177 kilometers of gastronomy, culture and nature on Route 1
MUST-HAVES!
• Santa Lucia Wetlands: 20 km from Montevideo, with 86,517 hectares, there are, in addition to the impressive wetlands, native vegetation formations, riparian forest and forest park, as well as sandy beaches, rocky points and river islands. This diversity of environments provides habitat for numerous animal species, including a wide variety of migratory birds.
TO REPLENISH ENERGIES
When the pansy begins to whistle, the Restaurante Gino with free fork and a la carte menu on Route 1 at km 34,200, which will reopen in October. Meanwhile, the Parador Caimán on km 54.500, in Libertad, is another perfect place to go with the family and to order a la carte minutas and typical Uruguayan dishes such as baked pulpón de vacío con papas and the classic flan with dulce de leche (tel: +598 4345 2465).
In Nueva Helvecia you will find La Cumbre, cheese tradition, on km 117.8 (see more in useful data), a rural establishment where you can experience the cheese making process and taste it, tel: + 598 98 680 672.
You can also taste and buy a variety of cheeses, homemade jams, sausages or homemade chocolates to take away from home at Los Criollitos on km 122, Colonia Valdense. There is also a tea room.
SPAS
• Kiyú: located on the Barrancas de San Gregorio, the resort has geological formations that exceed 50 meters in height and beautiful beaches of very fine sand.
• Boca del Cufré: Boca del Cufré beach is a “Natural Beach of Certified Environmental Management”, which offers guarantees to the visitors in relation to the quality of the water and the sand. It also has a breakwater lying on the creek that is ideal for a walk at sunset or for fishing or to let yourself be carried away by beautiful thoughts in front of the sea.
• Blancarena: it is located at kilometer 123.500 of Route 1, only 59 kilometers from the capital of the department. Its waters are very clean and calm, ideal for bathing, fishing and water sports. Native forests and ravines are the hallmark of this corner with beautiful landscapes.
VILLAGES
• Colonia Valdense: is a small colony characterized mainly by its beautiful gardens. It is an interesting tour of religious tourism, has evangelical institutions that have been protagonists both in the origins of the town and today.
• Nueva Helvecia: has its most distinctive feature in its Swiss origin. The inhabitants of the city have kept alive a culture that preserves the most typical traits of its origin and that is translated in the celebration of traditions and in the gastronomic art that it develops.
• La Paz: this small village contains five National Historic Monuments: the first house of the village, which was completed in 1859; the first Waldensian Evangelical Church of America, consecrated in 1893; the Black Bridge, inaugurated in 1902, the first iron road bridge in Uruguay, among others.
• Rosario: since 1994, has the first Uruguayan Museum of Historical Mural Art. Through its painted walls, Rosario narrates facts and describes characters directly related to the regional anecdotes and the history of the locality. In this way, and as part of an initiative that arose from Rosario’s own neighbors, its murals have become the city’s letter of introduction.
• Juan Lacaze: important historical industrial value, beaches and port. It is also the land of important national figures.
• Colonia del Sacramento: the historic center of the capital of the city has a melting pot of architectural and urban styles in which typically Portuguese colonial styles coexist with Spanish-style houses, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1995. Museums, theater, art, handicrafts and a good gastronomy complement a range of possibilities for the visitor.
In addition, following the city’s promenade, a ride that many choose to do by bicycle, you will reach the Real de San Carlos, a former Spanish military enclave that currently offers tours every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, from 11:00 to 17:00 (groups, with a limited number of visitors, will enter in shifts established every hour).
In the historic district is the Aquarium, which has an interesting collection of regional fish and an interactive center where talks and audiovisual projections on the importance of environmental care are held, open from Friday to Sunday from 14:00 to 18:00.
It is possible to contact with offer of nautical strolls in boat, crossing islands and observing the historical helmet from the sea.
WINERIES AND OIL MILLS
If you are staying nearby and wish to continue through the wineries and wine tourism circuits less than an hour away along the nearby Routes 50, 2, 3 and 11, you will be surprised. The closest ones:
• El Quintón Winery and Olive Oil Mill: taking Route 50 at km 17.5. Access is by reservation only, requested through the web. Over a landscape of blades, rocks, abundant vegetation, lakes, native fauna and flora, which frame a unique ecosystem in the region, there are exciting sensory experiences at the foot of the plantation. They offer a tour to know in detail the oil mill and the winery where oils and wines of excellence are produced, while also enjoying the tasting of selected products.
• Rovere Winery: on Camino José Ignacio – Paraje Bañado, San José, a few kilometers from the city of San José de Mayo. This is the fourth generation that works the vineyard. In addition to offering thematic tours and wine tasting, it has two extra gems, the exhibition of machinery used by the family over the decades that are now exposed for their testimonial value, and a lounge where they offer their wines and gastronomic products of the area.
Contacts and recommendations:
El Quintón winery and oil mill: www.vyodelquinton.com/bodega
Rovere Winery: (+598) 098 522 361 | 099 522 537 / FB: facebook.com/bodega.rovere.9
Colonia del Sacramento Aquarium: facebook.com/acuariocolonia/
Nautical tours: Alejandro Dorado 096 576 467
USEFUL INFORMATION – MILK ROUTE
Rural Women’s Project of the Small Grants Program PPD-MINTUR: Establishment IL TICINO – Cheese Factory
Ruta 1 Km 114 – Colonia Suiza
Contact telephone number: 099453413
Sheep and goat dairy and cheese dairy “La Vigna”
Ruta 51 km 120
www.lavigna.com.uy
Los Criollitos Cheese Boutique
Ruta 1 km 117
FB: Los-Criollitos-693987940677739/
Granja La Cumbre Artisan Cheese Factory
Ruta 1 km 117 – Nueva Helvecia
Web: granjalacumbre.com.uy/
Granja y quesería Los Fundadores – ExtraBlatt Chocolate Factory
Nueva Helvecia – Federico Fischer 217
Contact telephone number: 4554 4395
FB: Granja-Los-Fundadores-309111463171326/
Chocolatería Tante Eva
Nueva Helvecia – Avenida Gilomen 1330
Contact telephone number: 4554 5128
Granja Arenas
Ruta 1, Km 167, Brigadier Gral. Manuel Oribe, Colonia
Contact telephone number: (+598) 99 521 420
Web: https://www.granjacolonia.com.uy/la-granja/
Besides offering cheeses and jams handmade since 1949, it has a collection of more than 24,000 pencils that was recognized by the Guinness record, 46,000 key rings, 3,500 perfume bottles, among others from all over the world. It also has a restaurant open to the public.
