Things To Do in Montevideo

Ranch Romance -- Gaucho life is alive and well in Uruguay, and to experience some bucolic days on horseback in the vast rolling fields of the interior is something you are not likely to forget. The finer estancias now offer top-notch accommodation as well as day trips with lunch and activates included. The most famous and luxurious is San Pedro de Timote, Cerro Colorado, 160km (99 miles) northeast of Montevideo (tel. 0310/8086; www.sanpedrodetimote.com.uy), a lovely property with a long history and the architecture to prove it, including a lovely white chapel. Another well-appointed farm offering cowboy chic is Estancia La Paz, Paysandu, 370km (230 miles) northwest of Montevideo (tel. 072/02272; www.estancialapaz.com.uy). Just down river, close to the town of Mercedes, is La Sirena (tel. 02/606-2924; www.lasirena.com.uy), a pastoral paradise with a gorgeous old ranch house and English-speaking owners. Access is a problem at most estancias, so it is often more convenient to arrange transfers directly with the lodges. For day tours contact tour operators that specialize in agrotourism, such as Cecilia Regules Viajes, Bacacay 1334, Local C, Montevideo (tel. 02/916-3011; www.ceciliaregulesviajes.com), or Lares, WF Aldunate, Local 15, Montevideo (tel. 02/901-9120; www.lares.com.uy).

Carnaval Time in Montevideo -- Catch the lively street party that takes the city by storm in late January and throughout February. Colorful half-naked dancers and noisy candombe percussion bands celebrate Uruguay's African slave heritage. On February 2, the crowds head for Playa Ramirez for a big beach party celebrating the sea goddess Yemanga. If your timing is wrong, you can still see an exhibition on the festival at the Museo de Carnaval, Rambla 25 de Agosto de 1825 no. 218, at Maciel (tel. 02/916-5493), in the port area.

Shopping in Montevideo is concentrated in a few downtown shops, markets, and in three major shopping centers. In Uruguayan stores, expect to find leather goods, jewelry, and local crafts and textiles -- including sweaters, cardigan jackets, ponchos, coats, and tapestries made of high-quality wool (Uruguay is one of the world's largest exporters of wool). International stores carry American and European products. Montevideo's most fashionable mall is the Punta Carretas Shopping Center, Calle Ellauri and Solano, on the site of a former prison next to the Sheraton hotel. Downtown, the Montevideo Shopping Center, Av. Luis Alberto de Herrera 1290, is the city's original mall, with more than 180 stores and a 10-screen theater. Portones de Carrasco, avenidas Bolivia and Italia, is another recommended shopping center in the Carrasco neighborhood. Tres Cruces Shopping Mall is part of the bus terminal complex, with dozens of shops. It's at Avenida Serra with Acevedo Díaz (tel. 02/408 8710; www.trescruces.com.uy). Leather goods at great prices are at Casa Mario Leather Factory, Piedras 641 at Bartolomo Mitre (tel. 02/916-2356; www.casamarioleather.com).

Markets -- The Villa Biarritz fair, at Parque Zorilla de San Martín-Ellauri, takes place Saturday from 9:30am to 3pm and features handicrafts, antiques, books, fruit and vegetable vendors, flowers, and other goodies. The Mercado del Puerto (Port Market) ★★ opens afternoons and weekends at Piedras and Yacaré, letting you sample the flavors of Uruguay, from small empanadas to enormous barbecued meats. Saturday is the best day to visit, when cultural activities accompany the market. Tristán Narvaja, Avenida 18 de Julio in the Cordón neighborhood, is the city's Sunday flea market (6am-3pm), initiated more than 50 years ago by Italian immigrants. De la Abundancia/Artesanos is a combined food and handicrafts market. It takes place Monday through Saturday from 10am to 8pm at San José 1312.

As in Buenos Aires, nightlife in Montevideo means drinks after 10pm and dancing after midnight. For earlier entertainment, ask at your hotel or call the Teatro Solís, Calle Buenos Aires 652 (tel. 02/1950-1856: www.teatrosolis.org.uy), the city's center for opera, theater, ballet, and symphonies. For up-to-date listings, try and get your hands on a copy of Guia del Ocio (www.guiadelocio.com.uy), which comes out every Friday and costs U$10. For hardcore clubbers, check out the website www.aromperlanoche.com.

Gamblers should head to the Plaza Victoria Casino, Plaza Independencia (tel. 02/902-0111), a fashionable venue with French roulette tables, blackjack, baccarat, slot machines, horse races, and bingo. It opens at 2pm and keeps going through most of the night. Mariachi, Gabriel Pereira 2964 (tel. 02/709-1600), is one of the city's top bars and dance clubs, with live bands or DJ music Wednesday to Sunday after 10pm. Café Misterio, Costa Rica 1700 (tel. 02/600-5999), is another popular bar. The hottest clubs going to print are W Lounge, Rambla Wilson, Parque Rodo (tel. 02/712-2671), and Almodó Bar, Rincón 626, Ciudad Vieja (tel. 02/916-6665),

Tango & Candombe -- Montevideo's best tango clubs are La Casa de Becho, Nueva York 1415 (tel. 02/400- 2717; Fri-Sat after 10:30pm), where composer Gerardo Mattos Rodríguez wrote the famous "La Cumparsita," and Cuareim, Zelmar Michelini 1079 (no phone; Wed and Fri-Sat after 9pm), which offers both tango and candombe, a lively dance indigenous to the area, with roots in early slave culture. This samba-style drum performance is a sight (and sound) to behold, especially if you wander the neighborhood of Barrio Sur on a Sunday evening, when all the locals spill out onto the street to practice. El Tartamudo Cafe, 8 de Octubre 2543 (tel. 02/480-4332), is one of the city's best-known small music venues, showcasing tango musicians as well as jazz and candombe performers. The tourist office can give you schedule information for Montevideo's other tango salons.