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Urubamba

Urubamba is a small town in Peru within the Sacred Valley of the Incas that is 48 km from Cusco.

Understand
It is calmer and less tourist-oriented than Cusco and most other towns in the Sacred Valley, although it largely lacks their historic sites. At 3000 m of elevation, it's a good place to adjust to the altitude for a day or two. The town is a crossroads from which you can change buses or colectivos for various local destinations.

By taxi
Ask your hotel to arrange a taxi, or if you pick up a taxi on the street, make sure it’s licensed. S/50-S/60.

By taxi, it is about 45 min from Cusco airport.

By shared taxi (colectivo)
Get a colectivo from the taxi terminal on Pavitos Street from early morning to 18:30. 1 hour, S/7 per person. Colectivos leave when they have four passengers. Safer, quicker and more comfortable than the bus.

By car
The city of Cusco has poor signage, congestion and no real rules of the road in operation. Get out of Cusco as quickly as possible, then enjoy the beauty of the region. Hertz, Avis, and Budget have agencies in Cusco.

By bus
From the bus terminal on Grau Street. 1½-2 hours until Cusco. Buses leave every 15 minutes from dawn until 18:30. S/3.50.

Get around
The main town is small enough to get around by foot; it's centered around the Plaza de Armas.

Do
Perfect place for starting a journey to the Southern Andes.

Urubamba has an ordinary, non-touristy fruit and vegetable market that's good.

Visit Moray and Salineras.

Buy
Textiles and handicrafts are for sale as usual. The local market is a good place to try Andean produce.

Eat
Anywhere! The restaurants around town cater to locals, and are often menu places, meaning they have a set option, arroz con pollo or lomo saltado usually with sopa as a starter, all for a reduced rate usually S/3-5. If you are craving American style fair, try The Muse, right off the main plaza. Try their camote chips, superburger, and brownie with icecream.

Go next

 * Cusco – the former Inca capital remains the region's major city, and it's full of ancient historic sites.
 * Ollantaytambo – a centuries-old town built on foundations of Inca stonework, surrounded by mountains dotted with ruins, with train service to Aguas Calientes (where you can continue to Machu Picchu).
 * The Inca Trail – some tour operators can pick you up in Urubamba for the famous four-day trek on the Inca highway through the mountains to Machu Picchu

title: Urubamba


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Uruguay

Uruguay is the second-smallest country in South America, wedged between two of the world's largest countries ― Argentina and Brazil.

Known for its colonial-era historic districts in Colonia and Montevideo, amazing beaches on the Atlantic Coast, its socially progressive society, and beef production, Uruguay is a true gem among South American nations, as it boasts a level of stability that few countries on the continent can match.

Regions
Uruguay is divided into 19 departments, which can be very roughly grouped into the following four general regions. Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, is its own department. Each of the other departments has a capital city, which sometimes has the same name as the department. This can occasionally lead to confusion—if someone says they're going to (for instance) Tacuarembó, you might have to ask whether they mean Tacuarembó the city or Tacuarembó the department. There's another bit of terminology that may be confusing to outsiders: Uruguayans use the word "interior" to refer to the whole country except Montevideo, not just the inland area.

Cities

 * – Uruguay's capital and largest city. A third of the country's population lives here and it is replete with stunning architecture, as well as beaches, museums, and festivals.
 * – a super-popular beach resort town known as the "Monaco of the South".
 * (Colonia del Sacramento) - a well preserved old colonial town and UNESCO World Heritage Site
 * – a beach resort, a bit more laid back than Punta del Este
 * – a hilly city in the north, right on the border with Brazil
 * – another summer beach town
 * – across the river from Argentina, with hot springs, riverside beaches, and more
 * – located on the border with Argentina and known for its hot springs and historic buildings

Other destinations

 * Beaches on the Atlantic Coast – in addition to the major beach towns mentioned above, there are some quieter spots worth a visit:
 * , including the colonial fortress Fortaleza de Santa Teresa
 * – "Ravens' Gorge", a protected landscape of rolling hills and a deep gorge
 * Remains of precolumbian settlements in Flores Department
 * Sierra de las Ánimas – a mountain range including one of Uruguay's highest peaks
 * Cerro Pan de Azúcar – the third highest peak in Uruguay, topped with a large cross, near Piriapolis
 * Remains of precolumbian settlements in Flores Department
 * Sierra de las Ánimas – a mountain range including one of Uruguay's highest peaks
 * Cerro Pan de Azúcar – the third highest peak in Uruguay, topped with a large cross, near Piriapolis

Itineraries

 * Along the coast of Uruguay – a tour of Uruguay's coast, including the most popular tourist destinations and beaches galore
 * La Redota – retracing the 1811–12 journey of national hero José Artigas

Understand
Uruguay is formally known as the Oriental Republic of Uruguay (''República Oriental del Uruguay).

The name Uruguay means river of the colorful birds. It is related to the name Guyana: Arawak Guayana, land of many waters.

Often called the Switzerland of South America not for geographical features, but for a stable democracy and social benefits such as free education. In 2002, Uruguay faced one of its biggest economic crises which had very negative effects on safety due to the rise in crime, and although the activity levels in 2008 were at pre-crisis levels, crime is still relatively high, but still low for the region. Long a desired country for immigration, Uruguay has been suffering from high levels of emigration for almost four decades, mainly of highly trained workers and people with high level studies (brain drain) seeking better opportunities abroad.

Uruguay has a rich agricultural and civic history. It has more than three times as many cattle as people (the highest ratio of any country in the world by far). The dominant pre-20th century live stock driving techniques are still utilized in some areas, and are less visited tourist attractions than the pleasant beaches and city centers. The country has a mostly low-lying landscape. Cerro Catedral, the country's highest point, is high.

Climate
Uruguay is the only South American country located entirely in the temperate zone. The country is flat grassland and all locations are particularly vulnerable to rapid changes from weather fronts and forceful winds as there are no high mountains that could act as shields. As Uruguay is located south of the Equator (approximately at the same latitude as Johannesburg and Sydney), summer and winter are reversed compared to the Northern Hemisphere. In the winter temperatures under freezing are rare but not unheard of.

People
Uruguay, like many countries in the Western Hemisphere, is a melting pot of cultures. Most Uruguayans are descendants of Spanish and Italian immigrants who migrated to the country centuries ago.

Uruguay has one of the largest Italian communities in the world ― it is believed that 44% of the population are of full or partial Italian descent.

History
Uruguay was discovered by Spanish Adelantados in the late 16th century, and was part of the United Provinces of the River Plate until 1811. (Although plata literally means "silver" in Spanish, "plate" is the traditional and correct translation as it was used as a synonym for precious metals up until the 19th century.) Originally, Uruguay was simply known as the Banda Oriental, or Eastern Band, of colonies along the eastern edge of the Uruguay and Plate Rivers.

When Buenos Aires expelled the last Viceroy, Baltasar Cisneros, the capital moved to Montevideo. The rebel navy sailed from Buenos Aires in an attempt to overcome the Spanish troops in that city, aided by the local rebel troops.

When Montevideo was finally freed from Spain, Uruguay intended to secede from Buenos Aires, only to be invaded by the Brazilian Empire, which started the Argentine-Brazilian war in 1813. After a variety of confusing twists, the war ultimately ended in a stalemate. With the assistance of mediation by the British government, both warring countries agreed to end their territorial claims on the Banda Oriental in 1828, thus giving birth to the new Eastern Republic of Uruguay. A constitution was subsequently drafted and adopted in 1830. British assistance in the creation of Uruguay led to a long history of British influence (including the habit of driving on the left), which ended only with World War II.

The Argentinian Civil War which ravaged that country during the 19th century was not a stranger to Uruguay, which soon gave birth to two opposing parties, the Whites (liberals) and the Reds (traditionalists) that eventually also led to a Uruguayan Civil War that went on in various hot and cold phases until the beginnings of the twentieth century. The story goes that the parties' colors originally came from armbands allegedly torn from the Uruguayan flag, but the conservatives switched to red armbands when they realized that red faded less quickly in the sun than blue.

However, the simmering tension between the left and right wings of Uruguayan politics persisted. From 1954 to 1967, Uruguay tried an unusual solution borrowed from Switzerland: a collegiate Executive Office in which a different member was designated President every year. In this way, Uruguay became the "Latin American Switzerland" for a while, acting as model of democracy and banking liberties until a military coup ended all this.

