Mercedes

Mercedes sits on a bend of the Río Negro with its back to the water and a long tree-lined rambla along it, and the river is what the town is for: rowing, fishing, camping on the Isla del Puerto opposite, and a carnival in February built around the waterfront. The Museo Paleontológico Alejandro Berro holds an important fossil collection from the surrounding country, where the Río Negro banks cut into rich Pleistocene deposits. It is the capital of Soriano, one of the oldest departments, and the streets behind the rambla keep a low nineteenth-century grid of shuttered houses.

What you actually see

• The rambla - a long tree-lined promenade along the Rio Negro.
• The palaeontological museum - fossils from the rich deposits along the river.
• Isla del Puerto - the island opposite, used for camping and swimming.
• The February carnival - the town's waterfront carnival week.

When to go

October to April is most comfortable; summer is hot inland. Carnival falls in February. Winter on the river is damp.

Honest expectations

The town is workaday and the interest is the river and the museum. Museum hours are limited. Summer heat here is considerable.

Nearby

Villa Soriano is southwest, and Fray Bentos is west.