Mercedes, Uruguay to Cabo Polonio is about 337 road miles (543 km): roughly 7 h 53 min at the wheel if you don't stop.
Full advisory: Uruguay. Advisory issued: Uruguay July 28, 2026; checked October 10, 2026.
On the roads, the State Department says:
- Uruguay: “If you are in an accident involving injury, stay in place until a police officer arrives.”
| Distance | 337 mi (543 km) |
|---|---|
| Time at the wheel, no stops | 7 h 53 min |
| Main roads, in order | I-B |
| Departments on the route | Soriano, Colonia, San José, Canelones, Maldonado, Rocha |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 13.5 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 8 |
Driving Mercedes to Cabo Polonio: the shape of the trip
I-B (5 mi) carries about 1% of the 337 miles. It runs through 6 departments: Soriano, Colonia, San José, Canelones, Maldonado, Rocha. Of the 8 stops listed below, 3 are within a mile of the road.
Mercedes to Cabo Polonio: the road sequence
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | Department |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–116 | 116 | Soriano, Colonia, San José |
| connecting roads | 116–119 | 3 | San José |
| local roads | 119–216 | 97 | San José, Canelones, Maldonado |
| I-B | 216–221 | 5 | Maldonado |
| connecting roads | 221–222 | 1 | Maldonado |
| local roads | 222–337 | 115 | Maldonado, Rocha |
- Mile 80 of this route: Soriano → Colonia (department line)
- Mile 98 of this route: Colonia → San José (department line)
- Mile 141 of this route: San José → Canelones (department line)
- Mile 210 of this route: Canelones → Maldonado (department line)
- Mile 268 of this route: Maldonado → Rocha (department line)
Stops between Mercedes and Cabo Polonio
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Teatro Macció (mile 117), Museo Departamental de San José (mile 117), Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe (mile 151)
- Nature and outdoors: Laguna del Cisne (mile 187), Cerro Pan de Azúcar Native Wildlife Breeding Station (mile 221), Laguna José Ignacio (mile 255), La Sirena Beach (mile 326)
- Museums and history: Museo Departamental de San José (mile 117), Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe (mile 151), Iglesia de Cristo Obrero y Nuestra Señora de Lourdes (mile 187)
Teatro Macció
San José de Mayo's Teatro Bartolomé Macció is a traditional theater, regarded as the city's most important building architecturally and declared a Historic Monument of Uruguay in 1984.
Museo Departamental de San José
Set in central San José de Mayo, the Museo Departamental de San José is a history and fine arts museum that also runs a library, archives and cultural programs.
Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Construction of Canelones' Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe began in 1816; the church became a cathedral in 1961 and Uruguay's national shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in 2020.
Iglesia de Cristo Obrero y Nuestra Señora de Lourdes
Engineer Eladio Dieste's Church of Christ the Worker in Estación Atlántida, inaugurated in 1960, joined UNESCO's World Heritage List in 2021. Look for its wavy brick walls and roof, an openwork brick bell tower and an underground baptistery.
Laguna del Cisne
Near Salinas in Canelones, Laguna del Cisne is a subtropical lagoon of about 1.8 km², fed by a watershed of some 50 km², that has supplied drinking water to the Costa de Oro area since 1970.
Cerro Pan de Azúcar Native Wildlife Breeding Station
Near Piriápolis in Maldonado, this breeding station for native wildlife on Cerro Pan de Azúcar is surrounded by native vegetation and offers guided visits, including a native wildlife trail and a path up the hill.
Laguna José Ignacio
In Uruguay's Maldonado Department, Laguna José Ignacio is a coastal lagoon kept apart from the Atlantic Ocean by a sandbank.
La Sirena Beach
About 2.5 km north of Aguas Dulces, La Sirena is one of Uruguay's two official naturist beaches, backed by vegetated dunes, small marshes, lagoons and pine and acacia woods where coastal birds are common.
In Cabo Polonio itself
Parque nacional Cabo Polonio
Part of Uruguay's national protected areas system since 2009, Cabo Polonio National Park spans 25,820 hectares of coastline, ocean and offshore islands.
Cabo Polonio Lighthouse
Standing on the Cabo Polonio headland in Uruguay's Rocha department, this lighthouse looks out over the Atlantic Ocean and was built in 1881.
Dunes of Cabo Polonio
Inside Cabo Polonio National Park in Uruguay's Rocha department, a band of natural sand dunes runs along the Atlantic Ocean.
More drives to Cabo Polonio
- Rivera to Cabo Polonio
- Paysandú to Cabo Polonio
- Salto to Cabo Polonio
- Bella Unión to Cabo Polonio
- Durazno to Cabo Polonio
- Fray Bentos to Cabo Polonio
From Mercedes to other places in Uruguay
- Mercedes, Uruguay to Colonia del Sacramento
- Mercedes, Uruguay to Alejandro Gallinal
- Mercedes, Uruguay to Chuy
- Mercedes, Uruguay to Río Branco
- Mercedes, Uruguay to Tigre, Argentina
- Mercedes, Uruguay to Villa Gesell, Argentina
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to drive from Mercedes, Uruguay to Cabo Polonio?
About 7 h 53 min of driving without stops, over 337 miles.
What is the driving distance from Mercedes, Uruguay to Cabo Polonio?
About 337 miles (543 km) on the Wayro route. Other map services may show a few miles more or less, depending on where they start and end in each city.
Is it safe to drive from Mercedes, Uruguay to Cabo Polonio?
The U.S. State Department rates Uruguay Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution. Read the full advisory before you go.
What are good stops between Mercedes and Cabo Polonio?
Closest to the road: Museo Departamental de San José (history museum, mile 117, 0.7 mi from the route); Teatro Macció (theater, mile 117, 0.8 mi from the route); Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe (cathedral, mile 151, 0.2 mi from the route). All stops are described above.
How we put this guide together
Wayro calculates the route from OpenStreetMap road data; mile numbers are positions along this route, not highway markers, and "from the route" distances are straight-line, so the real detour depends on access roads. Stops are chosen from parks, natural sites, museums, historic sites and attractions close to the route: at least one strong stop for each stretch of the drive, then the best-known places nearest the road, up to nine in all. Places that are closed, private or not open to visitors are removed. Place descriptions are written by the Wayro team from official park, museum, tourism and government websites and other published sources. Safety levels and entry rules were checked against the U.S. Department of State on October 10, 2026. Conditions change, so check the linked sources before you travel.
Route data © OpenStreetMap contributors.