Montevideo is a great place to spend the weekend – you can easily see its main attractions in two days. The Old City, or Ciudad Vieja, has places to visit that you won't want to miss. The Palacio Salvo building on Independencia Square was for many years the tallest building in South America. It's 27 floors tall and was inaugurated in 1925. You can also visit Solís Theater, which has a great guided tour for a fair price. On the same square you'll find Puerta de la Ciudadela, a gate that separates downtown from the Old City.

In the same area, you can visit the Torres García Museum, dedicated to Uruguay's most important artist, and the Andes 1972 Museum, dedicated to a plane crash in the Andes Range that year. Lunch at the Mercado del Puerto market is something you definitely won't want to miss – try one of the barbecue places where you can see your meat being prepared. After lunch, you might want to head to Café Brasilero, another legendary place in the Old City.

Montevideo also has beautiful river beaches in the neighborhoods of Carrasco, which has luxurious houses, and Pocitos, with its busy promenade. It's also home to the large El Prado Park, where you'll find the Blanes Museum, the Anthropology Museum, the Japanese Garden and the Botanical Garden. On Sundays you can visit the Tristán Narvaja public market, where you'll find all kinds of things to buy, from fruit to pets to antiques.

If you're a soccer fan, you'll enjoy a visit to Centenário Stadium, where the first World Cup was held. Inside the stadium you can visit the Soccer Museum – one of Montevideo's most visited attractions.