Airports in Uruguay
Carrasco International Airport: the main airport of Uruguay
• FAQs
• Map
Transportation Options from Carrasco Airport
- Bus
- Uber
- Taxi
- Shuttle/Van
Laguna del Sauce International Airport (Punta del Este): small airport with mostly private flights
• FAQs
• Map
Bus System in Piriápolis and Beyond
Terminal de Ómnibus de Piriápolis
There is a bus terminal in downtown Piriápolis with bus connections throughout the country and beyond. There are several bus companies to choose from, some with similar routes.
Interdepartmental / Long-Distance Buses
These bus routes take you to Montevideo, Punta del Este, and elsewhere throughout the country. These are comfortable coach buses with luggage compartments underneath.
Some of these routes are express, and others make frequent local stops.
You can buy tickets in advance and reserve specific seats. If you buy a ticket in advance and find someone in your seat, it is normal and common to simply let them know that is your seat. If you board without a ticket, you can sit anywhere, but might be asked to move if someone boards later and has already purchased a ticket for that seat.
To search unified schedules for these buses, pick your exact bus seat, and purchase tickets online in advance via credit/debit card, you can use the Urubus App.
Another good mapping tool for long-distance routing is Rome2Rio.
Alternatively, you can skip third-party apps and buy tickets directly through the individual carrier platforms:
- COT: Offers frequent direct connections to Montevideo and Punta del Este. Tickets can be purchased on the Official COT Website or through their dedicated mobile app.
- COPSA (Línea Este): Offers seamless service along the Interbalnearia highway corridors. Schedules and direct ticketing are available on the Official COPSA Website.
- Turismar / Bruno: Useful for connecting Piriápolis to internal regional departments. Online purchasing is handled on the Official Turismar Website.
You can also purchase tickets for these bus companies at the physical ticket windows inside the terminal or on board using pesos or most foreign debit and credit cards.
Local Buses
For daily commuting inside Piriápolis and surrounding beach towns, long-distance apps like Urubus will not display local routes. Instead, you will rely on regional providers like Guscapar and CODESA.
To plan street-by-street local routing, locate nearby neighborhood bus stops, and get live arrival alerts, download the Moovit App for Uruguay.
NOTE: The exact bus route and stops often differ depending on which direction you are traveling.
- Guscapar: This is the primary local bus system in Piriápolis.
- You can pay onboard with most major foreign debit or credit cards or with pesos (do not expect to be able to get change from large bills).
- You can track the local Guscapar bus via the Guscapar Live Tracking Portal. It displays a real-time GPS fleet map.
- NOTE: The routes and stops for Guscapar can vary depending on your direction of travel. Be sure to confirm where the route originates from to determine which direction is IDA (departing) and which is VUELTA (returning).
- The routes through Piriápolis include:
- Line 27 (Pan de Azúcar): runs about every hour between Piriápolis and Pan de Azúcar
- Line 29 and 34 (Solis): Connect from Piriápolis to Playa Hermosa, Las Flores, and Solis
- Line 31 (Piriápolis Norte): Connects the terminal directly to northern residential neighborhoods including La Falda, Selva Negra, and Pueblo Obrero.
- Line 33 (Piriápolis Oeste): Connects to Los Ángeles, Playa Grande, Playa Hermosa, and Playa Verde.
- CODESA Line 8: Runs less frequently through Piriápolis than other carriers, but it’s useful if you need to travel to the coastal stretches of Punta Fría, Punta Colorada, and Punta Negra.
- The route is slightly different depending on your direction of travel. For CODESA routes, IDA indicates you are traveling TO Piriápolis, and VUELTA indicates you are traveling FROM Piriápolis toward Maldonado/Puna del Este.
- You can pay onboard with coins or small denominations of pesos
- CODESA eBus Card: A reloadable transport wallet used for local routes like Line 8. You can get one issued with your ID (Passport or Cédula) at the Maldonado Terminal or the CODESA stand in Punta Shopping.
Taxis in Piriápolis
There is a taxi stand at the Piriápolis bus terminal.
You can contact them on WhatsApp +59899632491 to request a taxi.
Calling or sending a voice message is preferred if you speak Spanish. If you don’t speak Spanish well, send a message in Spanish letting them know you don’t speak Spanish and ask them to reply in writing (so you can translate).
Share your location with them from within WhatsApp (click the paperclip or + in the message bar, then select “location”)
You can pay in the taxi with a foreign debit/credit card.
Car Rental in Piriápolis
- Nico Car Rental at the Piriápolis bus terminal