Buenos Aires to Montevideo: Direct Ferry, Colonia Combo or Day Trip

Crossing Time and Where You Land

The direct Buquebus ferry sails daily between Buenos Aires and Montevideo and takes a little over two hours. The vessels carry cars, so you can drive on if you are touring Argentina and Uruguay by road. The Buenos Aires terminal is the Terminal Fluvial in Puerto Madero, where the operator also runs a car park.

On the Uruguayan side you dock inside the port of Montevideo, at the edge of Ciudad Vieja and the Mercado del Puerto. That is the practical advantage of the direct route. You step off the boat and you are already in the old city, without a bus transfer at either end.

Check-In, Luggage and Terminal Hours

Check-in at the port opens 2 hours before the vessel departs and closes 25 minutes before departure. Web check-in is available from 24 hours before the trip and saves time at the counter. Arrive with margin.

The Buenos Aires terminal is open daily 05:30-20:30, the Montevideo terminal daily 09:00-19:30, and the Colonia terminal daily 08:15-18:45. Every fare includes checked baggage at the counter at no extra cost, up to 20 kg per passenger, and hand luggage travels with you on board. If you need assistance, request it at booking or at least 48 hours before departure.

Port authorities can restrict or cancel sailings in extreme weather, so keep a buffer in tight connections. On board, Wi-Fi is free in Primera Clase on the Buque Francisco, and other passengers request a PIN at the gastronomy bars.

What a Ticket Costs

No fixed fare is published for the Buenos Aires to Montevideo crossing. Prices appear per date and per sailing in the operator's booking engine, so the fare shows only when you pick a date. The same search shows the extra charge for a car if you take one.

The good news for luggage: the 20 kg checked bag is included in every fare, so a weekender pays nothing extra at the counter. Compare a few dates on the operator's site before you commit.

How the Combo Works

Buquebus and Colonia Express both sell a boat ticket to Colonia that includes the bus from Colonia to Montevideo. The bus leg takes about two hours, and Buquebus lists bus connections to Tres Cruces, the country's main bus terminal. The Colonia port terminal is open daily 08:15-18:45.

The combo works in two ways. If your aim is Montevideo only, buy the through ticket and treat the bus as transport. If you have a full day or more, stop in Colonia for a few hours between the boat and the bus and walk the old quarter on the way, which turns a transfer into part of the trip.

Check Colonia del Sacramento for what the town offers.

Turning the Return Into a Day in Colonia

Travelling back to Buenos Aires via Colonia does not have to be dead time. From Montevideo, the small-group Colonia day tour costs $60 per person and lasts 10 hours, with pickup from Montevideo hotels from 8:00. The card's key feature for this route: the tour can finish at the port for the ferry to Buenos Aires, so you ride out in the morning and sail home in the evening. The guided Colonia coach day is the other option at $60 per person and 9 hours, with a Historic Quarter walking tour, museum admission and a jam and cheese tasting stop on the return.

Both leave the ferry fare separate. See more day trips from Montevideo if you are based in the city first.

Passports and ID Cards

Foreign visitors enter Uruguay with a valid passport and need no special immigration procedure, according to the Montevideo tourism authority. Citizens of neighbouring countries may use their national ID card instead. The operator's own rules are specific: Argentine nationals aged 18 or over board with a valid DNI or a passport in good condition.

Uruguayan nationals aged 18 or over board with a valid Cédula de identidad or passport. Travellers from neighbouring countries using an ID card must also show a valid entry to the country and valid Mercosur documentation. For most American and European visitors this is simple.

Bring a passport, keep it handy for both the Argentine and Uruguayan controls, and check its expiry before booking.

Travelling With Children

Minors travelling alone, with only one parent or with a third adult always need permission to leave the country, and the rule applies in both Argentina and Uruguay. Get the written permission sorted before the sailing, because the check-in counter will ask. Unaccompanied minors from age 8 can be booked through all sales channels except online, and children under 8 must travel with an adult.

If you need to sort documents in person, the Uruguay Migraciones office in Montevideo is at Misiones 1513 in Ciudad Vieja, open Monday to Friday 9:00-15:00. The Argentine Migraciones office listed by the operator is at Av. Antártida Argentina 1355 in Buenos Aires, Monday to Friday 8:30-13:30.

The Arithmetic of One Day

Count it out. Each direct crossing takes a little over two hours. Check-in closes 25 minutes before each sailing, and opens 2 hours before, so you spend close to half an hour or more at each terminal.

Our sum: two crossings and two check-ins take roughly five hours before you have seen anything. The Montevideo terminal also opens at 09:00. What is left is a window of a few hours, enough for Ciudad Vieja, the Mercado del Puerto and Plaza Independencia, all of which sit beside the terminal.

It is not enough for the Rambla, the beaches of Pocitos or anything east of the centre. That is our estimate, not a timetable. The verdict: a day trip works if you accept that the old town is the whole visit.

A Day Plan From the Ferry Terminal

Walk out of the port and you are in Ciudad Vieja. Start at the city tourist office at Piedras 257, corner of Yacaré, open daily 9:00-17:00, for a map and advice. Book the Ciudad Vieja walking tour in advance.

It runs 2.5 hours, costs $20 per person, departs Monday to Saturday at 10:30 and 14:30 and Sundays at 10:30 from Independence Square, and includes admission to the Artigas Mausoleum, the Cabildo and the Mercado del Puerto. Tight on time or wanting the wider city? The hop-on hop-off bus costs $25 for a 24-hour pass and starts on Rambla 25 de Agosto, steps from the terminal. One caution from UK travel advice: avoid walking the port area alone, especially after dark.

More options in Montevideo tours.

Why Stay at Least One Night

One night changes the shape of the trip. You lose the return check-in clock and gain the evening in the old city, a morning run along the Rambla, the beach neighbourhood of Pocitos and, on Sundays, the Tristan Narvaja flea market. The money is on your side too.

Hotels and accommodation charge non-residents 0% VAT all year when you show a foreign-issued ID, and the invoice is issued without VAT, so there is nothing to reclaim. The city adds a tourist tax of USD 1 per night per person over 11, capped at USD 5 per person per stay. Browse Montevideo hotels and read our verdict on is Montevideo worth visiting.

Money and Getting Around

Uruguay uses the Uruguayan peso. Paying electronically by card takes 9 percentage points off VAT at restaurants, bars, cafés, winery tastings, event services and car rental under Decreto 235/026, in force until 30 April 2027. Pay by card at meals and the discount applies automatically on the bill.

City buses are cheap: a 1-hour ticket costs $1.29 (UYU 52) with an STM card or $1.59 (UYU 64) in cash. For onward travel, Tres Cruces is the country's main bus terminal with services across Uruguay and to Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Chile. If you fly home instead, Carrasco International Airport sits east of the city.

Plan your days with Montevideo attractions and read Uruguay currency for the details.