A Marxist urban guerrilla movement, the Tupamaros, launched in the late 1960s, led Uruguay's president Juan María Bordaberry to "agree" to military control of his administration in 1973. (They returned the favor by firing him from his job in 1976 and appointing the first of several puppet presidents.) By the end of 1974 the rebels had been brutally crushed (and Tupamaro leader and future president Jose Mujica was imprisoned at the bottom of a well), but the military continued to expand its hold over the government, by engaging in widespread torture and disappearances of alleged insurgents and anyone unfortunate enough to be perceived as opponents of the regime. Civilian and democratic rule was not restored until 1985.

Today, Uruguay's political and labor conditions are among the most free on the continent. It ranks 18th in the Democracy Index. In 2004, a center-left to left-wing coalition (the Frente Amplio or Broad Front) which included the Tupamaros won elections which left them in control of both houses of congress, the presidency, and most city and regional governments. In 2009, former guerrilla leader Mujica was elected president.

Culture
Culturally the country is closest to its neighbors Argentina and the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, with which it shares its traditional elements of gaucho (South American cowboy) culture. In Montevideo and on the coast the gaucho is more of a national symbol than a part of daily life, but in the north (cities like Rivera and Bella Unión) you'll see modern-day gauchos going about their lives, riding horses in traditional clothing.

Uruguay also has Lusitanian influences, like the large Rio-like carnivals in the first months of the year in many cities, the historical old town of Colonia — a 17th-century Portuguese outpost and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as portuñol, a mix of Spanish and Portuguese spoken near the Brazilian border. Amerindian traits can be found in Uruguayan culture, from cuisine to vocabulary, but there is no Amerindian population left. Finally the Uruguayans share the passion for association football/soccer with Argentina and Brazil and the very first FIFA World Cup was actually held in Montevideo in 1930 — won by the host nation.

Holidays

 * January 1 - New Year's Day
 * January 6 - Wise Men's Day
 * Carnival (moveable)
 * Holy Week (officially Tourism Week; moveable)
 * April 19 - Landing of the 33 Patriots Day
 * May 18 - Battle of Las Piedras
 * June 19 - Birthday of José Gervasio Artigas
 * July 18 - Constitution Day
 * August 25 - Independence Day
 * December 25 - Christmas (officially Family Day)

Visitor information

 * Tourism website

Visa requirements
Citizens of Mercosur member states ― Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Peru ― enjoy freedom of movement in Uruguay. They can just enter with their National ID card.

Citizens of the following countries can enter without a visa:

 * Up to 90 days: Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States and Venezuela.

 * Up to 30 days: Malaysia and Mongolia.

If you're not a citizen of any of the countries listed above, you must apply for a visa at a Uruguayan embassy.

If you want to stay longer than 90 days as a tourist, you'll need to either leave the country and re-enter with a fresh stamp for another 90 days (Buenos Aires and Chuí are popular and convenient options for these "visa runs"; see below for others), or bring your passport to the appropriate government office to get an extension.

Travellers from other countries should contact the local consular section of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. But usually Uruguay has its borders open to tourists and visitors from all countries and it is quite easy to get in or out.

Visa application requirements
If you need a visa to visit Uruguay, you're normally required submit the following documents:

 * A completed visa application form
 * A copy of your passport (must have a validity of more than six months)
 * A passport-sized photograph
 * A letter of invitation from your host in Uruguay (a hotel reservation will suffice)
 * Round-trip tickets to Uruguay

Note:
 * Some embassies may require you to submit a health certificate
 * Some embassies may require you to submit a bank statement

Incomplete visa applications will be denied, so get everything you need.

By plane
The country's largest airport and primary hub is, east of Montevideo. Carrasco is a relatively small airport and most travelers outside Latin America will have to connect at least once or twice to get there.

From Carrasco there are flights to several destinations in Argentina and Brazil, Buenos Aires and São Paulo having direct connections to many major airports on other continents. Other Latin American destinations include Santiago, Asunción, Santa Cruz, Lima and Panama. Moreover there are flights to Miami, Madrid and Paris.

Other airports in the country exist, but they have just a one or two flights to Montevideo or Buenos Aires a week — given the short distances and affordable and frequent bus transportation these airports are of marginal use for most travelers. If you are heading to western Uruguay, consider flying into Buenos Aires and continuing by bus or ferry.

Some airlines demand a return or onward travel ticket when checking in for a flight into Uruguay, like AirEuropa and American Airlines. Inquire with your airline whether this is needed or hold something ready. However, a convincing fake copy might do, since airport staff will not really be able to verify any such proof.

By train
There are no international train lines to Uruguay.

By car
The main border crossings from Argentina and Brazil are (from south to north):

 * from Argentina: Fray Bentos/Gualeguaychú, Paysandú/Colón, Salto/Concordia
 * from Brazil: Chuy/Chuí, Río Branco/Jaguarão, Aceguá/Aceguá, Rivera/Santana do Livramento, Artigas/Quaraí, Bella Unión/Barra do Quaraí

Some ferries between Buenos Aires and Colonia also carry vehicles. However, taking the land border crossing can be convenient for a more complete route including Salto, Paysandú and Carmelo and the cities on the Argentinian side on your trip between Argentina and Uruguay.

By bus
Terminal Tres Cruces is Montevideo's main hub. Travel by bus is very safe. International services are available to Montevideo from Porto Alegre and Florianópolis (Brazil), most of the Argentinian provinces (Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Mendoza, Entre Rios), Asunción (Paraguay) and Santiago. There are also buses to Punta del Este from Porto Alegre and Florianópolis. The service is catered and buses have an outstanding level of service, much better than the average European service.

Coming from Brazil, it is also possible to take a bus to a border town (Chuí and Santana do Livramento are the most popular), walk across the border, and continue on a domestic bus within Uruguay. If you go this route, make sure you remember to get your passport stamped on both sides of the border. The passport controls on each side are sometimes located some distance from the border, but if necessary, the bus driver should stop at them for you if you ask. (On international buses, the bus company will handle the border formalities without you needing to ask.)

Note after pandemia a very useful app to travel Uruguay by bus (URUBUS ) is available to buy tickets online of all companies at the same price than Terminal Tres Cruces.

By boat
The Buquebus ferry service operates between Buenos Aires, Argentina, and both Colonia del Sacramento and Montevideo, Uruguay. Some services continue from there to Punta del Este. For the Buquebus-Ferry from Buenos Aires to Colonia del Sacramento there are two options. One takes three hours and the other one hour to get there. The fast Buquebus catamaran ferry (one hour) costs around US$70 return (when booked in advance) and around US$110 when booked the day prior and is usually quite crowded with day tourists and travel groups.

Colonia Express operates between Buenos Aires and Colonia by one hour ferry and then by bus to Montevideo. Ticket prices to Montevideo or Colonia are between US$25–50, depending on the day of week and time.

Seacat Colonia operates as well between Buenos Aires and Colonia by one hour ferry and then by bus to Montevideo and Punta del Este.

Another and potentially cheaper possibility is to take a boat from Tigre (north of Buenos Aires) through the scenic waterways of the river to Carmelo in Uruguay. From Carmelo, transfer via Colonia or head north. Great landscape and also drops off kids from school along the way. AR$500 as of Feb 2018.

Make sure you book in advance for weekends and the peak season (late November until the end of February).

Note that there is also the directferries.com/.co.uk Website, which offers all those trips and ferries, at a however inflated price. In addition, it sometimes requires you to book business seats, which adds even more to the bill. In the end prices can easily be threefold for a simple one way ticket.

By train
There are limited commuter train services around Montevideo, provided by the Administración de Ferrocarriles del Estado. There are some tourist trains which do not have a fixed schedule. You need to find announcements for them at the Montevideo train station, located at the corner of Nicaragua and Paraguay. There is no regular long distance train service. The most usual means of public transport is the bus (local buses inside Montevideo and from Montevideo to other main cities of the country).

By bus
Uruguay has an extensive internal bus system, in practice the only way of getting around between cities if you aren't driving. From Montevideo interdepartmental buses leave from the Tres Cruces station which also serves the international buses. There are often several companies serving the routes and the buses are frequent, safe, comfortable and affordable. Buses generally depart right on time.

Depending on the company, tickets can usually be bought online, at bus stations and on board the buses themselves. If you buy tickets before departure you will get a reserved seat, otherwise you can sit at seats that don't happen to be occupied (otherwise there's place to stand in the aisle). Usually, there is a separate inspector on board selling and checking tickets. The inspector may ask you where you're getting off; if you're planning to get off at your destination's bus terminal, you can just say "terminal".

