If we ever return to Montevideo, we will make sure it's on a Sunday.
The reason is Tristán Narvaja Street Market. Every week, thousands of the city's residents make their way here, mate gourd in hand and flask of hot water underneath their armpit, to find a bargain, stock up on the week's fruit and veg or pick up bric-a-brac they had no idea they needed.
Over several blocks, stalls manned by characters shout and holler to attract you to take a look. Antique mirrors, second-hand books, a month's worth of jumble sales of clothes and homeware are stacked up on tables - or lain carefully on rugs acting as street shop fronts - in anticipation of a sale. The tinge of legalised marijuana permeates the air, bands busk on street corners, old ladies bustle past you and the sky blue of the national team is omnipresent in the ever-changing colour palette before you.
If you come to Montevideo and don't spend a few hours at this century-old city institution then, well, you really haven't seen Montevideo.
key information for visiting the Tristán Narvaja Street Market
The market takes place every Sunday in Montevideo. It starts at about 7.30 a.m. and you are best to visit before 2 p.m., when some of the stallholders start to pack up and go home.
Although the market sprawls out over several blocks, we'd recommend taking a bus or walking at the point where Calle Dr Tristán Narvaja intersects with the busy Avenida 18 Julio. Here's a link to the location on Google Maps - ask your hostel which bus you should take.
