From the city center, two pleasant options exist for arriving to Parque Rodó, one of the larger green areas of Montevideo: taking the first half of Boulevard España or wandering along the coast. Both offer fantastic views & interesting architecture.
Boulevard España tempted me with its architecture from the comfort of the D1 bus, so I had to return to walk the entire avenue… the second half closer to Pocitos may be a bit more grand, but this section nearer downtown has lots of variety.
Another option would be to leave the Cementerio Central & walk along Rambla República Argentina, eventually changing names to Rambla Presidente Wilson. Naturally, the US Embassy is nearby with a statue of George Washington:
Parque Rodó merits the walk, especially for a picnic. Initially developed in the 1880s by French landscape designers Carlos Thays & Carlos Racine, the park expanded to occupy 42 hectares complete with amusement park rides for kids, an artificial lake, a miniature castle (now a children’s library), fountains & several sculptures. Look for the José Belloni statue of the park’s namesake, writer José Enrique Rodó:
Adjacent to Parque Rodó sits a unique, semicircular housing development known as Barrio Jardín. Construction took place in the 1920s & 1930s… & it shows. Incorporating the hillside into the street plan, houses curve at corners & the entire complex looks like a giant ship at sea. What a wonderful example of racionalismo for architecture fans like myself:
Still not tired? Good. Wander down to Punta Carretas via 21 de Setiembre to see a castle, an Art Deco archer (or is that archess?) & find the exuberant Castillo Pittamiglio on the rambla. The view toward Pocitos is quite nice from here, & the gigantic Edificio El Mastil sits at the end of Avenida Brasil. It really is a ship out of water…
Believe it or not, there’s still more of Montevideo to explore…
Montevideo series: First impressions • Ciudad Vieja • Avenida 18 de Julio • Pocitos • Cementerio Central • Palacio Legislativo • La Aguada • Parque Rodó • El Prado • Final thoughts