Companies offering long-distance bus transport include COT (Compañía de Ómnibus Turismo), COPSA (Compañía Oriental de Transportes S.A.), Rutas del Plata, Turil, Turismar, Rutas del Sol, Buquebus, Agencia Central, Nossar, Tata, Copay, Nuñez and Chadre.

Several cities also have local bus systems; Montevideo's is naturally the largest. It can be hard to find information online about local bus routes, especially for cities other than Montevideo, but if you ask a local they'll usually know which routes go where.

For both local and interdepartmental buses, you can flag them down at a bus stop by stretching your arm out horizontally to your side, perpendicular to the road, as if pointing to the other side of the street.

One-day bus strikes (paros) are not uncommon, resulting in limited service or none at all. Often they are just for interdepartmental buses while local buses run with no disruption.

By taxi
Taxis in Uruguay are safe and fairly affordable, costing about USUS$2 per km. All taxis in Montevideo use meters and have fixed costs. Some meters do not display the price of the trip in pesos but in "fichas" (tokens) which have to be converted into pesos according to a chart that should be shown to the passengers. Taxis in some smaller cities may not use meters.

Uber is available in Montevideo and Punta del Este.

By car
The main highway is the one that goes from Montevideo to Punta Del Este (main tourist city of Uruguay), it is double lane from both sides. However this is the exception and most of the highways are single lane and therefore you should take precautions when driving long distances (a "long distance" in Uruguay is 500 km max), trying to pass another car. Always keep your distance from the car in front of you.

In the central areas of major cities, and on most major highways, the roads are good, but if you go a little off the beaten path, be prepared for potholes and dirt roads.

Car rentals
To rent a car in Uruguay, residents of many countries need only their driver's license, passport, and credit card; only residents of certain countries must obtain an International Driver's Permit. Vehicle imports and gasoline are both heavily taxed. Therefore, most Uruguayans prefer to buy cars with fuel-efficient manual transmissions, which in turn means that vehicles with automatic transmissions are rarer and much more expensive. If you can drive a manual transmission, you are looking at about USUS$50/day and up, while those who can only drive automatic transmissions are looking at USUS$90/day and up for a car rental.

It will cost USUS$60 and up to fill up the gas tank just on a regular small sedan like a Chevy Aveo. Traditionally, the sole gasoline retailer in Uruguay was the state-owned monopoly, ANCAP. (ANCAP is the "National Administration" for "combustibles," alcohol, and Portland cement, hence the name.) Today, ANCAP competes with Petrobras and Esso. All gas stations are full service, so you will need to know enough rudimentary Spanish to tell the attendant to fill it up.

Driving
Driving in Uruguay is very similar to European driving, but with less traffic lights and lots of roundabouts. North Americans accustomed to wild big-city driving (New York or Los Angeles) will not find it too difficult to adapt to. As in many developing countries and parts of Europe, Uruguayans have a tendency to split lanes or make their own lane. Since manual transmissions take longer to spin up, Uruguayans like to watch for the cross-traffic's yellow light and then jump the green about a second in advance, which means you should never run yellow lights if you can brake safely. Many intersections are marked only with yield signs. If you don't see a sign, treat it as a yield. If you see a stop sign ("Pare"), it means stop, please stop, probably because it's a blind intersection and someone was killed there.

You should have the "carta verde" licence to drive in Uruguay, you can find it in the embassy. The legal limit of alcohol concentration is 0.0%—do not drive after drinking.

Drive on the right just like in most of the rest of South America.

Uruguay has not yet implemented sensor loops, so all traffic lights are on timers and you will have to sit there regardless of whether the cross-street has traffic. (Some local drivers will just run the red after sitting for a few minutes if cross-traffic is nonexistent.) Right turns on red after stop are not allowed. Headlights must be turned on at all times while moving.

Like much of Latin America, Uruguay has a fondness for giant speed bumps at the edge of towns the road passes through, this is true also for major roads. These are signed well in advance and require drivers to brake to or less; failure to brake in time will send one's car flying.

Uruguayan law requires drivers to keep both hands on the steering wheel while moving, which means you cannot use a handheld cell phone while driving.

The speed limit ranges between on most intercity highways, with  standard on most stretches, but it's not enforced. Uruguay does not have any long-distance freeways or expressways. Some short stretches of Routes 1 and 5 to the west of Montevideo have been upgraded to freeways.

Look out for pedestrians and slow-moving traffic in the roadway, especially in rural areas and poorer suburbs. Because automobiles are so expensive, many Uruguayans get around solely by foot, taxi, scooter, motorcycle, or bus. Like many developing countries, Uruguay lacks the resources to properly maintain sidewalks in poor neighborhoods, so sidewalks often have cracks, potholes, or worse. Therefore, you will see pedestrians frequently walking in the street even when there appears to be a sidewalk or footpath next to the road.

Navigation
Uruguayan national highways are well-maintained, well-designed, easy to drive, and in excellent condition; they are maintained by the private Highway Corporation of Uruguay (CVU) under the supervision of the National Highway Directorate (DNV). CVU charges a standard toll (U$90 for a regular auto) to traffic in both directions at toll plazas strategically sited throughout the country near bridges over major rivers (where it is difficult to find a toll-free detour). Transitions between CVU/DNV and local department highway maintenance are always marked with large signs (if the jarring change in the quality of the pavement doesn't already make it obvious). Roads under local maintenance tend to vary widely in terms of quality.

The most important long-distance highway in Uruguay is the Ruta Interbalneria (IB) linking Montevideo to Punta Del Este, which is a four-lane road with a broad median. Note that the IB was built as what people from western North America call an expressway; that is, cross-traffic still crosses at-grade at intersections rather than at interchanges with overpasses and underpasses. Most other highways are two-lane highways.

It is nearly impossible to obtain paper road maps of Uruguay outside of the country. Fortunately, ANCAP sells an excellent map package at all its gas stations which, as of 2012, includes three maps. Two are large foldable sheet maps. One is an overview-level highway map, which has the entire Mercosur bloc on one side and all of Uruguay on the other. The other is a detailed street map of Montevideo. The third map is a booklet with detailed street maps of all departmental capital cities and several other major cities, including Punta del Este.

Google Maps, Bing Maps from Microsoft, and OpenStreetMap all have excellent coverage of Montevideo, and the first two also have good coverage of the rest of the country. Although there are now mobile apps available which enable users to download OpenStreetMap data in advance to one's mobile phone, OpenStreetMap's coverage of areas outside of Montevideo and Punta del Este is still incomplete.

Another important quirk to keep in mind is that only online map services accurately depict the one-way streets common in Montevideo and other Uruguayan cities and towns. Virtually all Uruguayan paper road maps (including the ANCAP maps and the official maps from the Ministry of Tourism and Sport) lack arrows to show the direction of one-way streets.

Emergencies
Take notice of the emergency phone numbers prominently posted on the highways and keep them in mind. Uruguay is not a dangerous country, but since it is mostly agricultural and very sparsely populated between the towns, if your car breaks down it can take you a long time to walk to the nearest pay phone. It is recommended to carry a cell phone with you. Antel is the state company and the main provider.

By motorbike
Many Uruguayans use motorbikes as their preferred mode of transport. These are also available for rent to tourists in many larger cities. For motorbikes there is no road toll.

By thumb

 * Also, read the general guide on hitchhiking.

In rural areas hitchhiking is fairly common and as safe as hitching is anywhere. Uruguay has the lowest level of violent crime in the Americas, outside Canada. If you are female don't hitchhike alone. Play it safe but it's more likely that the car is going to crash (1 in 100 chance) than something bad is going to happen. Always use your seatbelts, while drivers that take you along the way can be very open, they can also be a little reckless in driving, kind of related probably.

Talk
Spanish is the country's official and national language.

The pronunciation and the use of the vos pronoun instead of tú is practically the same as the Spanish variety spoken in Argentina, also known as Rioplatense Spanish. However it is remarkably different from the Spanish spoken in Spain when it comes to pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary. If you are not familiar with the local dialect, be prepared to regularly having to ask people you're talking with to repeat themselves.

Although most Uruguayans have studied English at school, they do not actually speak or use it. However, some Uruguayans have studied English at private institutes, so they can speak it well. Outside Montevideo, Colonia and Punta del Este, there are few English speakers. In most tourist spots (shopping centers and in Punta del Este), there is someone who is proficient in English and upscale restaurants and those that cater to tourists often have someone on staff who speaks English. In practice, knowledge of basic Spanish is indispensable for independent travel in Uruguay.

