--- title: "Punta del Este Cruise Port" url: https://cruisello.com/destinations/south-america/punta-del-este description: "South America's glamorous Riviera" --- # Punta del Este 🇺🇾 · Uruguay · South America > "South America's glamorous Riviera" ## At a Glance - **Avg. Ships/Day:** 1.1 - **Avg. Time in Port:** 8.5h - **Visiting Sailings:** 158 - **Cruise Lines:** 5 ## Peak Season Busiest months: Dec (47 sailings), Feb (44 sailings), Jan (38 sailings) ## About Punta del Este Punta del Este is a resort peninsula at the southeastern tip of Uruguay, where the Río de la Plata meets the Atlantic. Ships anchor offshore, and tenders bring passengers to a small pier in the harbour. The town draws wealthy Argentines and Brazilians in summer (December through February), and the main strip fills with upscale restaurants, galleries, and designer shops. In the off-season it is noticeably quieter. The Hand in the Sand sculpture on Brava beach is the most photographed landmark. Casapueblo, a whitewashed hotel and museum built by artist Carlos Páez Vilaró, sits on a clifftop south of town and looks like something between Santorini and a sandcastle. The harbour-side fish market has good, cheap seafood. The currency is the Uruguayan peso, though many shops accept US dollars. Beaches on the Plata side have calmer water; the Atlantic side gets more surf. ## Quick Facts - **Currency:** UYU (Uruguayan Peso) - **Language:** Spanish - **Timezone:** America/Montevideo (UTC-3) - **Tipping:** 10% at restaurants ## Location Coordinates: -34.9596, -54.9481 - [Open in Google Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/search/cruise+terminal+Punta%20del%20Este/@-34.9596,-54.94807,13z) - [Open in Apple Maps](https://maps.apple.com/?q=cruise%20terminal%20Punta%20del%20Este&ll=-34.9596,-54.94807&z=13) ## Things to Do in Punta del Este Top-rated shore excursions that fit a typical ~9h port call. Prices are starting prices per person. | Tour | Rating | Duration | Fits Port Day | From | Provider | |------|------|------|------|------|------| | [Wine Lovers - Punta Wine Experience](https://cruisello.com/gogogo/excursion/971a29a4-8db7-40f1-b613-3958286a19f4.md?via=markdown) | 4.9★ (37) | 4h | ✓ | €181 | Viator | | [Punta del Este Classic City Tour with Sunset at Casapueblo](https://cruisello.com/gogogo/excursion/efcc9557-c93e-401b-b7e1-15eb23e4cef8.md?via=markdown) | 4.8★ (76) | 4h 30m | ✓ | €36 | Viator | | [Full Experience Tasting Menu Viña Edén](https://cruisello.com/gogogo/excursion/d1c222f8-b15e-4a81-b1cf-3301c4116918.md?via=markdown) | 5★ (32) | 2h 30m | ✓ | €150 | Viator | | [Guided Tour of the Winery Viña Edén](https://cruisello.com/gogogo/excursion/6edef6d2-b560-4c97-9d94-3647b8cb77c5.md?via=markdown) | 4.9★ (32) | 0h 30m | ✓ | €17 | Viator | | [Premium Tasting Viña Edén](https://cruisello.com/gogogo/excursion/6c6a1ec5-d05f-439e-94ae-c3d86406015c.md?via=markdown) | 4.6★ (28) | 1h 15m | ✓ | €56 | Viator | | [Punta del Este Shore Tour for Cruise Passengers](https://cruisello.com/gogogo/excursion/2091fa19-cf20-45cc-b353-e267812ea04f.md?via=markdown) | 4.6★ (27) | 4h | ✓ | €54 | Viator | | [Five Course Tasting Menu](https://cruisello.com/gogogo/excursion/277319c3-18c1-43db-ab80-0f4bb9eb45fe.md?via=markdown) | 4.7★ (22) | 2h | ✓ | €132 | Viator | | [Punta del Este Shore Excursion: Private Sightseeing Tour of Punta del Este](https://cruisello.com/gogogo/excursion/c0941dcf-18f1-41b0-9808-6acf3c75713f.md?via=markdown) | 4★ (39) | 4h | ✓ | €223 | Viator | | [Mirador panorámico La Vista 360](https://cruisello.com/gogogo/excursion/5b8f11ec-a154-4db2-ad67-1c99890ff4dc.md?via=markdown) | 4.3★ (45) | 5h | ✓ | €11 | Viator | | [Private Tour for cruisers in Punta del Este with TANGO TOUR](https://cruisello.com/gogogo/excursion/6ea5a3a6-1396-4004-9474-f1081ed94de7.md?via=markdown) | 5★ (10) | 3h 30m | ✓ | €136 | Viator | | [Wine Tasting](https://cruisello.com/gogogo/excursion/d1d384d1-2104-4ecc-9186-7ed2cea5565c.md?via=markdown) | 3.8★ (17) | 1h | ✓ | €38 | Viator | | [Gourmet Picnic at Viña Edén](https://cruisello.com/gogogo/excursion/49ac11b2-3330-464f-931b-165e8de2ea71.md?via=markdown) | 5★ (7) | 1h 30m | ✓ | €58 | Viator | Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews. ## Nearby Ports - [Montevideo](https://cruisello.com/destinations/south-america/montevideo.md): 63 nm - [Buenos Aires](https://cruisello.com/destinations/south-america/buenos-aires.md): 171 nm - [Porto Belo](https://cruisello.com/destinations/south-america/porto-belo.md): 572 nm ## Cruise Lines Serving This Port - [AIDA Cruises](https://cruisello.com/cruise-lines/aida-cruises.md) - [Celebrity Cruises](https://cruisello.com/cruise-lines/celebrity-cruises.md) - [Costa Cruises](https://cruisello.com/cruise-lines/costa-cruises.md) - [Holland America Line](https://cruisello.com/cruise-lines/holland-america-line.md) - [MSC Cruises](https://cruisello.com/cruise-lines/msc-cruises.md) ## Cheapest Available Sailing **[View this cruise →](https://cruisello.com/cruises/riverbank-whisper-buenos-aires-punta-del-este~COSTA-SERENA-20270320-4.md)** - **Price:** €577 per person (€1,154 total for 2 guests) - **Cruise Line:** [Costa Cruises](https://cruisello.com/cruise-lines/costa-cruises.md) - **Ship:** [Costa Serena](https://cruisello.com/cruise-lines/costa-cruises/costa-serena.md) - **Duration:** 4 nights - **Departure:** 2027-03-20 - **Itinerary:** Riverbank Whisper – Buenos Aires & Punta del Este ## Featured Cruises from Punta del Este Prices are per person, two sharing, in the fare's own currency. | Cruise | Ship | Line | Departure | Nights | Price | |------|------|------|------|------|------| | [9 Night Cruise from Rio de Janeiro](https://cruisello.com/cruises/9-night-cruise-from-rio-de-janeiro~COSTA-SERENA-20270205-9.md) | Costa Serena | Costa Cruises | 2027-02-05 | 9 | €1,286 | | [14 Night Cruise from Buenos Aires](https://cruisello.com/cruises/14-night-cruise-from-buenos-aires~CEL-CELEBRITY_EQUINOX-20261205-14.md) | Celebrity Equinox | Celebrity Cruises | 2026-12-05 | 14 | €1,825 | | [Samba & Sea Breezes – Rio & Punta del Este](https://cruisello.com/cruises/samba-sea-breezes-rio-punta-del-este~MSC-SPLENDIDA-20261203-8.md) | MSC Splendida | MSC Cruises | 2026-12-03 | 8 | €1,287 | ## Browse Cruises - [All cruises visiting Punta del Este](https://cruisello.com/cruises.md?stopoverPorts=punta_del_este) (158 sailings) ## Browse - [South America cruises](https://cruisello.com/destinations/south-america.md) - [All Destinations](https://cruisello.com/destinations.md) - [All Cruises](https://cruisello.com/cruises.md)