Uruguay travel blog by Mark Berman -
Mar 2008
Sep 2013
Apr 2016
Nov 2019
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Ferry and Bus Combo
In 2008 I caught the ferry from
Buenos Aires across the Rio de la Plata to
Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay and took a bus
east to
Montevideo. 3hrs on the ferry and 2hrs 30mins on the bus. The ferry and bus were on a combo ticket.
This was during the day and the ferry and bus were full. On the bus journey to Montevideo we traveled through beautiful
countryside with many farms, crop fields and trees. Before you get to Montevideo through the industrial area, you go
down to the road on the coast where you see the city in the distance.
Midnight Ferry and Bus
In
2013 I took the midnight ferry from Buenos Aires to Colonia after a flight down from Colombia. I booked over a month in
advance and got a great price of around $33USD. It had been a long day for me and I fell asleep across the nice soft seats
in the ferry and was woken up by the cleaners after everyone else had disembarked. Luckily everyone was still in a long
line waiting to board the buses to Montevideo. The ferry was again a 3hr journey, then 2hrs 15mins by bus to Montevideo
arriving shortly after 5am.
Montevideo bus terminal has a McDonalds so you can have breakfast and coffee. This time I didn't stay in Montevideo.
I took a bus 2hrs 20mins east to
Punta del Este.
Midnight Ferry to Colonia
In 2016 I did the midnight ferry once again to Colonia from B.A. after a flight over from New Zealand.
The weather wasn't great in Uruguay this time but I did get a couple of sunny days in
Fray Bentos, a small
town beside the river. Many people visit Colonia from Buenos Aires for a day trip and walk around the charming cobblestone
streets looking at the shops and sights.
First Class
In 2019 I was lucky to get a first class ticket for the price of a standard ticket when I
took the Buquebus from Colonia to Buenos Aires. They give you a glass of wine and a snack and you get to sit upstairs in
luxury seats!
Buquebus Terminal
Buquebus, a ferry service that runs 3 or 4 times daily directly that takes up
to 3hrs. Make sure you are at the port at least an hour or so before the ferry leaves so to pass through customs and to
buy some duty free. The ferry has a lounge with food and drinks available (not cheap, so buy munchies and water beforehand)
and TV to watch. There is also video game machines in the lobby. Or just sit and look at the water and see Uruguay approaching.
Tickets are available from the Buquebus terminal at the port in Buenos Aires or online at their website and on the Uruguayan
side at
Sea Cat or the port in Colonia del Sacramento.
The Alternative
The other alternative apart from flying is to take a bus all the way which takes around 7hrs but costs only $20USD.
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Looking down to the lobby and duty-free shop on the Buquebus ferry.
The main passenger lounge with nice soft seats on the Buquebus ferry.
The Buquebus Boarding Plaza in Buenos Aires.
Leaving Buenos Aires by ferry for the 3hr ride to Colonia.
