Academia Uruguay
Learn Spanish in UruguayMontevideo
Academia Uruguay is a small language school right in the heart of Montevideo’s historic neighbourhood. It’s perfectly located for anyone looking to learn Spanish in Uruguay.
Right on the colonial square, it’s in a colonial-style building with high ceilings and wrought iron and marble staircases.
The staff are warm and supportive and ready to help you with anything from grammar down to finding great accommodation to suit your style and budget. Class sizes are small and personalised.
The school is in a great location. The Old City is full of museums, theatres and bars, galleries, bookshops and gourmet restaurants. It is a charming place to stay – small but central. You can easily explore the rest of the city from there on foot or by public transport so you really mix with the locals.
Available days
All year round. From 9.30am or 2pm Monday to Friday. Private and skype classes also available.
What’s included
- Group courses Twenty hours per week for one week minimum
- Morning or afternoon study Four hours in the morning or in the afternoon, from 9.30am or 2pm
- Three extra-curricular activities per week Activities change weekly
- Assistance with finding accommodation
- One-hour Spanish class via skype Book through Guru’Guay and you’ll get a free private skype lesson post-course worth 29 USD. Very handy to take once you are back home or out travelling.
What you should know
Integration into Montevideo life The extra-curriculum activities are led by a guide or language teacher. They can include a visit by bus to the Prado, one of Montevideo’s most enigmatic neighbourhoods, a tour to the top of the iconic Palacio Salvo and hanging out at a local tango bar.
Homestays and rentals They can help you with this,
Individual classes available
Spanish classes by Skype If you want to prepare beforehand, or continue once you’re back home at an additional cost


Transparency check: Why Guru’Guay is recommending Academia Uruguay
You may have realised by now that the Guru only recommends what she has personally experienced herself and loves. As someonen who has spoken Spanish for more than half her life now, she doesn’t need classes. But as a former language teacher in the distant past, she is aware that some schools are not the best employers (putting it tactfully). The Guru has several friends who have worked at the Academia and they have very good things to say about it, both professionally and personally. In additional, a number of guests at her guesthouse (just 2 minutes walk from the Academia) studied at the Academia and they spoke glowingly of it – and were indeed remembered by their teachers despite the fact that they had studied there several years before.
Contact
Visit the Academia Uruguay website or email info@academiauruguay.com for more information
Want to know about other hidden gems in Uruguay?
Here are some of our recent finds.
Il Tano Suites – 420-friendly Punta del Diablo hotel
Your suite with private deck, close to secluded beaches, next to Pdd’s best restaurant. Probably the best value of all Punta del Diablo hotels.
Remanso del Diablo Boutique Hotel – on the beach magic
Dreaming of a hotel on the beach in Uruguay? Your private terrace looks directly to the ocean at this magical boutique hotel nestled amongst the dunes.
Bar El Mingus – Chill Out Restobar & Tuesday Jazz
El Mingus is a one of the best restaurants in Montevideo–cool, contemporary, with the intimacy of an old-school bar. We love the great food & live music.
Maralto – Oceanside vacation rentals in La Pedrera
Vacation rentals can be a bit of a lottery in Rocha, the province of Uruguay with many of the nation’s best beaches. Maralto ticks all the right boxes.
Cabaña de Veronica – Great steak & Uruguay asado
The Port Market–Disneyland for carnivores–is not to be missed but avoid the tourist traps! At Veronica’s, you’re guaranteed great steak & Uruguayan asado.
Baco – Montevideo’s top wine restaurant
A French bistro with probably the longest wine list in the city and multiple by-the-glass choices is one of the best new Montevideo restaurants by far.
Casa Flor – live the Uruguay coast like a local (VIP)
One of the very best hotels near Punta del Este, whose well-connected owners will give you access to the secrets of Uruguay’s coast most can only dream of.
Il Tano Cucina – pasta & seafood in Punta del Diablo
One of the best seafood restaurants in Punta del Diablo & open all year round. Family-run, it’s minutes from the ocean & specialises in home-made pastas.
Looking for something more specific?
Go directly to our favourite Places to Stay, Activities or Restaurants.
My husband and I just finished a two-week intensive introduction to Spanish at Academia Uruguay, and we highly recommend it! Our teacher, Lucia, was excellent, patient, and very sensitive to everyone’s pace and the overall needs of the class. We learned so much, and we had a wonderful time doing it. We found the afternoon classes worked well for us, the price was very reasonable, and it was very convenient to get to from our apartment on Sarandi. An overall wonderful experience for two adults who hadn’t been in a classroom in 20 years, and we really feel like we have a great foundation from which to keep learning as we make our way around this beautiful country.
[This comment was added to Guru’Guay’s old site on 28/01/2018]
It’s a great school. I took my Spanish classes there and the teachers and staff are great! I learned a lot and I made some friends from other places too.
[This comment was added to Guru’Guay’s old site on 01/05/2018]
I can strongly recommend this place. Beautiful people there. And wonderful teachers who understand how different we learners are, and who keep challenging us to be and do our best.
♥️Academia Uruguay
Would you be interested by exchanging links?
Hey I am browsing your article on my Blackberry and I was imagining how cool it will be on my soon to be purchased ipad. Fleeting thought. Anyway thanks!
They’re great! My husband took intensive remote private classes with them for a month, and had several teachers. He especially recommends Lucia. He had a good base already, and was taking online classes a few times a week with other non-Academia teachers, but found that he made a lot of progress while doing the intensive. He liked how organized the lessons were and how tailored they were to him and his needs. He especially loved the wealth of information he got about Uruguay customs, culture and slang.