Fray Bentos

Fray Bentos is in Río Negro department of Uruguay, at the border with Argentina. The town is best known, at least among travellers, for its former meat-packing plant, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Understand
The town of Fray Bentos has historically been a very important center of meat and meat extract production, as reflected in the world heritage listed plants that are here.

Orientation
The bus terminal, lodging, and most of the stuff in Fray Bentos is located in the downtown area, which faces the Uruguay River. As in other riverside Uruguayan towns, there is a waterfront path (rambla or costanera). But the most famous tourist attraction is in the World Heritage–listed Anglo Neighborhood (Barrio Anglo), on the river a kilometer or two west of downtown.

Get in
Buses arrive at the at the corner of Juan Manuel Blanes and 18 de Julio. There are about 12 daily buses from Montevideo, the ride taking 4-7 hours depending on the route. Less frequent buses are also available from other Uruguayan cities such as Colonia and Salto. The bus terminal has a tourist office, a convenience store, a cafe, and ATMs.

As this is the southernmost road bridge between Uruguay and Argentina, you'll likely pass near the city if you travel between these two countries overland. The city is less than 50 km from Gualeguaychú in Argentina.

Get around
Within the downtown area, it's easy to walk around. It's possible to walk to the Anglo Neighborhood as well, though it takes about a half-hour. Driving or biking is faster. To get to the Anglo Neighborhood, just head west on Brasil or the rambla (waterfront path).

Anglo Neighborhood
The Anglo Neighborhood (Barrio Anglo) is the historic district including the industrial landscape that was declared a World Heritage Site in 2015. The star attraction is the museum, but it's worth wandering around the neighborhood a bit, especially the large former meat-packing plant.



Downtown
The downtown area (centro) has the feel of a typical Uruguayan city. Like other department capitals, it has its share of attractions worth seeing, but none are as impressive as the industrial plant in the Anglo neighborhood. Some things downtown were paid for by Liebig's, the company that owned the meat packing plant.



Buy
Because this is a border town, some places will accept Argentinian pesos and even US dollars.

Go next

 * Gualeguaychú – across the bridge in Argentina
 * Colonia – home to Uruguay's other World Heritage Site, a colonial city founded by the Portuguese