How to Get to Montevideo: Carrasco Airport (MVD), Buenos Aires Ferries and Tres Cruces

Travellers reach Montevideo either by air through Uruguay's architectural showpiece terminal in Carrasco, by high-speed passenger ferry across the Rio de la Plata from Argentina, or by long-distance highway coach from coastal Uruguay and southern Brazil. Pair these arrival logistics with our Montevideo travel guide and where to stay guide.

Flying into Carrasco International Airport (MVD)

Carrasco / General Cesareo L. Berisso International Airport (IATA: MVD, ICAO: SUMU) sits 19 kilometres east of downtown Montevideo near the coastal garden suburb of Carrasco. Inaugurated in October 2009 and designed by Uruguayan-born architect Rafael Vinoly, the passenger terminal spans beneath a single 365-metre-long gently curving white roof inspired by the sand dunes of the Uruguayan coast, with a public observation terrace on the upper level.

Authorised airport taxis, shared shuttle vans, and suburban DM1 and COPSA/CUTCSA buses operating along Avenida Italia and the Rambla connect the arrivals hall with Pocitos, Punta Carretas, Centro, and Ciudad Vieja in 30 to 45 minutes depending on traffic. Check the official airport website for current transfer options.

Rio de la Plata Ferries from Buenos Aires and Terminal Tres Cruces

• Direct ferries to the Port of Montevideo: High-speed catamarans crossing the Rio de la Plata from the Puerto Madero terminal in Buenos Aires dock directly at the Puerto de Montevideo passenger terminal at the northern edge of Ciudad Vieja after a crossing of roughly two hours and 15 minutes.
• Ferry-and-coach via Colonia del Sacramento: An alternative route sails one hour from Buenos Aires across the narrower upper estuary to Colonia del Sacramento, connecting seamlessly with a two-hour-and-30-minute highway coach along Route 1 into Montevideo's Terminal Tres Cruces.
• Terminal Tres Cruces: Located three kilometres east of Plaza Independencia at the junction of Bulevar Artigas, Avenida 18 de Julio, and Avenida Italia, Terminal Tres Cruces serves all domestic coaches to Colonia del Sacramento, Punta del Este, Piriapolis, and the Atlantic beaches of Rocha, as well as international buses to Porto Alegre, Florianopolis, and Asuncion.