Transportation

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[edit] Getting There

The main international airport for Uruguay is MVD in Carrasco, which is a suburb of Montevideo.

[edit] Option 1: Flying into Montevideo Directly

MVD is served by a limited number of airlines.

American Airlines has direct service from Miami three times a week (on Monday, Wednesday and Friday). For days when American does not have direct service, they provide connecting service through Buenos Aires.

For full details on the dates and times that American Airlines provides service to MVD, see the American Airlines flight schedule.

This blog post about the Montevideo Airport contains some useful information about the old Carrasco airport (2009-07).

However, the new Carrasco airport terminal replaced the old one for all flights as of 12/29/2009, so the above information may be irrelevant.

[edit] Option 2: Flying into Buenos Aires

  • Note US$29 Argentina departure tax (although at least some airlines, including United Airlines, already roll the departure tax into their ticket prices)
  • Most long-haul international flights arrive in EZE
  • The Argentina government will begin charging US citizens US$140 (as well as US$70 to Canadians and US$100 to Australians) to enter the country, but only for airline flights arriving at the Ezeiza or Aeroparque airports in Buenos Aires. The fee will cover entry for a period of 10 years for US citizens, or one entry only for Canadians and Australians. Canadians can also opt into a higher fee (approx. US$150) for a multi-entry card that is valid for 5 years. If you ask, the immigration officer can simply staple the receipt into your passport (rather than gluing it in), which (in theory) allows you to use it with a new passport after your old one has expired (but only while the receipt still has validity). (updated 2011-03)
  • The original version of this government notice (published much earlier in Feb 2009, in Spanish) includes more information.
  • Manuel Tienda Leon or Bus Ezeiza for ground transfers to/from Buenos Aires airports?
  • EZE has WiFi throughout the airport, but you have to pay for it and it is sometimes down. If you order something at the "La Banderita" restaurant near gate 13, you can use their WiFi for no additional charge. (2009-06)

[edit] More about the Argentina entry/visa reciprocity fee (Spanish only)

[edit] Onward Travel to Uruguay by Air

  • Most flights between Buenos Aires and Montevideo depart from AEP
  • As of this writing, American Airlines flies four times a week from EZE to MVD directly, as a continuation of their MIA-EZE flight, but the price for this flight is probably prohibitive unless you arrived in EZE on that MIA flight to begin with.
  • Otherwise, a EZE-AEP transfer usually required. Be sure to leave enough time. This FlyerTalk information about the EZE-AEP Transfer is dated 2004 but it may still be relevant. See also more recent information at TripAdvisor. The official Buenos Aires tourism site also has information about Ground transportation options from the two airports.
  • PLUNA is the official airline of Uruguay and they offer frequent flights between AEP and MVD.

[edit] Onward Travel to Uruguay by Boat

Buquebus is an express ferry service between downtown Buenos Aires and Montevideo (as well as Colonia and a few other cities). You need to get processed by Argentinian authorities to leave the country, and you also clear Uruguayan immigration before you board, so make sure to get there early. Note that Buquebus also has relatively good (and free) WiFi service onboard for the duration of the 3-hour trip, so don't forget to charge up your laptop before you go!

Some other companies have service between Buenos Aires and Colonia:

[edit] Getting Around

Information on getting around once you are in the country.

[edit] Maps

  • Google Maps has coverage of Montevideo. Entering the name of a local establishment sometimes yields decent results (but it cannot find specific street numbers as of mid-2009).
  • MAPRED can be used to find the exact location of specific addresses (including the number) in Montevideo.
  • The city of Montevideo has published a number of useful and very interesting GIS maps, as well as related data sets, that can be accessed online or downloaded.
  • WikiMapia also has decent city-level coverage of Montevideo, including a good view of neighborhoods. Wikimapia includes user-created content and places, and it's a good way to locate buildings that you have been otherwise unable to find.
  • The Uruguayan government's National Statistical Institute has a set of very detailed street-level PDF maps of most of the major cities in Uruguay.
  • Vince Alongi has photographs (circa 2002) up and down various major streets in Montevideo.
  • The Uruguayan military has an online map server that can be used to view different data sets about the country. If this link does not work, try the "Map Viewer" link from the Servicio Geográfico Militar page.
  • The Argentinian Proyecto Mapear site has some free maps for dedicated GPS devices, as does CONOSUR's gps.com.ar site.
  • Ever wondered who the streets are named after? The Montevideo government has an online directory of street names (Spanish) that can tell you.

[edit] Buses

[edit] Bus Travel Within Montevideo

  • MontevideoBus is an online reference site with information about the Montevideo bus system, including route numbers and stops. If you click on a starting point and an ending point, it will show you all of the lines that run on that route and tell you where to catch the buses. (No timing information is included, unfortunately.) Montevideobus.com also allows you to search for specific street addresses.
  • The City of Montevideo has online bus schedules!
  • The City of Montevideo has also created a bus map routing program, Cómo Ir, that displays bus routes and allows you to select the origin and destination points. Cómo Ir also allows you to insert actual street addresses with numbers for the origin and/or destination. Cómo Ir's implementation of street address search is slightly better than Montevideobus.com, since if you enter a partial street name and wait, it will display a list of possible street name options. (Many streets have similar and potentially-confusing names, along with variations in spelling, so this is a very useful feature.)
  • Single-trip ("común") bus tickets can be paid for by cash (UYU 18 as of 2011-03) when you board the bus.
  • You need a STM smart card in order to be able to purchase any of the other non-common ticket types, including the unlimited one-hour and two-hours tickets. Unlike the common ticket, both the one-hour and the two-hour tickets allow you to transfer between buses (or between different bus companies) as much as you want. Official details can be found from the official Montevideo STM site (Spanish), including a list of locations where you can purchase a smart card (updated 2011-03).
  • The STM smart cards are available for free. To obtain one, show up at one of the above-mentioned locations and present your passport. The staff will enter information from your document and present you with your new card.
  • As of 2010-07, you can now load credit onto your card and use it instead of paying cash. Recharging can be performed in any of the smart-card locations listed above.

[edit] Intercity Bus Travel

  • Bus schedules from Tres Cruces show timetables between various cities from the Tres Cruces station. If you select "Todos" in the Compañias dropdown, it will show the bus schedules for all bus lines.

[edit] Car Rental

This section is a stub that needs to be expanded.

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