If you try to communicate in Spanish or with gestures, most Uruguayans will try to help you out. Those who can speak English will often single you out and begin a conversation themselves, eager to try out their English. People are kind and helpful, and they will be glad to meet with a foreigner.

In major tourist spots and anywhere near the Brazilian border, you can get by with Portuguese. Don't be surprised if you talk to someone in Portuguese and they just respond in Spanish, figuring that if you speak Portuguese you can understand enough Spanish to get what they're saying. Near the border, you may also hear Portuñol, a mixture of Portuguese and Spanish.

The deaf community in Uruguay uses Uruguayan Sign Language (lengua de señas uruguaya).

If you want to study Spanish in a language academy, you may want to check out the Grupo de Turismo Idiomático, a private sector initiative supported by the Ministry of Tourism.

See

While there are interesting things to see all over Uruguay, the main sights of interest are concentrated on the coastline. Perhaps unsurprisingly the largest concentration of things to see is the capital, Montevideo. There the "father of Uruguayan nationhood", general Jose Artigas rests in a mausoleum under an equestrian statue of himself in the middle of Plaza Independencia surrounded by buildings iconic to the capital such as Palacio Salvo, the old and new presidential palaces, the city gate and the Edificio Ciudadela. Passing through the city gate one will arrive in the old town of Montevideo hosting several museums, old buildings that once were the residences of wealthy families as well as the Puerto del Mercado. Other points of interest not to be missed in Montevideo include the neoclassical parliament building Palacio Legislativo, the Centenario Stadium and the adjacent football museum and the 22 km long beach promenade Rambla stretching along the Atlantic shore with several sights next to or nearby it.

A two and a half hour bus trip west takes you to Colonia del Sacramento, a city established in 1680 by the Portuguese. While the modern part of the city isn't much of a tourist attraction, the well-preserved colonial barrio histórico is a UNESCO World Heritage site. As it is located a mere one hour from Buenos Aires by catamaran, it is also a popular day trip for visitors to the Argentinian capital.

East of Montevideo is Punta del Este, a beach resort popular among the rich and famous and the city where the Los Dedos sculpture and the Casa Pueblo resort museum are located. Just north of Punta del Este is the city of Maldonado with the lighthouse of José Ignacio. Closer to the capital is the city of Piriápolis where you can visit the Castillo de Piria.

Further off the beaten path, check out Uruguay's industrial history in Fray Bentos, where a former meat processing plant is also a World Heritage site. And of course that meat had to come from somewhere—Uruguay also has a strong history of agriculture, and visitors can tour estancias (ranches) dotted throughout the country's interior. In the northern interior, you're sure to encounter gauchos: Uruguayan cowboys who still wear traditional clothes and ride horses alongside the highway.

Do

 * One of the best experiences to have during your stay in Uruguay is to watch a football game between Nacional and Peñarol, the two most followed football teams in the nation, but be careful with the radical fans of both teams, since they can engage in fights and violence.
 * Sunbathing, surfing and swimming at the beaches of the Atlantic coast. The most important beaches are in Punta del Este, Piriapolis, La Paloma, La Pedrera, Cabo Polonio, Punta del Diablo and Santa Teresa (national park and campground).
 * Stargazing at places mentioned by the project Mirá las Estrellas by Fefo Bouvier
 * Birdwatching at Rocha's tourist "estancias".

Events

 * Llamadas de Reyes - candombe drums - January 6 in Montevideo
 * Desfile de Llamadas - candombe parade - first Friday of February in Barrio Sur, Montevideo
 * Concurso de Carnaval - popular stage-productions divided in different styles: murgas, revistas, humoristas, parodistas and lubolos - February in Montevideo
 * Fiesta de la Patria Gaucha - celebrating gaucho culture - first week of March in Tacuarembó
 * Noche de la nostalgia (Nostalgia Night) - August 24, the night before Independence Day, when the nightclubs play oldies music and Uruguayans party the night away

Money
The Uruguayan currency is the peso (ISO code: UYU). Prices are quoted using the U$ symbol, which may be easily confused with the US dollar symbol.

Prices on costlier goods and services (over US$100, generally speaking) are often quoted in American dollars instead of pesos, and US dollars are surprisingly widely accepted even at some fast food restaurants. Places that cater to foreign visitors often also accept Argentinian pesos or Brazilian reals. All of these currencies use the symbol "$", so check which currency the prices are in if you're unsure.

Coins in Uruguay come in denominations of 1, 2, 5 and 10 pesos Uruguayos. Banknotes in Uruguay come in denominations of 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1,000 and 2,000 pesos Uruguayos.

Cash, ATMs and credit cards
Credit cards are not as widely accepted as in North America or Europe - smaller establishments often accept only cash (efectivo). Try to have more or less exact change as they even in a mid-size supermarket can have some problems giving you change back if you are paying for U$600 worth of purchases with a U$1000 bill. You can exchange a large bill for smaller change without paying a commission at Abitab, a one-stop shop with branches all over Uruguay that offers all kinds of services, including paying bills, buying tickets for performances, and adding money to transit cards.

Many Uruguayan ATMs can dispense US dollars in addition to pesos. You can find ATMs by looking for signs saying "BanRed" or "RedBrou". RedBrou has lower fees, but many of their machines are deposit-only. Alternatively, head for a branch of Banco República, which usually has ATMs; they state a fee of US$0.75-1.50, which however apparently does not apply to certain cards, e.g. some German credit cards that offer free withdrawals worldwide. So, best to try once, then you know.

You can bring euros but exchange rates are usually 5-10% off the official rate, whereas many credit card rates only are 1% off plus the usual card fee of 0-3%. So, coming from Europe probably cards are to be preferred considering their safety and convenience. US dollars however can be exchanged at highly competitive rates, inheriting a fee of often just 1% or less. Cambios (aka Bureau de change) are numerous and widespread; wherever you have a bank or a (Red)Brou, there will most likely also be a Cambio in town.

Exchanging euros at the airport is expensive with rates about 20% off the official interbank rates.

Shopping
Uruguay is like many developing countries in that the retail industry is still dominated by small specialized shops, small supermarkets, and small, crowded shopping malls. There are no true department stores in the country remotely comparable to the giant stores found in New York or Paris. Even the shopping buildings along Avenida 18 de Julio in central Montevideo are not department stores but collections of 10-20 smaller stores. In the entire country, there is only one true hypermarket, Geant (operated a joint venture between local chain Disco and the French chain Geant), that constitutes a reasonably decent facsimile of hypermarkets elsewhere (down to the huge parking lot, high ceiling and wide aisles). Uruguay does not have the big box "category killer" stores for which the U.S. is famous (and which have been copied to a lesser extent in Australia and Europe).

One quite widespread supermarket chain is Ta-ta. These relatively small supermarkets sell a wide range of products from food and household items to clothes and even things you can bring home as souvenirs. If you've forgotten to bring something for your trip you can probably find it there. Most of them are open seven days a week.

Day stores such as Ta-Ta, Devoto, Tienda Inglesa and Disco do close early, commonly at 21:00, but essential goods can be bought at gas stations that remain open 24/7 all over the country.

There are several so-called shopping centers, four of them located in the capital: Montevideo Shopping Center, Punta Carretas Shopping Center, Portones Shopping, Tres Cruces Shopping (which also serves as a long-distance bus station), and the newly opened Nuevo Centro.

Products
Uruguay does not manufacture most consumer goods locally. Most items in the stores have either been imported from China, or from Argentina or Brazil. Even worse, Uruguay charges high import tariffs and high value-added tax (IVA) of about 22% on virtually everything. Accordingly, imported goods cost as much as in Australia, Canada, or Europe. Uruguayan products on the other hand - chiefly comprised of food and leather products - can be very affordable.

Some parts of Uruguayan stores feature numerous high-quality brands familiar to any North American, like Dove soap, Colgate toothpaste, Listerine mouthwash, Del Monte canned fruit, and so on. There are other brands with familiar logos but strange names; for example, Coca-Cola's South American juice brand is del Valle, which has a logo similar to Coca-Cola's North American juice brand, Minute Maid.

