Punta del Este travel guide

Air

Direct daily Boeing 737 flights from Buenos Aires to brand new Punta del Este airport during the high season. Laguna del Sauce, Capitán Curbelo (T559777), which handles flights to Buenos Aires, 40 mins. Airport tax US$14.50. Exchange facilities, tax-free shopping. Regular bus service to airport from Punta del Este (will deliver to and collect from private addresses and hotels), US$5, 90 mins before departure, also connects with arriving flights. Taxi US$25; remise US$18- US$38 depending on destination (T441269). El Jagüel airport is used by private planes.

Bus

Local

: Traffic is directed by a one-way system; town bus services start from C 5 (El Faro), near the lighthouse. http://www.puntaweb.com has details of bus routes.

Long distance

: terminal at Av Gorlero, Blvd Artigas and C 32, T486810 (served by local bus No 7); has toilets, newsagent, café and Casa de Cambio. To/from Montevideo via Carrasco airport, COT (T486810) or Copsa (T489 205), US$7, just over 2 hrs, many in the summer; 19 a day in winter. To Piriápolis, US$2. To San Carlos (US$1.50) for connections to Porto Alegre, Rocha, La Paloma, Chuy. Direct to Chuy, 4 hrs, US$6. Local bus fare about US$0.50. For transport Montevideo- Buenos Aires, Buquebus T488380, at bus terminal, loc 09, buses connect with ferries. Also Colonia Express, T490570.

Airline offices

Aerolíneas Argentinas, Av Gorlero y C 30, T445292, Laguna del Sauce, T559777; Pluna, Av Roosevelt y Parada 9, T492050/490101.

Banks

Best rates of exchange from Banco de la República Oriental de Uruguay, which opens earlier and closes later than the other banks and accepts MasterCard, but no TCs. Many ATMs at banks on the peninsula and at Punta Shopping (Roosevelt). Also casas de cambio, eg Indumex, Av Gorlero y 28, Brimar, C 31 No 610.

Car hire

Punta Car, Continuación Gorlero s/n, Hotel Playa, T482112, puntacar@ puntacar.com.uy. Uno, Gorlero y 21, T445018, unonobat@movinet.com.uy. And others.

Internet

Cybermix Café, Gorlero y 30, T447158, US$5 per hr. Spot, Gorlero y 30, T447290, open 0900-0200, US$6 per hr.

Post offices

Av Gorlero entre 31 y 32, 0900-1400, 1600-1900, daily (shorter hours out of season).

Scooter hire

US$10 per hr, US$25 per day, with drivers licence (US$50 fine if caught without it) and ID documents, one place opposite bus terminal, others on same street as Taller Los Angeles, Parada 2 casi Blvr Artigas, T486732. Los Angeles rents scooters and bicycles (US$1.50-US$2.20 per hr, US$5.15-US$6 per day depending on number of gears, padlock and chain included, leave ID as deposit).

Telephones

Telephone and fax on Calle 24 at Calle 25, by the plaza.