Mate is for sharing. So is the night.

Montevideo, from the Rambla to the club

In Montevideo the afternoon ends on the Rambla, thermos under your arm and the sun setting over the Río de la Plata. The night comes later, and late: dinner at ten, pre-drinks with the crew, a bar in Cordón or Ciudad Vieja and, for those who keep going, a club until dawn.

It's a calm, neighbourhood kind of city, where walking up to someone in a bar isn't the usual thing. YesTonite makes that first step easier: you see who else is going out today near you, write to them and sort it out with one message.

The rest of the country goes out too. In January half of Montevideo moves to the coast, from Punta del Este to La Paloma; carnival fills the murga stages for weeks, and in February the Desfile de Llamadas brings candombe drums through Barrio Sur and Palermo.

Thursday, Friday and Saturday are the big nights. Dinner is late, pre-drinks run until one and the clubs really fill up after two; in summer, the night moves to the coast.

Where Uruguay goes out

• Ciudad ViejaClassic bars and the pedestrian Bacacay street, steps from Teatro Solís.
• CordónBars for pre-drinks and for staying put, with a young, student crowd.
• Parque RodóA student neighbourhood with bars near the park and the Rambla.
• PocitosBars and restaurants facing the Rambla, with the beach a block away.
• Punta CarretasNear the lighthouse, quiet bars and dressier nights out.
• Barrio Sur and PalermoThe birthplace of candombe, with drums on Sundays and neighbourhood bars.