However, Uruguay is not a major priority for most other brands found in the developed world, which means their products are (luckily!) rare or nonexistent here. Locally available brands (as noted, imported mostly from China) tend to be of poor quality. Because the Uruguayan market is so small and most Uruguayans are still relatively poor compared to consumers elsewhere, Uruguayan retailers lack the bargaining power of their North American or European counterparts. In turn, Chinese factories often sell their highest-quality product lines to the dominant First World markets and send their mediocre-quality product lines to Uruguay and other small developing countries. For example, while American and European consumers are accustomed to advertisements for luxury bedding made of more than 700 thread count textiles woven from Egyptian or pima cotton, luxury bedding in Uruguay consists of more than 250 thread count textiles woven from cotton/polyester blends.

Popular items to buy include yerba mate gourds, antiques, wool textiles, and leather goods: jackets, purses, wallets, belts, etc. With regard to textiles and leather goods, although the prices may look like great bargains, one must keep in mind that local designs are inferior to designs elsewhere. Uruguay is still decades behind other countries when it comes to the quality of metalworking, which is a serious problem since leather goods like purses and belts have metal parts like clasps and buckles.

Tipping
Tipping is not mandatory. Usually 10% in restaurants will be enough. Tipping taxi drivers is entirely optional.

Eat
Uruguayan cuisine is typical for temperate countries, high on butter, fat, and grains, low on spice. It has an important Italian influence due to the strong Italian immigration. If you are from the Mediterranean or Mexico, you will find it bland, but if you come from the Northern Europe, Russia or the US, you won't have trouble getting used to it.

Prices
As of May 2014, breakfast for 4 people (a liter of fruit juice and two packages of biscuits) can cost as little as U$100 in a supermarket, a serving of fast food costs about the same while meals in sit down restaurants generally speaking start from U$300. Many restaurants have a cover charge.

Restaurants and some other services give discounts if you pay with a foreign credit card. (The discount, which was established by the government to encourage tourism, is a reduction in value-added tax.)

Specialties
There are many public markets where you can get a hundred varieties of meat. Vegetarians can order ravioli or other pasta just about anywhere, but check to make sure the sauce doesn't contain meat. Vegans may have trouble as meat and dairy are nearly ubiquitous; restaurants with good vegan options exist, but they're few and far between.

Empanadas (hand-sized meat or cheese pies) make an excellent portable, inexpensive, and delicious snack or lunch. You can find them easily at many corner bakeries. Uruguay has traditionally been a ranching country, with cattle outnumbering people more than two-to-one, and therefore features excellent (and affordable) steaks. One dish that should not be missed is chivito, a heart-attack-on-a-platter sandwich (some guidebooks call it a "cholesterol bomb") that is made of a combination of grilled tenderloin steak, tomato, lettuce, onion, eggs (hard-boiled and then sliced), ham, bacon, mozzarella cheese and mayonnaise and fries. There are two versions of chivito. Al pan means it's served "on bread", this is the classic variant and it looks like a hamburger served on a plate. If it is served al plato it is like a hamburger minus the bread and often with more vegetables.

Asado is a typical Uruguayan barbeque, consisting of a variety of grilled meats (beef short ribs, sausage, blood sausage and sweetbreads and other offal) over wood coals. Almost all Uruguayans know how to make it and its variations appear on most restaurant menus. For a traditional experience, try it at the "Mercado del Puerto" market, in Montevideo's port area. As many of the European immigrants to the area around Rio de la Plata a century ago came from Italy, Italian dishes have a special place in the local cuisine, often with a local twist. The Central European schnitzel's local relative Milanesa is made with beef instead of pork and is also available as a sandwich.

Bizcochos are popular pastries that can be bought at local bakeries among with other local confectioneries and sandwiches such as the sandwich olímpico, which can also be found at most supermarkets.

Tortas fritas (a sort of fried pancake), pasteles and garrapiñada (sugar-roasted peanuts) among with hamburgers and choripanes are commonly sold on the street.

Uruguay, with its long shoreline, also enjoys an excellent variety of seafood and fish. The flavor of the most commonly offered fish, brotola, may be familiar to people from North America, where it is called hake.

For desserts, dulce de leche, a kind of caramel made with sweetened milk, is found in all manner of confections, from ice cream to alfajores (dulce de leche-filled cookie sandwiches), Ricardito and chajá (available in all supermarkets).

Drink

 * Mate (MAH-teh) – Mate is derived from the yerba mate plant that was originally used by the indigenous Guarani living near the Rio de la Plata. This traditional drink is ubiquitous—you will see more people carrying a mate gourd and thermos bottle on the streets of Montevideo than people with take-away coffee in New York. However, it can hardly be ordered in restaurants; as young and old go around with their own cup and thermos bottle on the street, there would likely be no-one ordering it in a café or restaurant if they offered it. You may have to buy a package at a supermarket and make your own. The drinking gourds are widely available and range from economical to super-deluxe silver and horn. Most Uruguayans prefer to drink their mate without sugar, called a Mate amargo. Gourds and horns are constantly being refilled with the brew from sun-up to sun-down. But as everyone prepares their own mate, cafés and restaurants seldom serve it. Mate is a social drink. If you are with a group of Uruguayans they will probably offer you some, do be mindful, it will be hot and may taste somewhat bitter. If you try some it will make everybody happy.
 * Salus – A mineral water bottled in Uruguay. If you're a little apprehensive about drinking tap water, this is a great way to go!
 * Tutti Frutti — A mix of delicious freshly squeezed fruit juice with ice.
 * Beer – Alcohol is relatively inexpensive. Beer is often sold in 1L bottles. You basically have a selection of typical lagers. The most commonly found are Patricia or Pilsen, with Zillertal also often available. You can also order a chopp, which is a draft beer (and if not specified, it is normally Patricia). Uruguayan beers can be bought at U$80 in supermarkets.
 * Uvita – A specialty of Bar Fun Fun, raisin-flavoured liquor served in a shot glass.
 * Medio y Medio – A special mix of drinks made by "Roldós", in the Mercado del Puerto
 * Paso de los Toros (an exotic pomelo-based soda)
 * Wine ‐ Uruguay is also acquiring a reputation for its fine wines, especially those made from the Tannat grape. The "VCP" label (Vino de Calidad Preferente) identifies qualify wines, in contrast to table wines (vinos de mesa). A bottled mix of wines called medio y medio can be found at most stores.
 * Whisky – The most common strong alcohol beverage is surprisingly whisky, even many famous brands such as Johnnie Walker being manufactured in Uruguay under license. A 1l bottle of the cheapest brands can be bought for U$250 in a supermarket.
 * Grappa – Even cheaper strong alcohols are the locally distilled grappas and cañas that can be bought at most supermarkets and also can be tasted in many pizzerias where they also sell grappa con limón, the same liquor flavoured with lemon.
 * Compared to Brazil the coffee served in both cafés and hotels is reportedly rather tasteless, however in the ice cream café chain Freddo they do have good coffee.

Nightlife goes late in Uruguay. Nightclubs often waive the cover charge for "early" arrivals until midnight, and it's not uncommon for a concert or a night of partying to end around dawn.

Sleep
For nature lovers, birdwatchers, and those seeking a respite from the fast-paced world, there are many "estancias" in serene and peaceful environments, surrounded by many species of native and migrating birds, which offer a unique opportunity to reconnect with nature.

There are many more beach houses to rent along the coast than actual hotel rooms. They are plentiful, and outside the high season affordable. During the first two weeks of January it's impossible to find anything, every cottage and hotel room is booked months in advance.

In addition, camping is possible in many place (free or including amenities), especially near the beach. However, consider that many grounds are private property, so you should not camp here. Consult OpenStreetMap, which many mobile Apps like OsmAnd or Mapy.cz use, to find places which have been tagged by other people as possible camping sites.

Learn
Uruguayan society underscores the importance of education and the country has one of the highest literacy rates and most respectable educational systems in South America. Educators are generally well-respected members of Uruguayan society; they take their duties very seriously, there's virtually no corruption in the educational system, and teachers are expected to play a vital role in shaping the future of the country.

However, Uruguay isn't a hugely popular destination for foreign students and the country has a moderate number of universities. Most universities conduct classes in Spanish; therefore, having an excellent knowledge of Spanish is essential to unlock the full range of learning opportunities in the country.

The University of the Republic is the country's oldest and most prestigious university, with over 150,000 students.

Work
Finding employment in Uruguay can be a competitive affair; the small size of the economy and an oversupply of educated labour mean that there's not enough work for people and these factors prompt many Uruguayans to seek employment opportunities abroad.

