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Cars 4 Rental Guide To Travel In  Uruguay

International Airports Montevideo (MVD) (Carrasco) is 19km (12 miles) from the city (travel time – 35 minutes). There is an airport bus to the city centre. Taxis are also available. Facilities include a duty-free shop, post office, restaurants, car hire and a bank/bureau de change. Air passes: The Mercosur Airpass: Valid within Argentina, Brazil, Chile (except Easter Island), Paraguay and Uruguay. Participating airlines include Aerolineas Argentinas (AR) (however, flights on this airline cannot be combined with any others, as it has no agreements and its tickets are not accepted by other airlines), Austral (AU), LAN-Chile (LA), LAPA (MJ), Pluna (PU), Transbrasil Airlines (TR) and VARIG (RG) with the subsidiary airlines of Nordeste (JH) and Rio Sul (SL). The pass can only be purchased by passengers who live outside South America, who have a return ticket. Only eight flight coupons are allowed with a maximum of four coupons for each country and is valid for 7 to a maximum of 30 days. At least two countries must be visited (to a maximum of five) and the flight route cannot be changed. A maximum of two stopovers is allowed per country. The Visit South America Pass: Must be bought outside South America in country of residence and allows unlimited travel to 36 cities in the following countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile (except Easter Island), Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. Participating airlines include Aer Lingus (EI), American Airlines (AA), British Airways (BA), Cathay Pacific (CX), Finnair (AY), IBERIA (IB), LAN-Chile (LA) and Qantas (QF). A minimum of three flights must be booked, with no maximum; the maximum stay is 60 days, with no minimum, and prices depend on the amount of flight zones covered. For both air passes, children under 12 years of age are entitled to a 33 per cent discount and infants (under 2 years old) pay only 10 per cent of the adult fare. For further details, contact one of the participating airlines. Departure tax: US$12 is levied on international departures (US$6 to Buenos Aires). Back to Top Air Travel The only internal flights available since TAMU, a branch of the Uruguayan Air Force, suspended its services, are the domestic legs of international flights from Punta del Este via Montevideo to Brazil. AIR: Uruguay’s national airline is Primeras Lneas Uruguayas de Navegacin Area (PLUNA) (PU) (website: www.pluna.com.uy), which operates flights to various destinations in Argentina and Brazil. Approximate flight times: From Montevideo to London is 15 hours 15 minutes (including 1 hour 30 minutes stopover in Madrid) and to New York is 14 hours. Back to Top Travel By Water There are no scheduled boat services along the principal rivers but the River Uruguay is navigable from Colonia to Salto, and the Ro Negro (flowing across the country from northeast to northwest) is navigable as far as the port of Mercedes. Montevideo, the main international port, is served by cargo lines from the USA and Europe. There is a night-ferry service from Buenos Aires to Montevideo (travel time – 10 hours). High-speed ferries (called ‘planes’ due to their speed) also operate between Montevideo and Buenos Aires (travel time – 2 hours 30 minutes; website: www.buquebus.com). There are also services from Colonia (160km/100 miles west of Montevideo) to Buenos Aires by ferry and a thrice-daily hydrofoil service. A port departure tax may be levied. Back to Top Rail A few local services run between villages. These are not usually used by tourists and are under threat of closure. Back to Top Travel By Road Traffic drives on the right. There are 45,000km (28,000 miles) of roads in Uruguay, 90 per cent of which are paved or otherwise improved for all-weather use. Bus: The bus service is good: two main bus lines (COPSA and COT) provide services throughout the country, connecting all towns and the Brazilian border points. Car hire: Available in Montevideo. Documentation: An International Driving Permit is not legally required but recommended. A temporary licence to drive in Uruguay, valid for 90 days, must be obtained from the Town Hall (Municipio). URBAN: Extensive bus services operate in Montevideo and the suburbs. There are flat fares for the central area and suburban services. Metered taxis are available in all cities and from the airport. Drivers carry a list of fares. A surcharge is made for each item of baggage and between 2400-0600. Within city limits, taxis may be hired by the hour at an agreed rate. Coaches and buses travel regularly between Brazil and Uruguay – these are modern coaches with bar, TV, WC and radio. The travel time between Montevideo and Porto Alegre (Brazil) is 14 hours; to Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) is 59 hours. Buses run by COT depart weekly for Asuncin and Iguaz Falls in Paraguay, while other services, also weekly, link Montevideo with Florianpolis, Rio de Janeiro and Santiago in Brazil and with northern and southern regions of Argentina. Back to Top

Car Hire Uruguay

Cars 4 Rental can provide car hire vehicles in all the popular locations throughout Uruguay.

Whatever your requirements Cars 4 Rental will be able to provide a car to meet your needs. Our hire cars can be equipped with many optional extras including child seats so that your car rental is ideally suited to your needs.

Hire a car in Uruguay