There’s been quite a few threads asking about the Buquebus ferry between Buenos Aires and Montevideo, so I thought I should write a mini “trip report” concerning the voyage, which I did earlier this week.
Both in Buenos Aires and in Montevideo I checked-in around 40 minutes before sailing time and I had no issues. Of course I travelled on a Sunday morning and on a Tuesday afternoon so both terminals were quite empty, but still I’d say it’s ok to be at the harbour ca. 1 hour before departure. Any extra time you allow is quite useless. Check-in is airport style but the baggage allowance is much more liberal than on airlines – I was travelling with a colleague who brought a huge suitcase and they let her carry it on the ferry.
Otherwise you can also check your bag. After the ferry ties up at the arrival port, there is an airport-style belt were bags are delivered.
After check-in there is a small, informal security check (no need to take your phone, wallet or even keys out of your pocket). Immigration for both Argentina and Uruguay is done at the departure port. Upon arrival you will clear no formalities.
The terminal in Buenos Aires is much larger and modern than the one in Montevideo. Both have cafés. I didn’t look for ATMs in the Buenos Aires terminal. Note that there’s one single ATM in the Montevideo terminal, located on the check-in lounge, so it’s a 50-meter walk from arrivals if you want to get some Uruguayan pesos. I didn’t try it but it’s a Banco República ATM, so I assume it takes most cards.
The “Francisco”, which operates from Buenos Aires to Montevideo, takes 2:15 to complete the voyage. I was on Clase Turista and the seat was a bit more comfortable than your average Economy airline seat. The onboard café accepts Argentine pesos at a pretty favorable exchange rate and Uruguayan pesos at a pretty awful rate. A can of Coca Cola is 95 ARS (2.30 USD) or 95 UYU (2.85 USD), so there’s a bit of a difference between both currencies. Better to pay cash in ARS – Buquebus is registered in Uruguay and credit card purchases are billed in UYU. The duty free shop, which has some very decent spirits and chocolates (I can’t comment on makeup), operates in the Southern Cone’s favourite currency – US dollars. There is also a bureau de change onboard.
There’s no onboard entertainment whatsoever and you lose all mobile signal through most of the voyage. I noticed a Buquebus WiFi hotspot appeared on my phone but it was a paying network and I didn’t check the prices. There are no plugs for charging devices. I slept on the way to Montevideo and had a long conversation with my colleagues when coming home, but otherwise bring a book or some other form of old-school entertainment with you.
Upon arrival to Montevideo there is a taxi line which is pretty well organised. We were staying in the Hyatt Centric, in the Pocitos area, and the taxi charged us by the meter around 450 UYU (14 USD). On the way back we took an Uber and it was 8.5 USD. The Uber car was a Fiat Uno, which is tiny, so beware if you are travelling with anything more than a carry-on bag.
In the Buenos Aires terminal there is the traditional taxi mafia waiting for you. I tried to take one of the taxis and as soon as the driver heard my local accent he told me to go away, so you get the idea. I suggest walking two blocks from the terminal to Alem Avenue and pick up a street cab from there.
I hadn’t been to Uruguay in years, and I have to say that, even though I love flying, the Buquebus ferry seems to be the most convenient way between Buenos Aires and Montevideo. Door-to-door it took me around 4 hours. With MVD being so far away from the city centre and airport formalities being more strict than Buquebus’, I think, time-wise, the ferry is unbeatable.