There are numerous English language schools which are looking for native speakers as teachers. They can arrange papers or pay teachers under the table. The pay is not good, but enough to live on in Montevideo. Work permits are not particularly difficult to obtain and Uruguay lets you convert a tourist visa to a work visa without leaving the country. Residency visas without permission to work simply require you prove access to US$500 a month.

Volunteering (and learning Spanish at the same time) is big in South America—check out the general information in the South America article.

Cope
Facebook has a Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay Backpacker / Traveler group where you can find other travellers and up-to-date information on the country. In general, also see South America.

Stay safe

Historically, Uruguay has enjoyed a very low rate of violent crime compared to its neighbors. Thus, Argentines and Brazilians traditionally go on vacation in Uruguay because they love not having to worry about being carjacked, kidnapped, or murdered while on vacation. Even today, Uruguay is still relatively free of those types of crimes.

However, this does not mean that Uruguay is crime free. The major differences are that most Uruguayan crimes are either nonconfrontational or do not involve the gratuitous use of firearms. Montevideo in particular has seen its crime rate gradually rise since the severe 2001-2002 financial crisis, and now has moderately high levels of theft, burglary, and robbery similar to those found in major U.S. cities. Fortunately, Punta del Este and most rural areas continue to enjoy relatively low crime levels. In Montevideo, take precautions: use a money belt and/or hotel safe for valuables, look alert, keep out of obvious slums, and avoid wandering around unfamiliar or iffy neighborhoods at night. Overall, Montevideo about as safe as large European cities like Paris, Berlin, London or Madrid.

In a security emergency, call 911 or 999. For firefighters, call, 104. For ambulance, call 105.

Cannabis is one of the most widely used drugs in the country and legal as well. Uruguay is the first country in the world where the sale, growth and distribution of cannabis is legal. Regarding the legality of marijuana, possession for personal use is not penalized if it concerns minor quantities (a few grams), either Uruguayan or foreign. Possession of major quantities (for example, one kilogram) is illegal and punishable by law. The 2013 legalization of this drug for personal use (medicinal or recreational), sale or storage of the plant (~480 grams per year) is only for Uruguayan citizens of 18 years and above (natural or legal citizenship) with legal capacity. Likewise with alcohol, driving under the influence of marijuana is not allowed, and such breach may carry a fine.

Stray dogs can be found all over Uruguay. They might follow you around a bit hoping for food, but they are rarely aggressive. If they come too close for your taste, (pretend to) pick up a stone and they will understand.

Natural disasters
Uruguay is vulnerable to floods. If it rains too much, roads can become impassable and riverside houses may need to be evacuated.

Uruguay is also vulnerable to tornados and is part of the South America Tornado Corridor, the second most tornado-prone area in the world (behind the United States Tornado Alley). Monitor local media notices and if you see that the sky is dark, the light take on a greenish-yellow cast or a loud sound that sounds like a freight train, this could be an indication of a tornado. Find shelter immediately. Refer to the tornado safety article for analysis of the issues here.

Stay healthy
Uruguay has one of the best healthcare systems in South America; most medical facilities are comparable to US standards and the country has one of the highest life expectancies on the continent.

Tap water is safe to drink in all major cities, though most locals prefer to drink bottled water. That said, if your hotel or host tells you to drink bottled water, you should follow their instructions—some houses have water storage tanks that may not be completely clean.

The Hospital Britanico (British Hospital), SUMMUM and BlueCross & BlueShield Uruguay have European-quality service and they are clean and efficient. Asociación Española, Medica Uruguaya and CASMU are the largest healthcare companies in Uruguay and they have European-quality level. Just don't make any unwise alcohol drinking decisions.

Tropical diseases are not a major concern in Uruguay; the malaria and dengue present in parts of nearby countries are absent here. Vaccines are generally recommended for Hepatitis A and typhoid, though.

In the Southern Hemisphere winter you won't encounter many insects in Uruguay, but in the summer there are some mosquitoes, especially after big rainstorms.

Respect
Uruguay is a socially progressive country. Women got the vote in Uruguay 12 years before France. Uruguay is a secular state unlike Argentina, Chile or Paraguay; the Uruguayan state has not supported any religion since 1917. Even national holidays are officially referred to with secular names—the week before Easter is officially "Tourism Week" and December 25th is "Family Day"! The population is mainly Catholic, but not very practicing.

Uruguay is considered to be safe and welcoming to gay and lesbian visitors: it is ranked 12th in the world in the Spartacus Gay Travel Index. It was the first Latin American country to pass a civil union law, and same-sex marriage was legalized in mid-2013. Even in rural areas, gay travelers experience little overt discrimination. There are a few gay and lesbian bars in Montevideo and in Punta del Este. The only public monument to sexual diversity is in Ciudad Vieja (the old city) in Montevideo. On the last Friday of September, Montevideo celebrates "Diversity Month" with a parade on 18 of July in the center of the city.

Like in other Latin American countries, it's common to greet people with a kiss on the cheek. But unlike most other countries, where this is only done between two women or between a woman and a man, in Uruguay it's not uncommon for men to greet each other this way too! (Those men who prefer not to kiss another man on the cheek will shake hands instead.) As in many countries, these kisses are really more of a cheek-to-cheek touch with a kiss in the air.

Punctuality is not essential here – meeting a few minutes late is not uncommon nor considered rude.

Uruguayans normally keep their shoes on when entering a house; conventional wisdom here is that walking around your house barefoot makes it easier to catch a cold.

Body language
The "OK" sign (thumb and index finger in a circle) is an exceptionally offensive gesture. Do not exhibit it. A thumbs up is okay and not offensive.

Brushing the back of your hand under your chin means "I don't know" or "I don't know what you're talking about".

Do not put your feet on a chair, desk, or table.

Telephone
The national landline telephone monopoly is Antel, which provides all public pay phones and is also the sole provider of landline Internet service.

Although Antel pay phones only take Antel's proprietary magnetic cards (that are difficult if not impossible to obtain), it is possible to use international calling cards to call home by taking the phone off the hook, waiting for a dial tone, and dialing the correct access code. However, note that many public pay phones are not properly maintained. If you do not hear a touch tone emitted for each key, that means the phone is defective and you must try another one.

Uruguay's country code is +598. Montevideo and suburbs have landline numbers beginning in 2, while the rest of the country has landline numbers beginning with 4.

Cell phone
Antel also operates a cell phone network, and competes with two private companies, Movistar and Claro. All three have numerous kiosks and stores throughout the country. Both the European (1800 MHz) and North American (1900 MHz) frequencies are used.

Some hostels in tourist areas, such as Colonia or the Atlantic Coast during summer, offer free SIM cards, and the operators usually sponsor big events, in which free SIM cards might also be given out. As of 2023, free Antel SIM cards are given at the Carrasco airport information desk.

All three companies offer GSM, 3G HSPA and 4G LTE connectivity. As of early 2018, Claro charged a flat rate of U$15 a day for mobile data use, and also had many other packs available. Antel charges per data usage, and local knowledge has it that U$200 is enough for a month.

Mail
The national postal service is Correo Uruguayo. Most of their post offices are very hard to find and are open M-F 09:00-17:00; some are open Sa 09:00-12:00.

Letterboxes for depositing outbound mail are made out of cheap blue translucent plastic and are extremely difficult to find outside of post offices. Some post offices have three boxes: one for the local city, one for domestic mail ("interior") and one for international ("exterior").

Uruguayan letterboxes are designed only for indoor use. Keep in mind that Correos licenses many retailers, such as pharmacies, as postal agents, and letterboxes can sometimes be found around those agents' premises as well.

Internet
Antel is the only provider of landline Internet service, while Dedicado is the main provider of fixed wireless Internet service. WiFi is ubiquitous and can be found in virtually all decent hotels as well as many restaurants, cybercafes, and shopping malls.

Antel WiFi hotspots are normally available only to Antel landline Internet subscribers, unless you are in a place with free service like Carrasco International Airport, in which case a public username and password for free access are prominently posted and always username: antel password: wifi. Dedicado WiFi hotspots are free for everyone.

Some public parks also have free (but unreliable) WiFi provided by the government—look for a network with a name like "Ceibal" or "Ceibalwifi".

Go next
Uruguay borders Argentina to the west and Brazil to the east. Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, is just a ferry ride away, and Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost state in Brazil, has deep cultural connections with Uruguay.

