Get around Montevideo like a local

And not like a tourist. This interactive map loads really fast. Use it to travel by bus or on foot and get around Montevideo like a local.

By Karen A Higgs

Getting around

Last updated on November 23, 2017

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… and not like a tourist. This interactive map loads really fast. Use it to travel by bus or on foot and get around Montevideo like a local.

Find your bus/plan your walking route in Montevideo

Cómo ir is a beautifully-designed, fast website provided by the city government which shows you how to get anywhere in Montevideo on foot or by bus.

You’ll need to read some Spanish but really very basic.

Even if you don’t read Spanish, the site video demo is useful to see how to use the site. For instance you’ll see that you must type the first letters of the address and then wait for the text predictor to show you street options to select from.

To use the site

Under origen y destino (starting point and end point)

Open the first drop down box (tipo de ubicación ie type of place). Choose from:
- esquina o dirección – to search by street name and number (dirección) or cross streets, type in the street name under calle, and the cross street under esquina/numero
- lugar de interés – place of interest, under which you can sub-search place types (tipo de lugar) like
  - Cultura (place of cultural interest)
  - Deporte (sports venue)
  - Espacio libre (open air venue eg a park)
  - Monumento (monument)
  - Playa (beach)
- Calle – street, if you just have the street name and not street name and number of your destination, or to find where a street is located
- Linea de omnibus – bus line, handy if the 32 passes your hotel door and you’d like to see where it would take you
Click on marcar origen to mark starting point and marcar destino for your end point or destination. You can also drag the start and end pins onto your map if it’s easier that way.
Click ir en ómnibus to be shown the bus routes. Click on the bus options in resultados to see the bus routes appear on the map. Click ir caminando to see a route to walk.
You can also see schedules (horarios).

I really recommend watching the site video demo before you start. Even watching it with the sound off it makes good sense.

Happy travelling!

Guru'Guay Guide to Montevideo

The only guide to Montevideo, Uruguay, by an author based full-time in Uruguay. Mentioned in the New York Times, BBC, National Geographic, Le Figaro, Decanter and more.

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Photo: Salkantay

[This article was first published on Aug 30, 2014. The date above is when it was last updated]

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Dragonfly says:

June 7, 2019 at 10:41 am

A related question – Is the hop-on hop-off bus a reasonable option to see Montevideo? We are think of staying either at Hyatt Centric (relatively newish / modern hotel with good views) or Alma Historica (good reviews and within walking distance to buquebus ferry.

Reply
1. The Guru of GuruGuay says:
  
  June 7, 2019 at 4:41 pm
  
  Hi Dragonfly, how are you doing? I don’t rate the bus much. It zips through the centre of Montevideo without stopping over a long stretch with much of interest and the principal stops are outside of shopping centres (something Brazilian tourists love). However it’s convenient if you have just a day or two here to get to feel the lay of the land. Armed with the Guru’Guay guide to Montevideo, you could make your own way around. The D1 bus goes through Montevideo from the Old City to Carrasco in the far east for a fraction of the cost. Montevideo’s fairly small and best explored on foot to really get a feel of the city.
  
  And do check out our Montevideo hotel recommendations. We’ve stayed at and love every place we recommend.
  
  Reply
  1. Dragonfly says:
    
    June 9, 2019 at 6:48 pm
    
    Thanks, The Guru of GuruGuay! We don’t mind walking at all – in fact walking is the best way to see the city. I will check the D1 bus route. We are not interested in shopping centres – but more about architecture and culture of the city.
    I have read your blog on Montevideo hotel recommendations – great that the Alma Historica is on your list 🙂 The reason I was thinking of Hyatt Centric because we have status of major hotel chains and often get upgrade to a better room than the basic room. However, I am inclined towards the Alma Historica as we can walk to the buquebus terminal for the Francisco to Buesnos Aires.
    Again, thanks for your very helpful and informative website!
    
    Reply
Nick says:

November 8, 2017 at 4:53 pm

Hola Ms. Guru,
I just bought your ebook but have yet to read it. I’ll post a review later.
Meanwhile, I’m enjoying your website. I just want to add, hopefully helpful, info regarding :Find your bus/plan your walking route in Montevideo” and the ‘como ir” info. There is an app for your smartphone called Moovit that is great for getting around by transit. With regards o the “como ir” website, if you open it using Google Chrome it will automatically do the translation for you.

Reply
1. The Guru of GuruGuay says:
  
  November 11, 2017 at 1:40 pm
  
  Hola Mr Nick, I LOVE Moovit! Thanks so much for sharing this info and I’m looking forward to reading your review! All the best Ms Guru.
  
  Reply
Silviu says:

October 7, 2017 at 3:35 pm

As a foreigner can I buy a electronic STM card? Or other options to buy daily, weekly or monthly passes?

Reply
1. The Guru of GuruGuay says:
  
  October 12, 2017 at 2:33 pm
  
  Hi Silviu – A standard ticket called a común costs 33 pesos at the time of writing. If you plan to make frequent trips, buy an STM card at any Abitab store. They cost the equivalent of a couple of dollars and you just need to present your passport. Using this card you are able to buy one-hour or two-hour tickets that will allow you to change buses as often as you like during that time period for 30 and 49 pesos respectively. You can charge the card so you don’t need to handle money, or present the card to the driver and pay in cash. The card is not limited to personal use so you can use it to buy tickets for more than one passenger. There are no other pass options. Hope this helps! — Karen
  
  Reply
Shari says:

March 25, 2017 at 3:04 am

Trying to find information about getting from the airport to my hotel in Montevideo and later to Colonia del Sacramento and finally from there back to the Carrasco Airport.

Reply
John says:

January 12, 2016 at 12:03 pm

Hello,

Great post!

I also use this site: http://www.montevideobus.com It runs much faster on my google chrome on mac. Sometimes “como ir” just gets stuck.

Cheers,

Reply
1. Welshwitch in Uruguay says:
  
  January 12, 2016 at 12:14 pm
  
  Thanks for the tip, John!
  
  Reply
D'Andre says:

December 17, 2014 at 8:14 am

Hello,
I’m currently living in Buenos Aires and I will be visiting Montevideo alone for a week in Feb. Could you recommend me a good hostel or even better bed and breakfast in a great location so that I could explore the city. I love walking and exploring and getting of the beaten path. I speak Spanish so it would be a bonus to be able to use that. Thanks soo much and I love your website. It’s been soooo helpful already!!!!

Reply
1. Welshwitch in Uruguay says:
  
  December 17, 2014 at 9:38 am
  
  Hi D’Andre, I am so glad you are finding the site helpful. I have a lot of fun writing it, I have to admit. I do have a recommendation, and if you’ll forgive me for the own-trumpet-blowing, it is my family’s guesthouse! Casa Sarandi is in the Old City (guests go absolutely everywhere on foot, we are close to everything) and we specialise in recommending things for you to do every day while you are in Montevideo so that your stay is really memorable! I’ll write to you via email. If my mail gets lost feel free to write to me on info@casasarandi.com. February is a great month to visit as carnival is in full swing!
  
  Reply