Tours and Activities:

A Place for the Family

Atlántida is the closest seaside resort to the City of Montevideo. For decades, it has been the place chosen by many Uruguayan families to build their weekend houses.

Ever since 1900 many things in the world changed, both in the old continent and in modern America. The big cities began to get overcrowded, the wars and migration movements reshaped society.

The time to satisfy needs other than basic emerged in the life of men and tourism was just one result.

Atlántida was part of these changes. Ever since its remote origins, it was the main ground for many Uruguayan families from Montevideo to start building their weekend houses.


The New Rites

The beach began to be seen in a different way. It was no longer just the sand and the sea, but a place associated with enjoying free time and recreation. The beaches of Atlántida began to play an essential role amongst the local dwellers: they were the setting for all the hours of the day.

This tradition soon became common sense for the residents. Forestation with pine trees and eucalyptus brought from the inland areas of Uruguay became a matter of paramount importance in order to create the necessary humidity in the sand hills for trees to live

The city began to give shape to such a mild microclimate that today, after over one century, it still preserves the same rites and traditions it used to have at the moment of its creation: the sunsets, the endless walks down the waterfront promenade or the first mates early in the day.


Codes of its Own

Mass at the Cristo Obrero parish is another tradition respected by locals and visitors everyday, also attracted by the particular architecture of the chapel.

Children find in the Atlántida Zoo one of the most amusing sites to appreciate the lifestyle of a wide variety of wild animals, both autochthonous and exotic.

For grown-ups, Paseo Neruda is an ideal site for reading and getting to know the life and work of one of the most influential poets in Latin America.

Undoubtedly, the local casino is a permanent meeting point when the sun sets. In addition to trying luck, there are several shows and musical events organized for visitors to feel at ease.

Beyond the traditional promenade, visitors may also stroll about the city and reach Plaza de los Fundadores (The Founders’ Square) or see El Reloj (the Clock) which, along with the Monumento a la Madre (Monument to the Mother), is the most beautiful and emblematic sculpture in the city, as well as the famous ”Águila” (Eagle) built by tycoon Natalio Michelizzi.

There are two must visit sites for lovers of sailing and fishing: the Yacht Club and the local Fishing Club, two institutions with fans of their own inside a city still faithful to its tradition and opening its gates to whoever wishes to enjoy this place with the family.

See also: Hotels in Atlántida and other accommodation venues