The border of Paraguay, the next closest country, is about 500 kilometers away from the extreme northwest of Uruguay. Its capital, Asunción, can be reached most conveniently by plane or most cheaply by bus from Montevideo.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Uruguay


text:
Urumqi

Urumqi (Pronounced: ÜH-RÜM-chee) (Chinese: 乌鲁木齐 Wūlǔmùqí; Uyghur: ئۈرۈمچی) is the capital of the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, administered by the People's Republic of China. The city has a population of around 2.5 million and is in the Tian Shan mountains.

Understand
The name Ürümqi comes from Mongolian, meaning "great", a short form of the full Mongolian name meaning "great pasture", as the Mongols were the last major power to control the area prior to the Qing conquest. Following the Qing conquest, the city was named "Dihua" (迪化 lit. "to enlighten and civilize") by Emperor Qianlong, a name which stuck even through the Republic of China era. Following the communist revolution, the new People's Republic of China government changed the name back to Ürümqi in 1954, as "Dihua" was deemed too condescending to the ethnic minorities in the region.

Urumqi is famous for its claim that it is the most inland major city in the world, that being the farthest from any ocean; 2,300 km or further.

There are two major ethnic groups, a quarter million of the original Uyghur inhabitants of the area and 1.5 million Han (ethnic Chinese); the city has a higher proportion of Han than elsewhere in the region. Other ethnic groups in Urumqi include Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Mongols and Hui Muslims.

Despite what some of the guidebooks say, Urumqi has a lot to offer and can provide a great introduction to Xinjiang.

Talk
Regardless of ethnicity, most people in Urumqi can speak some level of Mandarin. However, in some parts of the city Uyghur, a Turkic language, is dominant. Few people speak English, even in some of the large hotels. When taking a taxi, it is a good idea to have a piece of paper with the name of your destination written in Chinese. Most government signs are bilingual in Uyghur and Chinese, as are signs and menus in Uyghur-owned shops and restaurants.

By train
All long-distance trains use the Main Railway Station, 20 km northwest of the city. This includes the fast trains to Lanzhou (12 hours), Xian (plus 3 hours), Beijing (plus 9 hours) and Wuhan (plus 8 hours), and international trains to Kazakhstan via Khorgos (24 hrs) or Dostyk (30 hrs).

By bus
The Northern Long-Distance Bus Station is at Heilongjiang Road. Almaty in Kazakhstan (via Khorgos) takes about 24 hours and costs ¥440. Tickets can be bought at Bianjiang Hotel, room 2121 (边疆宾馆2121号房间) or at the international bus station at Nianzigou (碾子沟国际客运站). The business of clearing immigration & customs at Khorgos makes the travel time variable. To Khorgos itself is 14 hours; other destinations are Burqin (13 hr), Tacheng (12 hr), Yining (or "Yili") (13 hr). Lanzhou is a weary 40 hours, take the train.

The Southern Long-Distance Bus Station (南郊客运站) is in the southern part of city, across from Shuishang Amusement Park (水上乐园). Destinations include Turpan (3 hours), Korla (10 hours), Kuche (17 hours), Hotan (24 hours), and Kashgar (24 hours).

By car
China Highway 312 is a motorway crossing Xinjiang from Gansu to the border with Kazakhstan. Most destinations within Xinjiang can be accessed via private car. Drivers tend to congregate near the bus stations and will often approach passengers shouting their destination. Drivers usually try to fill the car with four passengers, but you can also rent the whole car (包车; bāochē). In almost every case, a car will save hours of travel time over a bus.

On foot
The city center is big, and separated into different 'centers'. You can walk, but distances are large, roads are wide, and ongoing building work will block your path. Furthermore, in summer it gets very hot and in winter it can drop to -35°C (-31°F) at night.

By metro
The northern section (from the international airport to Balou) of the first line of the Urumqi Metro has just been opened. You must show ID to ride. All signs and announcements are trilingual in Chinese, Uyghur and English.

By taxi
Metered taxi fares start at ¥10 for the first 3 km. There are also black taxis (illegal), driven nowadays by anyone, male or female. Fares for these are negotiable and they are very handy during rush hour when metered taxis are tough to come by. A ride within the city should not exceed ¥20, but the airport and main railway station will be more.

By bus
Bus number 52 goes from the round about near the airport to the museum. Other useful routes running generally north–south are 101, 61 and 63.

The very visible BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) Buses are a quick, efficient and very crowded way from getting from one end of the city center to another. BRT1 and 2 are very useful. BRT1 runs straight down Youhau Lu to the train station. BRT 3 connects the grand bazar, People's Theater and Square and ultimately terminates with a connection to BRT1 at its northern end. Just put ¥1 in the box on the way onto the platforms and then squeeze onto a bus. These are run along a segregated busway - something of a cross between a bus and a tram.

Nan Shan (南山)
Picturesque mountains south of Urumqi. In summer the valleys are populated with Kazakh yurts, which accept travellers for ¥50-100 per night including food. Excellent for hiking and horseback riding. Cheap buses (¥8-25) leave for the area throughout the day from the bus station south of People's Park (Renmin Gongyuan). Particularly recommended is Juhua Tai (菊花台, chrysanthemum terrace), with plenty of food and sleeping options along with mountain pastures filled with alpine flowers. In the far south of this village is a fast disappearing glacier, the first in China to be thoroughly researched. The area is in the higher peaks in the Nan Shan range (over 4200 m/14,000 ft) and boasts spectacular views along with few tourists. The glacier can be reached after first taking the Nan Shan bus to Hou Xia (后峡, ¥12.6), and then finding a driver in the town to take you to the glacier (¥150-200 one way, about an hour). Several kilometers from the glacier are Kazakh families that rent their yurts to tourists for ¥20. Polo (fried rice), bread, kebabs and tea are also available for about ¥15 or so. Coming back, you should be able to hitch a ride for free with trucks returning to town from a nearby mine.
 * South of Urumqi is the Heart of Asia Monument - a monument supposedly marking the center of the Eurasian landmass, underscoring just how far from the ocean you really are.

Buy
The Grand Bazaar (aka Erdaoqiao) is a great place not only for regional specialty items, but also has many goods from nearby countries such as Russia and Mongolia. It is a popular tourist destination although somewhat of a tourist trap these days. However, the surrounding area is the heart of the Uyghur community and makes visiting worthwhile.

 * Imported delicacies can be found at the Youhao supermarket in the basement of the Tianshan Shopping Center (天山百货), across from the People's Square.
 * A number of stores selling outdoor gear, camping supplies (户外用品) etc. can be found on Renmin Lu, east of Nanmen.
 * Hualin (华凌市场) is a huge trade complex selling almost anything you can think of. Shangmao Cheng (商贸城) is a similar huge bazaar in the south of the city.

Beware of pickpockets and watch your possessions carefully.

Eat
Food is one of the things that Xinjiang is famous for. Fresh naan, spicy kebabs, steaming pilaf, or famous hand stretched noodles — there are a lot of choices, and lots of variety.

Budget

Local restaurants are available throughout the city, although most Uyghur restaurants are concentrated in Erdaoqiao, around the Grand Bazaar - there are plenty of restaurants on the street behind the mosque offering a nice alternative to standard Chinese cuisine. A standard price for a plate of hand-stretched noodles with vegetable meat topping (laghman/bànmiàn) is about ¥9--if you are still hungry, you can request more noodles (jiāmiàn). Melon slices also make an excellent snack, at about ¥1 a slice from a street vendor. Among other common Uyghur foods are dumplings of mutton and onions (samsa), Uyghur fried rice (polo), dumpling soup (chuchura), meat pies (Gush Nan) and Opke Hessip (lungs and stuffed intestines) for the brave. Local specialty drinks include Kawas (carbonated drink flavored with honey) and Dogh (a mixture of crushed ice, yoghurt and honey available in summer). The best known Hui dish is big plate chicken (dàpánjī), a spicy mixture of chicken and potatoes.

Hui and Uyghur food can be very spicy, and it is a good idea unless you like very spicy food to tell them "búyào là de", or for Uyghurs "kizil mooch salmang!".

One warning before you go out and get local food though. Not everyone can stay healthy eating Uyghur and Hui food. Often it is cooked with a large amount of oil. Sanitary conditions are also perhaps not what you would have expected. If you have a weak stomach, or gall bladder problems it might be a good idea to try some of the other options. Or just stick to naan and kebab.

Take care if you are considering going to one of the restaurants next to the Grand Market. They will quite happily give you a 'tourist menu' where every dish is priced at over ¥1,000. You can get similar and just as nice food at other restaurants in the nearby streets for a fraction of that price.

Mid-range
In town there are several mid-range options available for Western food.

