The Uruguayan currency is the peso (ISO code: UYU). Prices are quoted using the U$ symbol, which may be easily confused with the US dollar symbol, which in turn is often quoted in three different ways: US$, U$S or U$D (US dollar).

Prices on costlier goods and services (over US$100, generally speaking) are often quoted in American dollars instead of pesos, and US dollars are surprisingly widely accepted even at some fast food restaurants. Places that cater to foreign visitors often also accept Argentinian pesos or Brazilian reals. As all of these currencies use the symbol “$”, so check which currency the prices are in if you’re unsure.

Cash, ATMs and credit cards:

Credit cards are not as widely accepted as in North America or Europe – smaller establishments often accept only cash (efectivo). Try to have more or less exact change as they even in a mid-size supermarket can have some problems giving you change back if you are paying for U$600 worth of purchases with a U$1000 bill. You can exchange a large bill for smaller change without paying a commission at Abitab, a one-stop shop with branches all over Uruguay that offers all kinds of services, including paying bills, buying tickets for performances, and adding money to transit cards.

Many Uruguayan ATMs can dispense US dollars in addition to pesos. You can find ATMs by looking for signs saying “BanRed” or “RedBrou”. RedBrou has lower fees, but many of their machines are deposit-only. Alternatively, head for a branch of Banco República, which usually has ATMs; they state a fee of US$0.75-1.50, which however apparently does not apply to certain cards, e.g. some German credit cards that offer free withdrawals worldwide. So, best to try once, then you know.

You can bring euros but exchange rates are usually 5-10% off the official rate, whereas many credit card rates only are 1% off plus the usual card fee of 0-3%. So, coming from Europe probably cards are to be preferred considering their safety and convenience. US dollars however can be exchanged at highly competetive rates, inheriting a fee of often just 1% or less. Cambios (aka Bureau de change) are numerous and widespread; wherever you have a bank or a (Red)Brou, there will most likely also be a Cambio in town.

Exchanging euros at the airport is expensive with rates about 20% off the official interbank rates.

BY TRAIN:

There are limited commuter train services around Montevideo, provided by the Administración de Ferrocarriles del Estado. There are some tourist trains which do not have a fixed schedule. You need to find announcements for them at the Montevideo train station, located at the corner of Nicaragua and Paraguay. There is no regular long distance train service. The most usual means of public transport is the bus (local buses inside Montevideo and from Montevideo to other main cities of the country).

BY BUS:

Uruguay has an extensive internal bus system, in practice the only way of getting around between cities if you aren’t driving. From Montevideo interdepartmental buses leave from the Tres Cruces station which also serves the international buses. There are often several companies serving the routes and the buses are frequent, safe, comfortable and affordable. Buses generally depart right on time.

Depending on the company, tickets can usually be bought online, at bus stations and on board the buses themselves. If you buy tickets before departure you will get a reserved seat, otherwise you can sit at seats that don’t happen to be occupied (otherwise there’s place to stand in the aisle). Usually, there is a separate inspector on board selling and checking tickets. The inspector may ask you where you’re getting off; if you’re planning to get off at your destination’s bus terminal, you can just say “terminal”.

Several cities also have local bus systems; Montevideo’s is naturally the largest. It can be hard to find information online about local bus routes, especially for cities other than Montevideo, but if you ask a local they’ll usually know which routes go where.

For both local and interdepartmental buses, you can flag them down at a bus stop by stretching your arm out horizontally to your side, perpendicular to the road, as if pointing to the other side of the street.

One-day bus strikes (paros) are not uncommon, resulting in limited service or none at all. Often they are just for interdepartmental buses while local buses run with no disruption.

BY TAXI:

Taxis in Uruguay are safe and fairly affordable, costing about USD2 per km. All taxis in Montevideo use meters and have fixed costs. Some meters do not display the price of the trip in pesos but in “fichas” (tokens) which have to be converted into pesos according to a chart that should be shown to the passengers. Taxis in some smaller cities may not use meters.

Uber is available in Montevideo and Punta del Este.

BY CAR:

The main highway is the one that goes from Montevideo to Punta Del Este (main tourist city of Uruguay), it is double lane from both sides. However this is the exception and most of the highways are single lane and therefore you should take precautions when driving long distances (a “long distance” in Uruguay is 500 km max), trying to pass another car. Always keep your distance from the car in front of you.

In the central areas of major cities, and on most major highways, the roads are good, but if you go a little off the beaten path, be prepared for potholes and dirt roads.

Car rentals:

To rent a car in Uruguay, residents of many countries (including the United States) need only their driver’s license, passport, and credit card; only residents of certain countries must obtain an International Driver’s Permit. Vehicle imports and gasoline are both heavily taxed. Therefore, most Uruguayans prefer to buy cars with fuel-efficient manual transmissions, which in turn means that vehicles with automatic transmissions are rarer and much more expensive. If you can drive a manual transmission, you are looking at about US$50/day and up, while those who can only drive automatic transmissions (primarily residents of Canada and the United States) are looking at US$90/day and up for a car rental.

It will cost US$60 and up to fill up the gas tank just on a regular small sedan like a Chevy Aveo. Traditionally, the sole gasoline retailer in Uruguay was the state-owned monopoly, ANCAP. (ANCAP is the “National Administration” for “combustibles,” alcohol, and Portland cement, hence the name.) Today, ANCAP competes with Petrobras and Esso. All gas stations are full service, so you will need to know enough rudimentary Spanish to tell the attendant to fill it up.

BY MOTORBIKE:

Many Uruguayans use motorbikes as their preferred mode of transport. These are also available for rent to tourists in many larger cities. For motorbikes there is no road toll.

