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Draft data. Times, fares and step counts are desk estimates awaiting field checks. Unknown times stay unknown. How we verify

Major city · Uruguay

Chuy

Go only as a border crossing or a 1-night stop: cross to Chuí for cheap shopping, see Fortín de San Miguel, then move on.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
UYU
Best months
Oct–Apr
avoid Jun–Aug (cool, wet, quiet)
Airports
PDP · MVD
Nights
1
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Rules in force · 6Above 2,500 m (Bogotá, Quito, Cusco, La Paz) keep the fir…
  • South America ↗Above 2,500 m (Bogotá, Quito, Cusco, La Paz) keep the first day light; sleep lower where you can (Sacred Valley before Cusco) and descend if headache comes with vomiting or confusion.
  • South America ↗A yellow fever certificate is required on arrival in French Guiana, and asked for on some routes into Bolivia, Paraguay, Suriname and Guyana, or when arriving from Amazon areas — vaccinate at least 10 days before travel and carry the card.
  • South America ↗Overnight buses are the norm in Argentina, Chile and Peru, but pick top-tier companies and keep valuables on your body; on-board thefts from overhead racks are the common loss.
  • Uruguay ↗Check entry rules for your passport with Uruguay's Ministry of Foreign Affairs or a Uruguayan consulate; ferry passengers from Buenos Aires clear both countries' immigration at the terminal.
  • Uruguay ↗Buenos Aires–Colonia and Buenos Aires–Montevideo ferries sell out on long weekends and in summer: book ahead.
  • Uruguay ↗Pay restaurants, hotels and car hire with a foreign-issued card: non-residents get the 22% VAT (IVA) removed on restaurants and car hire roughly 15 November – 30 April, and on lodging — check the current season's rules.

Chuy sits on the Uruguay–Brazil border, and its main street, Avenida Brasil, is the line itself: one side speaks Spanish and pays in pesos, the other speaks Portuguese and pays in reais. There is little sightseeing, but the duty-free shops, the casino and the Spanish fort 7 km west make it a practical one-night stop between Rocha's beaches and southern Brazil. Most travellers pass through in a few hours.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Chuy, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • Coffee$U80–150
  • Street or quick mealChivito or steak sandwich$U350–600
  • Beerdraught in a bar / can at a shop$U150–250$U80–140
  • Taxi, about 5 km5 km taxicheck$U400–600
  • SIM or eSIM, a weekeSIM or data SIM, about a week$U500–1,200
  • Budget bedHostel bed, a night, per personUYU 900
  • Mid-range bedHotel double room, a night, per roomUYU 3,800
  • High-end bedHotel double room, a night, per roomUYU 7,000

A day, not counting the bed: Budget UYU 1,800 · Mid UYU 3,500 · High UYU 7,000

Local prices, with USD next to them (rates 2026-09 (approximate); change it in the header). Ranges are desk estimates: check locally. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

The Uruguay–Brazil border on Avenida BrasilDuty-free shoppingFortín de San MiguelCasinos del Estado
Airports
PDP Punta del Este (Laguna del Sauce) (About 3 h by road; seasonal flights, check schedules) · MVD Montevideo (Carrasco) (About 4.5–5 h by road or bus)

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Chuy: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

29°C

19°C

8 rd

Feb

28°C

19°C

9 rd

Mar

26°C

17°C

8 rd

Apr

23°C

14°C

7 rd

May

19°C

11°C

7 rd

Jun

16°C

8°C

8 rd

Jul

16°C

8°C

8 rd

Aug

17°C

9°C

8 rd

Sep

19°C

10°C

8 rd

Oct

22°C

13°C

8 rd

Nov

25°C

15°C

7 rd

Dec

28°C

18°C

7 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

The centre is walkable in 15 minutes. Taxis wait near Plaza Artigas; Radio Taxi Chuy is the local firm. For Fortín de San Miguel, 7 km west on Ruta 19, take a taxi or drive — buses are infrequent.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time

Fortín de San Miguel

go

Door to door: About 30 min each way

Taxi or car 7 km west on Ruta 19; infrequent buses

Old Spanish fortress; go in daylight and check opening hours locally.

