Transport in Montevideo - Lonely Planet Travel Information

Getting there & away

Contents

Land
Boat
Air

Land

Bus

Montevideo’s modern Tres Cruces bus terminal (401-8998; cnr Bulevar Artigas & Av Italia) is about 3km east of downtown. It has tourist information, decent restaurants, clean toilets, a luggage check (UR$83 per 24 hours for up to three bags), public telephones, ATMs and a shopping mall upstairs.

A taxi from the terminal to downtown costs around UR$100. A cheaper alternative is to take city bus 21, 64, 187 or 330, all of which go from the terminal to Plaza Independencia via Av 18 de Julio (UR$13.50, 15 minutes).

Among Argentine destinations, Corrientes and Mendoza have at least two departures a week, and Paraná, Santa Fe and Rosario at least four. There are at least two weekly departures to Santiago, Chile.

Expreso Brújula (401-9350) goes to Asunción, Paraguay, on Tuesday and Friday, while Coit (Centro 908-6469; Río Branco 1389; Tres Cruces bus terminal 401-5628) goes on Wednesday and Saturday.

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Boat

Buquebus (130) Centro (cnr Colonia & Florida); Ciudad Vieja (Terminal Puerto); Tres Cruces bus terminal (cnr Bulevar Artigas & Av Italia) runs daily high-speed ferries direct from Montevideo to Buenos Aires (2¾ hours). Fares are UR$1560 in turista, UR$1860 in primera (UR$200 less for seniors, UR$400 less for children aged three to 10).

Tickets for less expensive bus-boat combinations to Buenos Aires via Colonia (UR$1005 adult, UR$845 child or senior, four hours) can be purchased at the Ferryturismo office (900-6617; Río Negro 1400) on Plaza del Entrevero.

Trans Uruguay (401-9350; www.transuruguay.com in Spanish; Tres Cruces bus terminal, Boletería 32), with its partner Cacciola, runs a twice-daily scenic bus-launch service to Buenos Aires via the riverside town of Carmelo and the Argentine Delta suburb of Tigre. The eight-hour trip costs UR$599 one way.

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Air

Montevideo’s Carrasco international airport (604-0272) is served by far fewer airlines than Ezeiza in Buenos Aires.

Pluna, Sol and Aerolíneas Argentinas fly frequently between Carrasco and Buenos Aires’ Aeroparque. Nonstop service from Montevideo to other international destinations is provided by Pluna (to Madrid and several South American cities), American Airlines (to Miami), Gol (to Porto Alegre, Brazil), Iberia (to Madrid), LanChile (to Santiago), TACA (to Lima) and TAM (to Rio, São Paulo and Asunción).

Several other airlines maintain offices in Montevideo but have no direct flights to/from Uruguay.

Aerolíneas Argentinas (902-3691; Plaza Independencia 749 bis, ground fl, Centro)

Air France/KLM (902-5013; Río Negro 1354, 1st fl, Centro)

American Airlines Ciudad Vieja (916-3929; Sarandí 699 bis); Pocitos (708-5205; Benito Blanco 1261)

Delta (900-7776; Colonia 981, Oficina 201, Centro)

Gol (000-405-5127; Carrasco airport)

Iberia (908-1032; Colonia 975, Centro)

LanChile (902-3881; Colonia 993, 4th fl, Centro)

Pluna (902-1414, 900-9999; Colonia 1013, Centro)

Qantas/Alitalia (903-1760; Río Negro 1354, 4th fl, Centro)

Sol (000-405-210053; Carrasco airport)

TACA (000-405-1004; Plaza Independencia 831, Oficina 807, Centro)