EAT:

Uruguayan cuisine is typical for temperate countries, high on butter, fat, and grains, low on spice. It has an important Italian influence due to the strong Italian inmigration. If you are from the Mediterranean or Mexico, you will find it bland, but if you come from the Northern Europe, Russia or the US, you won’t have trouble getting used to it.

Restaurants and some other services give discounts if you pay with a foreign credit card. (The discount, which was established by the government to encourage tourism, is technically a reduction in value-added tax.)

Specialties:

There are many public markets where you can get a hundred varieties of meat. Vegetarians can order ravioli just about anywhere, but check to make sure the sauce doesn’t contain meat.

Empanadas (hand-sized meat or cheese pies) make an excellent portable, inexpensive, and delicious snack or lunch. You can find them easily at many corner bakeries.

Uruguay has traditionally been a ranching country, with cattle outnumbering people more than two-to-one, and therefore features excellent (and affordable) steaks. One dish that should not be missed is chivito, a heart-attack-on-a-platter sandwich (some guidebooks call it a “cholesterol bomb”) that is made of a combination of grilled tenderloin steak, tomato, lettuce, onion, eggs (hard-boiled and then sliced), ham, bacon, mozzarella cheese and mayonnaise and fries. There are two versions of chivito. Al pan means it’s served “on bread”, this is the classic variant and it looks like a hamburger served on a plate. If it is served al plato it is like a hamburger minus the bread and often with more vegetables.

Asado is a typical Uruguayan barbeque, consisting of a variety of grilled meats (beef short ribs, sausage, blood sausage and sweetbreads and other offal) over wood coals. Almost all Uruguayans know how to make it and its variations appear on most restaurant menus. For a traditional experience, try it at the “Mercado del Puerto” market, in Montevideo’s port area. As many of the European immigrants to the area around Rio de la Plata a century ago came from Italy, Italian dishes have a special place in the local cuisine, often with a local twist. The Central European schnitzel’s local relative Milanesa is made with beef instead of pork and is also available as a sandwich.

Bizcochos are popular pastries that can be bought at local bakeries among with other local confectioneries and sandwiches such as the sandwich olímpico, which can also be found at most supermarkets.

Tortas fritas (a sort of fried pancake), pasteles and garrapiñada (sugar-roasted peanuts) among with hamburgers and choripanes are commonly sold on the street.

Uruguay, with its long shoreline, also enjoys an excellent variety of seafood and fish. The flavor of the most commonly offered fish, brotola, may be familiar to people from North America, where it is called hake.

For desserts, dulce de leche, a kind of caramel made with sweetened milk, is found in all manner of confections, from ice cream to alfajores (dulce de leche-filled cookie sandwiches), Ricardito and chajá (available in all supermarkets).

DRINK:

Mate (MAH-teh), a tea-like infusion made from the yerba mate plant and drunk hot through a straw, is the unofficial national drink of Uruguay. It’s widely drunk on the streets, but can hardly be ordered in restaurants; as young and old go around with their own cup and thermos bottle on the street, there would likely be no-one ordering it in a café or restaurant if they offered it. You may have to buy a package at a supermarket and make your own. The drinking gourds are widely available and range from economical to super-deluxe silver and horn. Mate is a social drink. If you are with a group of Uruguayans they will probably offer you some, do be mindful, it will be hot and may taste somewhat bitter. If you try some it will make everybody happy.

Uruguay is also acquiring a reputation for its fine wines, especially those made from the Tannat grape. The “VCP” label (Vino de Calidad Preferente) identifies qualify wines, in contrast to table wines (vinos de mesa).

Alcohol is relatively inexpensive. Beer often come in large, 1l bottles that can go for as low as U$50. The two domestic brands found everywhere are Pilsen and Patricia, with Zillertal being a distant third. There are a number of craft brewery brands as well. Import beer is available at large supermarkets and pubs, but not at regular restaurants.

A bottled mix of wines called medio y medio can be found at most stores.

The most common strong alcohol beverage is surprisingly whisky, even many famous brands such as Johnnie Walker being manufactured in Uruguay under license. A 1l bottle of the cheapest brands can be bought for U$250 in a supermarket.

Even cheaper strong alcohols are the locally distilled grappas and cañas that can be bought at most supermarkets and also can be tasted in many pizzerias where they also sell grappa con limón, the same liquor flavoured with lemon.

Nightlife goes late in Uruguay. Nightclubs often waive the cover charge for “early” arrivals until midnight, and it’s not uncommon for a concert or a night of partying to end around dawn.

For nature lovers, birdwatchers, and those seeking a respite from the fast-paced world, there are many “estancias” in serene and peaceful environments, surrounded by many species of native and migrating birds, which offer a unique opportunity to reconnect with nature.

There are many more beach houses to rent along the coast than actual hotel rooms. They are plentiful, and outside the high season affordable. During the first two weeks of January it’s impossible to find anything, every cottage and hotel room is booked months in advance.

In addition, camping is possible in many place (free or including amenities), especially near the beach. However, consider that many grounds are private property, so you should not camp here. Consult OpenStreetMap, which many mobile Apps like OsmAnd and MAPS.ME use, to find places which have been tagged by other people as possible camping sites.

Popular items to buy include yerba mate gourds, antiques, wool textiles, and leather goods: jackets, purses, wallets, belts, etc. With regard to textiles and leather goods, although the prices may look like great bargains, one must keep in mind that local designs are inferior to designs elsewhere. Uruguay is still decades behind other countries when it comes to the quality of metalworking, which is a serious problem since leather goods like purses and belts have metal parts like clasps and buckles.