Punta del Diablo

go

Door to door: Under 1 h

Bus or car west along the coast

Nearest beach town; surf and relaxed village.

Chuí, Brazil

go

Door to door: 2 min

Walk across Avenida Brasil

Same town, other country: Portuguese, reais and more free shops.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

Avenida Brasil / centre

Hotels, free shops and the casino within a few blocks; best for a one-night border stop.

Ruta 9 / town edge

Quieter motels and the road out to Fortín de San Miguel; you need a car or taxi.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
$U1,500–2,500 excl. bed
Mid
$U2,500–4,500 excl. bed
High
$U4,500+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Hotel double room1 × 1 night × UYU 3,800UYU 3,800
Food, local transport, entries2 × 1 day × UYU 3,500UYU 7,000
Taxi to Fortín de San Miguel, both ways1 × UYU 1,200 · checkUYU 1,200
eSIM, about a week of data2 × UYU 700UYU 1,400
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurgeUYU 1,340
Trip total≈ UYU 7,370 per person per day, bed includedUYU 14,740

2026 estimate in Uruguayan pesos; long-distance buses excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

Coffee$U80–150
Chivito or steak sandwich$U350–600
Beer: draught in a bar / can at a shop$U150–250 / $U80–140
5 km taxicheck$U400–600
eSIM or data SIM, about a week$U500–1,200
Free-shop electronics and perfumeUS$ prices, check the rate

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

Chuy is a small, generally safe border town; the real issues are cross-border paperwork, summer heat and late-night drinking on Avenida Brasil. Keep your passport and stamp with you.
  • If you continue past Chuí into Brazil, stamp your passport at Uruguayan exit control before entering town, and at Brazilian control when leaving Chuí; ask the bus driver to stop.
  • The border street is open and you can walk back and forth freely, but keep your passport and entry stamp with you.
  • Free-shop prices are in US dollars and pesos; check the exchange rate before buying.
  • Summer (Dec–Feb) is hot and busy; winter is quiet with some seasonal businesses closed.

Emergency numbers

Police, ambulance, fire
911
Police (Comisaría Seccional 5ª)
+598 4474 2042
Firefighters (Destacamento de Chuy)
+598 4474 2226
Hospital of Chuy
+598 4474 2429

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

ChuyChuy

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

A esta dirección, por favorTo this address, please

Emergency

  • Police, ambulance, fire911
  • Police (Comisaría Seccional 5ª)+598 4474 2042
  • Hospital of Chuy+598 4474 2429

Embassy

Brazil has a consulate in Chuy (A. Fossati); most other countries: embassies in Montevideo.

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • Taxi in town: $U300–600 (check)
  • Taxi Chuy → Fortín de San Miguel: about $U600 each way (check)
  • Bus Chuy → Punta del Diablo: about $U200–300, under 1 h (check)

Say or show

  • Perdón — Excuse me / Sorry (per-DON)
  • Gracias — Thank you (GRA-syas)
  • ¿Cuánto cuesta? — How much is it? (KWAN-to KWES-ta)
  • ¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta? — Can I pay by card? (PWE-do pa-GAR kon tar-HE-ta)
  • ¿Dónde está la frontera? — Where is the border? (DON-de es-TA la fron-TE-ra)
  • ¿Dónde está el baño? — Where is the toilet? (DON-de es-TA el BA-nyo)

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Chuy. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: Oct–Apr · avoid Jun–Aug (cool, wet, quiet) · month by month →
  2. 2 airports and 2 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 3 day-trips, door to door
  6. 4 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Airport-to-bed contract for PDP and MVD: last bus times field-checked, taxi fallback, overnight rung.
  2. Two walking clusters with rescue anchors: Avenida Brasil and Plaza Artigas, Ruta 9 and the fort road.
  3. Place pages with verified cutoffs (Fortín de San Miguel, Casinos del Estado, free shops) and eat pages with last orders.
  4. Border-crossing fixture so the Brazil exit/entry stamps are explained before arrival.

Meanwhile

Back to Uruguay

Sources