Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
174
Although M ontevideo has fe w must-see attractions, its charm lies in wait for the
observant traveler. A walk along La Rambla, str etching from the Old City to the neigh-
borhood of Carrasco, takes y ou along the riv erfront, past fishermen and their catch, to
parks and gar dens where children play and elders sip
mate
(a tealike bev erage). Restau-
rants, cafes, bars, and str eet performers populate the por t area, where you will also dis-
cover the flav ors of U ruguay at the afternoon and w eekend Mercado del P uerto (Port
Market). Many of the city 's historic sites surr ound Plaza Independencia and can be vis-
ited in a few hours.
If you're visiting the city as a side trip to Buenos Aires, ignore the warning of Porteños
that ther e is nothing to see and do . It's tr ue the Argentine capital is larger and mor e
active, but Montevideo has its own laid-back charms. The best way for English speakers
to understand the relationship between Montevideo and Buenos Aires, and by extension
of the countries themselves, is to think of the relationship of Canada to the United States,
Ireland to the United Kingdom, or New Zealand to Australia. Both Uruguay and Argen-
tina have similar histories, languages, and cultures, but the smaller one has always had to
live in the other 's shadow, dominated politically and culturally . This has r esulted in a
certain self-consciousness for Uruguayans when dealing with visitors, who come knowing
little or nothing about the countr y. Knowing you might be visiting as a side trip fr om a
place that likes to throw its weight around, Montevideans reach out to welcome visitors
and make sur e you have a good time in their city to counter whatev er Argentines hav e
told you.
ESSENTIALS
Getting There
International flights and those fr om Buenos Aires land at
Carrasco International Air-
port
(
&
02/604-0386
), located 19km (12 miles) fr om downtown Montevideo. Uru-
guay's national carrier is
Pluna,
Colonia and J ulio H errera (
&
0800/118-811
or
02/604-4080, or 11/4342-4420 in B uenos Aires; www.pluna.com.uy), which operates
several flights daily fr om A eroparque.
Aerolíneas Argentinas
(
&
02/901-9466
) con-
nects both Aeroparque and Ezeiza with Montevideo; the flight takes 50 minutes.The fare
ranges betw een $150 and $250 (£102-£169) r ound-trip, depending on ho w far in
advance you make reservations. In 2009,
American Airlines
(
&
800/433-7300
in the
United States and Canada, or 02/916-3929 in M ontevideo; www.aa.com) began dir ect
service from Miami to Montevideo—with frequency varying by season—in addition to
its alr eady existing flights, which connect to M
6
ontevideo with stopo vers in B uenos
Aires.
A taxi, or
remise
(private, unmetered taxi), from the airport to downtown costs about
$15 (£10).
BY BOAT OR HYDROFOIL
The most popular way to get to M ontevideo is by ferry.
Buquebús,
Calle Río N egro 1400 (
&
02/916-8801;
www.buquebus.com), operates
three to four hydrofoils per day from Buenos Aires; the trip takes about 3 hours and costs
about $150 (£102) r ound-trip. Montevideo's port is about 1.5km (1 mile) fr om down-
town.
BY BUS
Terminal Omnibus Tres Cruces,
General Artigas 1825 (
&
02/409-7399
or
02/401-8998), is M ontevideo's long-distance bus terminal, connecting the capital with
cities in U ruguay and thr oughout South America. B uses to B uenos Aires take about 8
hours.
COT
(
&
02/409-4949
) offers the best service to Punta del Este, Maldonado, and
Colonia.
