Piriápolis was invented. In the 1890s an energetic Uruguayan businessman named Francisco Piria bought a stretch of empty coast and dunes below a pair of granite hills, and set about building a seaside resort from nothing, with a hotel, a promenade, a castle for himself and a mineral-water business. The town grew from that dream, and its old-fashioned seafront still wears a faintly European, Belle Époque air, with a long curving promenade, a pier, and the grand Hotel Argentino, built in 1930 and still standing on the front.
The town of about eight thousand people sits at the foot of Cerro Pan de Azúcar, a conical granite hill that is among the highest points in the southeast, and the Cerro del Toro rises to the east. Piria's castle, a quirky stone building with turrets, is on the hillside, and a chairlift runs up Cerro San Antonio for views over the beach and the open water of the Río de la Plata. The sea here is calm and brown-green, the estuary rather than the open ocean, and sunsets glow behind the hills.
For a rider, Piriápolis is the start of the road east. Ruta 10 and Ruta 93, the Interbalnearia, run along the coast to Punta del Este and beyond, while inland roads climb through the sierras to Pan de Azúcar and Minas, gentle, curving lanes through eucalyptus and open pasture. The surface is generally good, with some rough patches, and the traffic is light outside summer. Wind off the water can be strong, and mornings are often misty. In January, the town is crowded with Argentine and Uruguayan holidaymakers, and rooms are scarce.
Fuel is easy in town, and the seafront has bakeries and restaurants that serve grilled fish and chivito, the national steak sandwich. Winter is quiet and mild, with empty promenades and cold wind. Spring and autumn are the best months, with clear light and soft temperatures. Take the chairlift if the weather is clear, and eat something fried by the water, then leave early for the long coastal run to Cabo Polonio, where the road narrows and the country empties out.