Guide October 8, 2026 8 min de lectura

How to Get to Punta del Este from Montevideo, Carrasco and Buenos Aires

Car, bus, plane and ferry with a connection: travel times, tolls in effect since June 2026 and data that changes by season, from Montevideo, Carrasco and Buenos Aires.

By Modo Punta

How to Get to Punta del Este from Montevideo, Carrasco and Buenos Aires

Getting to Punta del Este from Montevideo, Carrasco airport or Buenos Aires means choosing among four modes of transport with different times, costs and levels of flexibility. This article is for first-time visitors to the east coast, residents receiving guests and property owners arranging transfers for relatives or clients.

The text compares car, bus, plane and ferry with a land connection, and notes which data changes by season. Figures are accompanied by their source in the text and by the date of consultation (October 8, 2026). When a figure could not be confirmed in an official source, it is flagged as pending.

Comparison at a glance

Origin	Mode	Approximate time
Montevideo	Car via the Interbalnearia	About 2 hours, around 140 km
Montevideo (Tres Cruces)	Direct bus	Between 2 and 2.5 hours
Carrasco airport	COT or Copsa bus, or car	Around 2 hours 40 minutes by bus
Buenos Aires	Plane to Laguna del Sauce	Scheduled flights year-round
Buenos Aires	Ferry and bus	Between 5 h 45 min and 7 h 45 min

By car from Montevideo and Carrasco

Punta del Este is about 140 kilometers east of Montevideo, according to the Wikipedia entry on the city, and Carrasco airport is about 115 kilometers away. The usual route is the Interbalnearia, which starts at Avenida Italia and continues along Avenida de las Américas for about 3.6 kilometers; from the former airport access, Route 101 runs about 2 kilometers to join the Interbalnearia. The road then crosses Ciudad de la Costa to the bridge over the Pando stream and continues through Salinas, Atlántida, La Floresta, Solís, Pan de Azúcar and Punta Ballena to the Rambla Claudio Williman. Rome2rio estimates the car trip at 1 hour 59 minutes from the Punta del Este terminal to Montevideo; actual time depends on traffic.

Tolls

The Interbalnearia has two toll stations between Montevideo and Punta del Este: Pando (kilometer 32.4) and Solís (kilometer 81), according to the list published by Datos Uruguay with information from the Ministry of Transport and Public Works (MTOP). Both operate automatically: Solís was already automatic and Pando stopped accepting cash on April 1, 2024.

For cars and light vehicles (category 1), MTOP publishes tariffs per direction, VAT included and in effect since June 1, 2026, according to Montevideo Portal (June 4, 2026):

Payment method	Per station, per direction	Montevideo to Punta del Este (two stations)
Telepeaje (TAG)	UYU 167	UYU 334
SUCIVE (license plate reading)	UYU 214	UYU 428

The reference base tariff is UYU 196.57; telepeaje carries a discount from that value. Both stations charge in both directions: the Montevideo–Punta del Este trip passes two tolls and the round trip four (UYU 668 with telepeaje; UYU 856 with SUCIVE).

How to pay. According to MTOP, there is no cash payment. There are two methods:

Telepeaje: a TAG device is installed in the vehicle and recharged electronically. The TAG is free and can be obtained at toll stations, at collection networks (minimum recharge of UYU 500), at the Automóvil Club del Uruguay, and at Buquebus and Colonia Express. Credit or debit cards can be used to obtain or recharge the TAG; MTOP does not state that they are accepted for paying the toll directly.
SUCIVE: for Uruguayan-plated vehicles without telepeaje, the barrier opens through automatic license plate reading and the charge is made afterward through the Sistema Único de Cobro de Ingresos Vehiculares (Single Vehicle Revenue Collection System).

If the car has foreign plates, for example Argentine or Brazilian, MTOP states that it can pass only with a TAG or registered in the Pase Turista system, which is arranged at telepeaje.com.uy or at the toll station. It is best to sort this out before departing, because payment at the station is not possible. Tariffs are updated twice a year, in June and December; the next adjustment is due in December 2026.

