Sarandí pedestrian street

The Sarandí pedestrian street, in Montevideo

The calle Sarandí is the main pedestrian street of Montevideo, the most lively artery of the ciudad vieja, that links the port to the Independence Square. The Montevideo audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this way traced from 1726, lined with shops, cafés and fine buildings, the commercial and lively heart of the historic centre.

The lively artery of the historic centre

You join the Sarandí pedestrian street, that goes from the port to join the Plaza Independencia, crossing the whole ciudad vieja. Know moreover that if you take it in the other direction, towards the sea, you can walk to the end of the jetty, where a few fishermen usually are, and enjoy a fine view over the Rio de la Plata. This very lively street is the most used of the town centre. It was traced from 1726, at the foundation of the town, by Pedro Millán, who drew his inspiration from the European architecture of the eighteenth century. His idea was to gather along a same street the centres of power and of urban life, which made it from the origin the main axis of the town. Today entirely pedestrian, the calle Sarandí is the beating and commercial heart of the old town: shops, bookshops, galleries, cafés and restaurants follow one another under the fine old façades, where colonial, neoclassical and Art Deco styles mingle. You cross there a lively crowd, street musicians, sellers of maté and churros, in a relaxed and convivial atmosphere typically Uruguayan. The street passes by the major squares of the town, the Plaza Matriz and the Plaza Independencia, and allows to link from one end to the other the main monuments of the historic centre. To stroll on the calle Sarandí is to take the pulse of authentic Montevideo. A pedestrian street and a commercial heart, the calle Sarandí is a fine stop of the discovery of Montevideo.

What to see

Here you discover the main pedestrian street of Montevideo, traced from 1726 by Pedro Millán as the main axis of the town, that links the port to the Independence Square crossing the ciudad vieja; lined with shops, cafés and fine colonial, neoclassical and Art Deco façades, animated by musicians and sellers of maté, it passes by the major squares of the town. The calle Sarandí is the commercial heart of Montevideo. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The calle Sarandí crosses the ciudad vieja of Montevideo, from the port to the Independence Square, reachable on foot. It is a pedestrian street freely accessible, lined with shops, cafés and monuments, lively all day. You walk along it during a stroll in the historic centre.

What is the calle Sarandí in Montevideo?

The main pedestrian street of Montevideo, traced from 1726 by Pedro Millán as the main axis of the town, that links the port to the Independence Square crossing the ciudad vieja; lined with shops, cafés and fine colonial, neoclassical and Art Deco façades, animated by musicians and sellers of maté, it is the commercial and lively heart of the historic centre.

Where is the calle Sarandí in Montevideo?

In the ciudad vieja of Montevideo, from the port to the Independence Square, in Uruguay.