Uruguay Travel Guide

Entry and visas

No visa is required for visitors from the US, UK, Canada and Australia.

Please make sure that you hold onto your immigration card that you receive when you arrive at each country in South America, since you can potentially be asked to show this at the hotels.

Please note that all travelers must bring their passports when visiting Colonia, even if only for a day.

Health information and insurance

There are no required vaccinations for Uruguay. Your country’s government may have its own vaccination regulations and recommendations. Be sure your routine vaccinations are up-to-date: influenza, chickenpox (or varicella), polio, measles/mumps/ rubella (MMR) and diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus (DPT). 

We highly encourage you to purchase travel insurance for your trip. While Enchanting Travels does not provide travel insurance or endorse any particular insurance provider, several of our past guests have used Travel Guard. Visit travelguard.com. Affordable and locally produced medicines are available in most areas.

We also advise you to purchase international travel health insurance, should you fall ill during your trip or require medical help or hospitalization.

For more information, please check with your government website her: cdc.gov/travel

Language

Spanish is the official language in Uruguay and nearly 99% of the population speak it. You will find that most people speak and understand English in major cities such as Montevideo and Punta del Este. Use of English is less common outside of major tourist destinations.

Currency and cards

The Uruguayan Peso is the official currency of Uruguay and the symbol for this is $U.

Even though US dollars are accepted by some tourist establishments, you should always carry local currency, preferably in smaller denominations. Euros will be accepted for exchange; however Australian and Canadian dollars and Great Britain Pounds are generally not widely accepted for exchange. Due to higher inflation rates, actual exchange rates may vary.

Visa is the most widely accepted credit card in Uruguay, followed by MasterCard. American Express and Diners Club are also accepted occasionally in Uruguay. While ATMs are readily available everywhere in larger cities, they are less common in rural areas. In remote areas ATMs use the Plus (Visa), Cirrus (Maestro / MasterCard) or Link Systems that will accept your debit card.

ATMs are called cajero automático in Uruguay.

Tipping

While tipping is not always expected, it is quite common especially in the major tourist destinations of Uruguay. It is perfectly alright to tip 10% of the bill at restaurants however, if you are particularly pleased with your meal, you can always tip more!