Montevideo, Uruguay — Travel Tips
Getting There By Air
Carrasco International Airport (MVD)
Tel: (02) 600 2261 or 906 463.
Website: www.aic.com.uy
Montevideo’s main airport is 19km (11 miles) east of the city center. The chrome and glass terminal is well maintained and clean, and progress through the airport is usually smooth and fast.
Airport facilities: You’ll find a bank, bureau de change, ATM, bar, post office, chemist and left luggage facilities in the airport alongside good duty-free shopping and a basic restaurant. For car hire, Autorent, Avis, Hertz and Punta Car (a Uruguayan firm) have desks at arrivals (see Getting Around).
Transport to the city: A taxi or remis (private taxi that can be reserved by telephone with a fare agreed in advance) takes around 30 minutes. There are also three bus companies running regular services into the city center.
Getting There By Road
Uruguay has an extensive system of paved highways and the roads into Montevideo are generally in good condition. Traffic drives on the right and the minimum driving age is 18 years old. An International Driving Permit or license from your home country is required.
Emergency breakdown services
Automobile Club of Uruguay (tel: 1707); Car Up (tel: (02) 628 1555).
Routes to the city
From Argentina, there are road crossings at Paysandú and further north, but it is simpler to take a boat across the River Plate's estuary from Buenos Aires with Buquebus (www.buquebus.com). There is a direct crossing to Montevideo and a shorter crossing to Colonia del Sacramento with bus connections on to the capital. The ruta interbalnearia (inter-beach route) runs from Chuy on the Brazilian border all the way to Montevideo and is a pretty coastal drive, popular with tourists.
Driving times to the city
From Porto Alegre (Brazil) - 11 hours 30 minutes; São Paulo - 30 hours; Rio de Janeiro - 36 hours.
Coach services
Pluma (tel: (41) 3212 2689; www.pluma.com.br) runs a variety of coach services from cities in Brazil. These buses and those from other parts of Uruguay arrive at the city's Tres Cruces bus station. A full list of operators and timetables is available online: www.trescruces.com.uy.
Getting There By Rail
Rail Services
Uruguay is devoid of long-distance rail services with only a few commuter services operating around Montevideo.
Getting Around in Montevideo, Uruguay
Public Transport
Buses in Montevideo are cheap and frequent. Various companies operate in the city, many along very similar routes. That said, routes for each bus are clearly indicated at all bus stops. The main operators are COETC (tel: (02) 508 7871; www.coetc.com), COME (tel: (02) 354 3466; www.come.com.uy), Cutsca (tel: (02) 204 0000; www.cutcsa.com.uy), Raincoop (tel: (02) 481 1617; www.raincoop.com) and UCOT (tel: (02) 508 0003; www.ucot.net). All fares are paid in cash, per journey and buses run from around 0500 until 2300. There is no underground rail network in the city.
Taxis
The city's black-and-yellow taxis can be hailed on the street or reserved over the phone with Celeritas (tel: 1919), Radio Taxi Punta Gorda (tel: 1771) and many others. Fares are reasonable, but always ensure the meter is working before you take off. For longer journeys, it may be cheaper to reserve a remis (private) taxi (agreeing a fixed fare). Try Remises Victoria (tel: (02) 308 2113).
Car Hire
Hire cars are available from Avis (tel: (02) 903 0303; www.avis.com), Hertz (tel: (02) 712 5000; www.hertz.com) and Europcar (tel: (02) 401 0575; www.europcar.com.uy). Due to the relatively high cost of owning and running a car, Montevideo's roads are not as congested as other South American capitals, but it pays to do some research into Spanish-language road signs before setting off.
Bicycle Hire
Bicycles can be hired from El Viajero Hostel on Ituzaingó 1436 (tel: (02) 915 6192; www.elviajeromontevideo.com). Contact Urubike (www.urubike.com) for a useful map of city cycle routes. The friendly staff members, who are cycling enthusiasts themselves, can also arrange guided tours. One of the best places to go riding is along the riverfront Rambla that runs along the city's southern shoreline, and the Parque Rodó, to the east of Montevideo.
