Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
176
business inv olves planning trips and tours for passengers coming into M ontevideo b y
cruise ship. Contact them for day trips or history tours on various themes or for booking
hotels and airline flights. They also arrange trips to other par ts of U ruguay, including
Colonia, Punta del Este, and the range of
estancias
near M ontevideo that only a fe w
foreigners have discovered. One of the best private tour guides in Montevideo is
Tamara
Levinson
(
&
02/710-3312
or 099/696-518; tamaral@montevideo .com.uy), who con-
ducts individual custom tours of Montevideo and other parts of Uruguay. She works for
Buemes, but visitors can hire her, in her spare time, to lead individualized travel tours.
Fast Facts
Mon tevideo
Area Code & Phone Numbers
The country code for Uruguay is
598;
the city code
for M ontevideo is
02,
and y ou dr op 0 when dialing fr om o verseas. Land line
phones ha ve sev en dig its, but man y go vernment offic es ar e no w using f our-,
seven-, or eight- digit systems. Ask for clarification with an y phone number that
seems unusual . M any times these f our- and eight- digit numbers do not w ork
properly, so ask for alternative numbers or even a contact's cellphone when given
them. C ellphones ha ve a thr ee-digit beg inning c ode, usually beg inning with
09—representing the c ellphone company—and then six dig its, and do not need
an area code in front of them. Dr op the 0 also when dialing fr om overseas. Infor-
mation is
&
122,
or the f ee service
&
0900-2020.
ATMs
ATMs ar e plentiful; look f or
Bancomat
and
Redbrou
banks . M ost ha ve
access to the Cirrus net work. The PLUS system is har der to find. The ATM at the
casino in the R adisson takes ev erything.
Currency Exchange
To exchange money, try
Turisport Limitada
(the local Amex
representative), San José 930 (
&
02/902-0829
);
Gales Casa Cambiaria,
Av. 18
de Julio 1046 (
&
02/902-0229
); or one of the airpor t exchanges. About 23 Uru-
guayan pesos equaled US$1 at the time of this writing .
Hospital
T he
British Hospital
is located at Av. Italia 2420 (
&
02/487-1020
) and
has emergency-room services.
Internet Access
Internet cafes appear and disappear fast er than disc os, but y ou
won't walk long bef ore coming across one in the cit y center. Reliable c ybercafes
include
El Cybercafé,
Calle 25 de M ayo 568;
Arroba del Sur,
Guayabo 1858; and
El Cybercafé Softec,
Santiago de Chile 1286. The average cost is $2 (£1.10) per
hour of usage .
Post Office
The main post office is at Calle Buenos Aires 451 (
&
0810/444-CORREO
[267736]), open w eekdays from 9am t o 6pm.
Safety
Although Montevideo remains very safe by big-city standards, street crime
has risen in recent years. Travelers should avoid walking alone, particularly at night,
in Ciudad Vieja, Avenida 18 de Julio , Plaza I ndependencia, and the por t vicinity.
Take a taxi inst ead. The city has vastly incr eased the pr esence of t ourism police,
particularly in Ciudad Vieja. Look for the men and w omen with green fluorescent
vests.
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