Overview
Rivera is a city in the northern interior of Uruguay. It's the capital of Rivera Department, located on the border with Brazil, right across from the Brazilian city of Santana do Livramento. Full of large hills and cheap shopping, Rivera's main attraction is its location on the border. Uruguayans come for the inexpensive goods on the Brazilian side, and Brazilians come for the duty-free shops on the Uruguayan side. Travellers from other countries can take advantage of both. Rivera also gives you the chance to stand with a foot in each country—a cool photo opportunity.
To a large extent, Rivera and Santana function as one city: you can easily take a day trip from one to the other without even bringing your passport. You may not even notice you're crossing the border, which is marked by inconspicuous white border markers. If you decide to venture further into the other country, though, make sure to stop at immigration (located next to Siñeriz Shopping) to get your passport stamped out of one country and into the other.
That being said, they are two different cities, with separate bus systems and administration and somewhat different vibes. Being in Uruguay, Rivera tends to be a bit more expensive than Santana, serves more Uruguayan foods like chivitos and milanesas, and has more Spanish than Portuguese. On both sides of the border, though, it's not uncommon to have a conversation where one side is speaking Spanish and the other Portuguese, or where both sides are speaking Portuñol, a mixture of the two languages.
Understand
División Turismo de la Intendencia de Rivera.
Get in
By car Rivera is on Uruguay Route 5 from Montevideo and Route 27 from Vichadero.
From Brazil, take BR-158 to Santana do Livramento and cross the Uruguayan border to enter Rivera.
By bus Intercity buses from nearby cities and from Montevideo arrive at the in central Rivera.
From Tacuarembó there's twice weekly (Monday and Friday) a train. The train leaves at 7:00 in Tacuarembo and arrives at 9:10 at the . For the return trip, leaving Rivera at 18:00 and arriving in Tacuarembo at 20:10 (Monday and Friday).
By plane Rivera International Airport no longer has regular commercial flights. The nearest commercial airport is Rubem Berta International Airport , in the Brazilian city of Uruguaiana, by 233 km from Rivera. On the Uruguayan side of the border, the nearest airport to Rivera is Carrasco International Airport in Montevideo, 511 km away.
Get around
Rivera is small enough to get around by walking. The main street is called Sarandí.
There are also local bus lines and taxis.
See
Plaza Internacional. Put one foot in Brazil and one foot in Uruguay. Has some mom-and-pop shops with crafts that make nice souvenirs.
Plaza Artigas. The city's main plaza, which includes a large fountain for kids to play in and a sculpture of national hero José Gervasio Artigas.
Parque Gran Bretaña. Attractive park with an artificial lake, walking trails, and a waterfall tucked in the woods. Be aware, the area does have some snakes.
Parroquia de la Inmaculada Concepción.
Estadio Atilio Paiva Olivera. Soccer (football) stadium that seats over 27,000.
Autódromo Eduardo P. Cabrera. Scenic racetrack with rolling hills. Attend a race or a show—trucks, racecars, and more.
Valle del Lunarejo. A national park close enough for a day trip.
Cerro Marconi. A hill with a staircase, worth climbing to see a nice view of the city. Be careful here at night...the summit happens to be a popular place to smoke marijuana.
Do
Kite flying. In most of Uruguay kite flying is a September activity, but Riverenses (along with residents of Salto and Tacuarembó) traditionally do it during Holy Week, the week before Easter.
Buy
Lots of shopping, including duty-free shops chiefly catering to Brazilians, on Sarandí, the main street, especially near the border. Uruguayans aren't allowed to shop at the duty-free shops—you have to show a foreign ID such as a passport to make purchases at them. Santana also has lots of stores on its side of the border, where Uruguayans go to buy cheap goods.
Prices tend to be listed in pesos in Rivera and in reais in Santana, but stores on both sides are happy to accept either currency. Currency exchange places, as well as lots of stands selling contraband, can be found on the border near the Plaza Internacional. They accept US dollars as well as pesos and reais.
Beyond the wide selection of duty-free shops, small stands, and cheap stores near the border, there are a couple of larger malls:
Siñeriz Shopping. Mall including duty-free shops and the only movie theater in town.
Melancía. Mall including some duty-free shops.
Eat
A Riverense specialty is xis, a sort of cheeseburger-like sandwich. Naturally, Brazilian restaurants are more plentiful on their side of the border.
Rivera is one of the few places in the world that once had a McDonald's but no longer does—the large McDonald's that was built near the border couldn't attract enough business and finally had to close.
El Rey de las Empanadas. Small spot that sells lots of kinds of empanadas, including sweet empanadas for dessert—try mulatas and gringas (empanadas filled with chocolate and dulce de leche). Delivery available.
La Tuna. Pizza, empanadas, and more in a small, busy restaurant with wood tables and cactus decorations.
Confitería Metropolitana. Desserts including postre rivelí.
Drink
Galápagos Bar. A small bar serving a variety of drinks.
Punto Bar. Where the locals go to hang out and drink beer. Great burgers.
Sleep
Cheaper options can be found in the adjacent Brazilian city of Santana do Livramento.
Hotel Uruguay Brasil. Rooms with private bathrooms, air conditioning, minibar, cable TV, wifi. Parking and laundry available. On-site restaurant and duty-free shop.
Hotel Rivera Casino & Resort. 66 rooms with private bath, air conditioning, heating, minibar, cable television, wifi, safe. Spa services, laundry, and room service. In the same place you'll find Restaurante Gaúcho, Vivo Pub, and a casino.
Petit Rivera Hotel. 32 rooms with private bath, cable TV, minibar, air conditioning, wifi. Gym, laundry, and parking available.
Posada del Bosque. Rustically decorated rooms with TV, minibar, electric blankets, private bath. Breakfast included.
Casablanca Hotel. Budget option with breakfast included.
Make Rivera your own.
Before committing, pick one main reason for this visit and two nearby experiences that support it. Check the guide’s transport sections against current operator information. A convenient base can save more time than adding another attraction.
- Choose your arrival point and one base. Write down the real transfer time, not just the map distance.
- Build a first-day plan with room to settle in. Cluster the places you want to see rather than crossing the city repeatedly.
- Use actual accommodation and transport quotes in your budget. Add fees to the quote before comparing it.
- Keep one uncommitted block. Weather, energy and a good local recommendation can all change your plan.
Source transparency
This guide adapts licensed text by Wikivoyage contributors. It is not a claim that Lakhou has visited or independently verified every listing. We converted the source to plain text, selected practical sections and removed price sentences and private contact information. The planning framework and any related-business booking recommendations above are Lakhou editorial additions.
Original revision 5360558 · Contributor history · CC BY-SA 4.0. Reused text and adaptations on this page are available under that license. Source revision date: 2026-09-13. This is not a date of field verification.
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