Charging stations for electric cars

Drivers of electric cars will find several charging stations in Punta del Este and the surrounding area. The Modo Punta article Where to Charge Your Electric Car in Punta del Este: Complete 2026 Station Guide brings together locations, connectors and operators, and is worth consulting before planning the trip.

Those planning to settle and weighing whether they need their own vehicle can consult the Modo Punta article on which car to buy to live in Punta del Este.

By bus

Two companies connect Montevideo with Punta del Este: COT and Copsa (Línea Este). COT’s website lists as origin and destination points the Tres Cruces terminal in Montevideo, Carrasco airport, the Maldonado terminal and the Punta del Este terminal; the latter is near Playa Brava, according to Ferryhopper. Rome2rio indicates a direct COT service of about 2 hours 20 minutes with departures every 30 minutes, and another that stops at Carrasco airport, of about 2 hours 40 minutes. A travel guide published in 2026 estimates between 2 and 2.5 hours for direct services and warns that intermediate stops in Piriápolis, Maldonado and San Carlos lengthen the trip.

Fares and schedules change by season and were not verified on the companies’ official sites (COT’s ticketing system was out of service at the time of consultation). The reservations phone number published by COT is 2409 4949.

By plane

Laguna del Sauce

Capitán de Corbeta Carlos A. Curbelo International Airport, known until recently as Laguna del Sauce, is about 14 kilometers northwest of the city of Maldonado, according to Wikipedia. Aviacionline reported in November 2024 that Aerolíneas Argentinas operates scheduled flights year-round from Buenos Aires, and Azul from São Paulo-Guarulhos. Wikipedia also lists seasonal routes by Aerolíneas Argentinas (Córdoba, Porto Alegre, São Paulo), Azul (Campinas, Porto Alegre and, from December 14, 2026, Belo Horizonte), Gol (Buenos Aires, Porto Alegre from December 21, 2026, São Paulo) and Paranair (Asunción). For summer 2027, a specialized outlet reported 28 weekly frequencies by Aerolíneas Argentinas between Buenos Aires and Punta del Este, with no start date published.

Carrasco

Carrasco airport is on Route 101, kilometer 19.950, and is run by Puerta del Sur S.A., according to its official site. It handles most international flights, and from there COT and Copsa buses and taxi and remis services reach Punta del Este.

From Buenos Aires: ferry and land connection

The trip combines a ferry to Colonia del Sacramento or Montevideo with a bus to Punta del Este. According to Ferryhopper, the crossing takes about 1 hour 15 minutes to Colonia and about 2 hours 30 minutes to Montevideo, and the total trip ranges from 5 hours 45 minutes to 7 hours 45 minutes, depending on the route and the wait at the connection. The terminals in Puerto Madero are those of Buquebus (Avenida Antártida Argentina 821) and Colonia Express (Avenida Elvira Rawson de Dellepiane 155). The bus arrives at the Punta del Este terminal. With this option a vehicle cannot be taken on board, arriving 30 to 45 minutes early is recommended, and a valid passport or national ID document is required, with a baggage allowance of 30 kilos per passenger, according to the same source.

Direct Ferries published, for the week of October 5 to 11, 2026, about three daily departures to Punta del Este with durations of between 6 hours and 7 hours 46 minutes, operated by Buquebus and Colonia Express. From Aeroparque to the port, 20 to 30 minutes is estimated, and from Ezeiza, about an hour.

What changes by season

Flights: regular service is smaller outside summer; seasonal routes begin in December.
Bus and ferry: frequencies and schedules are adjusted by season and during school holidays; the last week of December and February concentrate demand.
Tolls: updated in June and December.
Traffic on the Interbalnearia: rises on long weekends and at the mid-month changeovers in January and February.

How this article was prepared

The information was compiled on October 8, 2026 from the websites of COT, Copsa and Carrasco airport, MTOP, Montevideo Portal, Datos Uruguay, Ferryhopper, Direct Ferries, Aviacionline, Wikipedia, Rome2rio and a 2026 travel guide. Schedules, bus fares and current air routes should be confirmed with each operator before traveling.