Carrasco General Cesáreo L. Berisso International Airport

Carrasco International Airport is about 19 km from downtown Montevideo. By car the trip takes about 30 to 40 minutes. By bus, it takes about 45 minutes to the Tres Cruces bus terminal and around an hour to the city center. Traffic on the main avenues into the city can add time at weekday rush hours.

Not quite. Carrasco International Airport sits just outside Montevideo's city limits, in Ciudad de la Costa in the department of Canelones, next to Montevideo's eastern Carrasco neighborhood. It is the main airport serving the capital, and its IATA code is MVD. Its official name is Carrasco General Cesáreo L. Berisso International Airport.

Carrasco International Airport has a single passenger terminal for all domestic and international flights. Designed by architect Rafael Viñoly, it opened in 2009 with arrivals and departures on separate floors, four jet bridges and a viewing terrace on the top level. Because every airline uses the same building, you do not need to check a terminal before flying.

Airlines at Montevideo include Aerolíneas Argentinas, Air Europa, American Airlines, Avianca, Azul, Copa Airlines, GOL, Iberia, JetSMART, LATAM Airlines, Paranair and Sky Airline. Routes reach Buenos Aires, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Santiago, Lima, Bogotá, Panama City, Asunción and Madrid, with seasonal service to Miami and several Brazilian beach cities.

Yes. The official taxi counter in the ground-floor arrivals hall at Carrasco is staffed 24 hours and also sells shared vans. Taxis reach central Montevideo in about 30 to 40 minutes and Punta del Este in about 1.5 to 2 hours. Use the official counter rather than accepting offers from people approaching you in the hall.

Yes. CUTCSA, COPSA and COT buses stop directly in front of the terminal and run several times an hour toward Montevideo. The ride takes about 45 minutes to the Tres Cruces shopping center and bus station, where you can change for other routes, and about an hour to the city center. Space for large suitcases is limited.

Yes, Uber operates at Carrasco International Airport, and the app usually directs you to a pickup point on an upper level rather than the arrivals curb. It is a practical option for trips to Montevideo neighborhoods such as Carrasco, Pocitos or Ciudad Vieja. Follow the in-app directions inside the terminal, and check that the car and driver match the app before you get in.

Punta del Este is about two hours east of the airport by road along the Ruta Interbalnearia, which starts beside the airport. COT runs direct buses from the terminal from early morning to late evening, stopping at Piriápolis and Maldonado. Airport taxis, rental cars and pre-arranged drivers also make the trip without going into Montevideo first.

You need a valid passport, and some nationalities also need a visa, so check the rules for your country before travel. Citizens of Mercosur countries can enter Uruguay with their national ID card. Uruguay's National Directorate of Migration has an office at the airport and publishes current entry rules on its website for visitors who are unsure.

Colonia del Sacramento is west of Montevideo, so travelers from the airport first head into the city. Take a bus, taxi or app ride to the Tres Cruces bus terminal, then continue on a COT bus to Colonia, a trip of about three hours. Rental cars and pre-arranged drivers can go directly without changing vehicles at Tres Cruces.

Uruguay uses the Uruguayan peso (UYU) and is on UTC−3 all year, with no daylight saving time. A 24-hour exchange office operates in the arrivals hall at Carrasco. Summer runs from December to February, the busy season for Punta del Este, and winter from June to August, when Montevideo is cool and often windy.

Carrasco International Airport is operated by Aeropuertos Uruguay under a concession. It is Uruguay's busiest airport and handled about 2.1 million passengers in 2025. The airport has two runways, the longer one measuring 3,200 m, and the current terminal, which opened in 2009, was designed for about 3 million passengers a year.