If you're hankering for a really peaceful seaside holiday, visit Aguas Dulces in the department of Rocha. It's a quaint, unprepossessing fishing village with modest facilities, great seafood and a local speciality - the messy but flavorful fruit of the butía palm.

About 120km (74mi) west of Montevideo dozes the quiet destination of Colonia Suiza. Founded in 1862 by Swiss settlers, it became Uruguay's first interior agricultural colony, churning out wheat for the mills in Montevideo. It still retains a distinctive European ambience today and produces the bulk of the country's dairy products.

Tacuarembó, in the department of the same name, is an agreeable town of sycamore-lined streets and shady plazas. Since its founding in 1832, local authorities have kept sculptors busy fashioning busts, statues and monuments commemorating military figures as well as writers, clergy members and educators. In late March, a three-day gaucho festival features exhibitions, riding skills, music and other activities.