Historic Site · Montevideo, Uruguay
Ciudad Vieja, Montevideo
Ciudad Vieja (Old City) is a barrio (neighbourhood or district) in Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay. Built 1724.
Photo: Fedaro via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped and resized for display.
Landmark facts
| Location | Montevideo, Uruguay |
|---|---|
| Type | Historic Site |
| Built | 1724 |
| Coordinates | 34.9067° S, 56.2083° W |
Every fact above is taken from the sources listed below; anything no source states is left blank rather than guessed.
What Ciudad Vieja, Montevideo is known for
Ciudad Vieja (Old City) is a barrio (neighbourhood or district) in Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay.
About Ciudad Vieja, Montevideo
Ciudad Vieja (Old City) is a barrio (neighbourhood or district) in Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay. Located on a peninsula beside the natural port of Montevideo, it was founded in 1724 as a walled city by the Spanish Empire. After the independence of Uruguay the city rapidly grew outwards and the Ciudad Vieja remained as one of its central neighbourhoods.
History
Until 1829 it was surrounded by a wall that protected it from possible invasions. After the wall was torn down, the only part of it that was preserved was the main gateway to the Citadel, which remains to this day as an emblem of Montevideo. Some street names recall the presence of the wall, like Ciudadela (citadel) or Brecha (breach), which owes its name to the breach in the wall that the British managed to open to enter the city during the 1807 British invasion and brief occupation of the city before they were defeated.
How to get there
| Nearest town | Montevideo |
|---|---|
| Nearest airport | Carrasco International Airport (MVD) |
| Distance from the airport | 11.3 miles (straight line) |
Nearest major airport by straight-line distance from the landmark’s coordinates; road distance will be longer.
Airports near this landmark
The airports a visitor would actually fly into, nearest first — each link opens its profile on our sister site AirportProfiles.
- Carrasco General Cesáreo L. Berisso International Airport (MVD) · Ciudad de la Costa, Uruguay · 11.4 miles away
- Aeroparque Jorge Newbery (AEP) · Buenos Aires, Argentina · 127.6 miles away
- Ezeiza International Airport - Ministro Pistarini (EZE) · Buenos Aires (Ezeiza), Argentina · 132.1 miles away
Landmarks nearby
The closest landmarks in this library, by straight-line distance.
More landmarks in Uruguay
More historic sites
Frequently asked questions
What is Ciudad Vieja, Montevideo?
Ciudad Vieja (Old City) is a barrio (neighbourhood or district) in Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay.
Where is Ciudad Vieja, Montevideo located?
Ciudad Vieja, Montevideo is in Montevideo, Uruguay. Its coordinates are 34.9067° S, 56.2083° W.
How do I get to Ciudad Vieja, Montevideo?
The nearest town is Montevideo, and the nearest airport is Carrasco International Airport (MVD), about 11.3 miles away (straight line).
When was Ciudad Vieja, Montevideo built?
Ciudad Vieja, Montevideo was built 1724.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciudad_Vieja%2C_Montevideo — Wikipedia article — overview, history and core facts (CC BY-SA).
- https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1007576 — Wikidata — built year, architect, height/size, visitors, official website (CC0).
- https://github.com/jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports — Nearest major airport computed from landmark and airport coordinates (haversine); airport list: jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports.
Page last updated 13 November 2026.