Former home of Fructuoso Rivera (Uruguay’s first president and Colorado Party founder), this neoclassical 1802 building is the centerpiece of Montevideo’s National Historical Museum, with a collection of paintings, documents, furniture and artifacts that trace the history of Uruguay's 19th-century path to independence. Several other historic Ciudad Vieja homes nearby, officially part of the museum, are rarely open to visitors.
Casa Rivera
Montevideo
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Museo Nacional de Artes Visuales
2.43 MILES
Uruguay’s largest collection of paintings is housed here in Parque Rodó. The spacious rooms are graced with works by Blanes, Cúneo, Figari, Gurvich,…
0.33 MILES
Just off Plaza Independencia, elegant Teatro Solís is Montevideo’s premier performance space. First opened in 1856, and completely renovated during the…
0.3 MILES
No visitor should miss Montevideo’s old port market building, at the foot of Pérez Castellano; the building's impressive wrought-iron superstructure…
0.66 MILES
Housed in the ornate Palacio Heber, this museum eloquently conveys the deep attachments between the gauchos, their animals and the land. Its superb…
0.47 MILES
On the east side of the Plaza Independencia, the 26-story structure with the crazy beehive hairdo is Palacio Salvo, the continent's tallest building when…
0.18 MILES
Also known as Plaza Constitución, this leafy square was the heart of colonial Montevideo. On its west side stands the Iglesia Matriz, Montevideo’s oldest…
1.55 MILES
Dating from 1908, and still playing host to Uruguay’s Asamblea General (legislative branch), the three-story neoclassical parliament building is also open…
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0.41 MILES
Montevideo's largest downtown plaza commemorates independence hero José Artigas with a 17m, 30-ton statue and the subterranean Mausoleo de Artigas, where…
Nearby Montevideo attractions
0.08 MILES
The Palacio Taranco, a wealthy 1910 merchant’s residence designed by famous French architects Charles Girault and Jules Chifflot, is filled with ornate…
0.13 MILES
Opposite the Cabildo on Plaza Matriz is the Iglesia Matriz, Montevideo's oldest public building. It was begun in 1784 and completed in 1799.
0.14 MILES
In the heart of Ciudad Vieja's main pedestrian thoroughfare, this museum is devoted to Lithuanian-born Constructivist artist José Gurvich (1927–74), who…
0.18 MILES
Also known as Plaza Constitución, this leafy square was the heart of colonial Montevideo. On its west side stands the Iglesia Matriz, Montevideo’s oldest…
5. Museo de Arte Precolombino e Indígena
0.19 MILES
This museum displays a permanent collection of artifacts and information about Uruguay’s earliest inhabitants, along with rotating exhibits focused on…
0.19 MILES
One of Ciudad Vieja’s newest museums is devoted to Uruguayan painter Pedro Figari, whose landscapes and portraits masterfully convey a sense of Uruguayan…
0.22 MILES
Opposite the Iglesia Matriz is the Cabildo, a neoclassical stone structure finished in 1812.
8. Museo y Archivo Histórico Municipal
0.23 MILES
This free historical museum on Ciudad Vieja's main square displays 18th-century paintings of Montevideo and other artifacts from the city's early days.