t need to be deterred by this if you are going to visit the country with kids.

Uruguay travel itinerary with kids

You can get a good impression of the country of Uruguay with kids in just two weeks. We put below an itinerary through Uruguay that takes about 2 weeks. Of course, it also depends a bit on how fast you travel, but with kids, the advice is to take it nice and easy and not rush too much.

Montevideo

Montevideo is the city where most families with kids land by plane when exploring Uruguay. It is a nice city to recover from the plane ride with kids and the old city center is definitely fun to visit for a while. You can book a Free Walking Tour here, to also get some more background of the city that way.

In addition, it is fun to go cycling through Uruguay’s capital with kids. Baja Bikes organizes these guided bike tours and they also have children’s bikes and child seats for the back of parents, making these bike tours also very suitable for families with kids.

In addition, you have several city parks to visit in the city, and in the hot summer months it is definitely nice to go to the beach with kids. Montevideo is located on the coast and there are at least 10 different beaches around this city where you can go with the family. We wrote the blog Montevideo with kids about this city, in which we provide extensive information.

If you are looking for a family-friendly accommodation that is super well-reviewed, these accommodations below are good options.

Budget accommodation: Sur Hotel

Mid-range accommodations: Holiday Inn Montevideo, an IHG Hotel

Luxury Accommodation: Regency Golf – Hotel Urbano

Also check out the entire list of family-friendly accommodations in Montevideo.

Colonia del Sacramento

You can basically do this beautiful destination in a day trip from Montevideo, but we still recommend spending a night here. From Montevideo it is about a 2-hour drive to Colonia del Sacramento, which does make a day trip with kids tough. If you stay overnight, it’s a lot more relaxed travel.

We found it a nice destination for walking around. We visited Colonia del Sacramento from Buenos Aires by boat and this boat takes just over an hour. Buenos Aires is also a cool city to visit and here there is also plenty to do for families with kids. Here is also a great place to stay for 4 to 5 days and this can be a nice side trip of your tour of Uruguay. If you want to know all there is to do in Buenos Aires, Argentina, read our blog Buenos Aires with kids.

If you’re looking for family-friendly accommodations in Colonia del Sacramento, these family-friendly accommodations are good options:

Budget accommodation: Posada Santa Rita

Mid-range accommodation: Posada de la Flor

Luxury Accommodation: Sheraton Colonia Golf & Spa Resort

Also check out the entire list of family-friendly accommodations in Colonia del Sacramento.

Punta del Este

Then, if you traveled back to Montevideo from Colonia del Sacramento, you can drive to Punta del Este by car in just over 2 hours. This is a very beautiful place on the coast where you can really relax on the beaches of this seaside resort. It is an upscale resort where tourists from all over the world travel to vacation here.

Besides the beautiful beaches and fun shopping you have at this destination, you and kids can visit the port of Punta del Este here and see the yachts of the wealthy tourists who visit this resort town. Well-known beaches to visit here with kids are Playa Brava and Playa Mansa. You also have playground equipment here by the promenade for the kids to play with.

In high season there are also in the sea all kinds of air cushions, where kids can play. You can also take a boat trip with kids from Punta del Este to Isla Gorriti which is just off the coast of Punta del Este. It is also fun to go to Isla de Lobos on a tour. You can go see sea lions here, among other things. So you can have a great time here for a few days during your tour of Uruguay with kids.

If you’re looking for family-friendly accommodation in Punta del Este, these are good options.

Budget accommodation: Punta del Este Shelton Hotel

Mid-range accommodation: Bonne Etoile

Luxury Accommodation: Enjoy Punta del Este

Also, check out the entire list of family-friendly accommodations in Punta del Este.

Punta del Diablo

You can travel even further east from Punta del Este to Punta del Diablo. Here you also have beautiful beaches, but it is a little less luxurious all around. You have beach bars and laid-back music everywhere here in this former fishing village. Especially in the summer months, the place is crowded with tourists.

Besides relaxing on the beaches here with kids, you can also visit the Santa Teresa National Park natural park. You can spot all kinds of animals here such as capybaras, foxes and deer. You also have lots of different birds to spot here and it is also possible to visit the beach in this national park.