Han Chinese dishes places, available all around town also fall into the mid-range category.

A good local Chinese chain is Shunming (顺明), serving Uyghur and Chinese food for a reasonable price. They are open 24 hours a day and have several locations around town including at the People's Square (人民广场) and the People's Theater (人民电影院)

Another option is fast food, which has become increasingly popular in the last few years. KFC restaurants (肯德基) have sprung up all around town and are at the Grand Bazaar, People's Square, Hongshan, and the Children's Park among other locations. There are also two Pizza Huts (必胜客, at Zhongshan Rd. (中山路) and Youhao Shopping Mall (友好商场)), and several smaller Chinese fast food chains--specifically Dicos (德克士) & Fast Food Burgers (百富烤霸, also known as Roast King).

Splurge
The buffet at the China Southern Airlines Hotel is an ideal place to splurge. The head Chef is Austrian, and the food is very authentic Western fare, with some local dishes as well. Dinner costs ¥88 plus 15%, and includes tea, coffee, and a glass of red wine. The buffet at the Urumqi Sheraton ought to be rather good. ¥130.

Sleep

Due to the city special regulations, most of the hotels, especially the cheap ones, don't accept foreigners. Walk-in can be considerably difficult and disappointing. It is strongly advised to research a foreigner-accepting hotel before arriving in the city.

Mid-range
There are numerous hotels in the mid-range bracket, but they are not always easy to find as they often do not have signage at street level. Look high on the buildings where there may be a hotel sign, then find the entrance at street level. You should easily be able to find a comfortable room with en-suite bathroom and air conditioning for under ¥300.

Stay safe
In general Xinjiang is a safe place. However, in the bigger bazaars and on public transportation pickpockets do operate so do not flaunt valuables. Ethnic tension exists between Uyghur people and the Han Chinese. This has resulted in a large police and military presence in the city, because protests and other violence break out sporadically. In the aftermath of the 2009 riots, communications were severely restricted with internet access and all international calls in and out of the region blocked by the government temporarily. Phone calls are able to be placed from the bianjiang binguan (边疆宾馆 mentioned above) for ¥5/min and possibly also from post offices 邮电局 for ¥2-3/min. Keep these restrictions in mind before traveling. Also be prepared to be stopped by security personnel suspicious of foreigners.

Respect
In most Islamic cultures, naan (bread) is very important. It is not a good idea to throw it away. If you drop it, pick it up and carry it with you. Do not step on naan: it is important to treat it with some respect. Also, if you decide to eat naan while walking, break off a piece, and eat that. Do not bite into the whole loaf.

Consulates
Kazakhstan has the only visa office in Urumqi. However, most holders of western passports don't need a visa for short tourist stays to Kazakhstan, or to Kyrgyzstan (their office has closed). To enter the other "stans" you may be able to get a visa in Beijing, Almaty or Bishkek, but processing times are long and they'll probably require you to apply from your country of residence.

 * 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

Go next

 * Tianshan Tianchi National Park (天池) - scenic with prismatic splendor. Tickets are approximately ¥140. Buses leave from the north end of People's Park every morning at 09:00. It will give you a wonderful experience of Chinese tourism with your time micro-managed by the tour guides. The bus costs ¥130 with another ¥140 for entrance to the park. This gives you lunch of a sort and a visit to a yurt village as well as to Heavenly Lake.
 * Shihezi - desert city which rarely sees tourists
 * Urumqi is the eastern terminus of the itinerary Moscow to Urumqi, a more southern alternative to the Trans-Siberian Railway. The trip to Moscow can take as little as 5 days.

title: Urumqi


text:
Usedom

Usedom (Polish: Uznam) is an island in the Baltic Sea belonging both to Germany (larger western part) and to Poland (smaller eastern part). Its seaside resorts are a very popular summer retreat for people from the Baltic Sea region and beyond since the 19th century. Usedom is nicknamed Sunny Island for being the sunniest spot in the Baltic Sea, in all of Germany and Poland.

Cities

 * (with Ahlbeck and Bansin resort districts)
 * — half of the island's population lives here.
 * — a thermal bath resort
 * — a thermal bath resort

Other destinations

 * — site where Wernherr von Braun and his team developed and tested the V1 cruise missiles and V2 rockets, the latter the basis for the Soviet and American space programs. It was destroyed in a bombing raid there is an on site museum there today.

Talk
You should get by with the German phrasebook. Standard German (Hochdeutsch) is spoken throughout the German portion of the island, while traditional Low German dialects are still alive as well. Polish and some German are spoken on the Polish side. Many employees will understand basic English on both sides. Russian may be known by those schooled through the communist times.

By train
Usedom is well connected for travellers throughout the year. The Usedomer Bäderbahn connects the island from Stralsund via Wolgast to Swinemünde.

By car
Bridges connect the island via the federal streets Züstrin (B 110) and in Wolgast (B111).

By plane
Heringsdorf has an airport with seasonal flights to German Austrian and Swiss destinations during the summer Lufthansa also serves the island out of its hub at Frankfurt Airport in addition to various flights operated by its subsidiaries. The airport is connected to the beaches by bus.

Do
A guided "Island Safari" tour by 4WD vehicle is available from Usedom Insel Safari which is a locally run company that can tailor routes to specific needs and will take you to the most beautiful parts of the island.

Drink

 * Kaiserbad (Heringsdorf, Ahlbeck, Bansin): See Kaiserbad#Drink
 * Świnoujście: See Świnoujście

Phosphorus
Like in other parts of the Baltic Sea, phosphorus from dumped ammunitions is sometimes washed ashore, especially around Peenemünde with its military past. Phosphorus is poisonous, ignites spontaneously when dried and can look deceptively like amber, which leads to occasional accidents. If you collect pieces of amber, don't keep them in your pocket. Put them into a vessel that you keep away from your body until you are sure it is actually amber and not phosphorus. Extinguish burning phosphorus with sand rather than water.

Go next

 * Greifswald
 * Miedzyzdroje
 * Rügen
 * Stralsund
 * Wolin

title: Usedom


text:
Ushguli

Ushguli is a community of four villages in Northwestern Georgia next to the foot of Shkhara, one of the highest Caucasian summits.

Understand
The Ushguli villages contain buildings that are part of the UNESCO heritage site of Upper Svaneti.

Get in
Transportation into Ushguli is very limited. There is a road from Kutaisi that is serviced by private vehicles.

By taxi
Otherwise a trip from Mestia is the easiest way to see Ushguli. A private vehicle can take you up for a day trip, or for a few days. The cost will be 200 lari for a day trip, and a bit higher if you stay a while longer. There are also some local drivers that gather several tourists and do the tour splitting the costs (in this case the price per person will be 35 lari), but it's available not everyday, just ask around in Mestia. The trip from Mestia takes about 2½ hr one way despite being less than 70 km in distance due to the poor quality of the road.

On foot
It is also possible to hike from Mestia in 3-4 days which is a great way to see Svaneti for the able-bodied—see Northwestern Georgia.

Get around
Once in the villages, you can walk between them all very easily.

See

 * Typical Svanetian protective towers are found throughout the village.

Do

 * A visit to the Ethnography museum is well worth the 5-6 lari that the local children will ask for admission. Housed in a preserved Svan house, the museum contains artifacts ranging in age from the long history of the Svaneti region. The local children will provide rehearsed description of the artifacts in passable English.
 * The Georgian wartime treasury. Placed in the "most inaccessible part of Georgia" the countless national treasures were held in the Ushguli monastery during periods of conflict.
 * Go to Enguri to Shkhara

Eat
There are a few restaurants in the villages serving traditional Georgian and Svan home cooking, catering to the increasing numbers of tourists. You could also get food from your guest house.

Sleep
Ask anyone in the village for a place to sleep or just walk around until you see a sign saying "Guest house" (there are a lot of them). The price will be US$20-30 per night and include all your food.

Go next

 * Mazeri – A Svaneti mountain village, surrounded by a stunningly beautiful landscapes and huge waterfalls. The starting point for a several exciting Svaneti trekking routes, including Mount Ushba glacier trek.

title: Ushguli


text:
U.S. Highway 1

U.S. Highway 1 is 2,390 miles long (3,846 km) and follows the eastern coastline of the United States of America. The north end is in Fort Kent, Maine and the south end is in Key West, Florida.

Understand
The north end of U.S. Highway 1 has always been in Fort Kent, Maine and in 1926 ended in Miami, Florida. In 1938, the ending was extended to Key West, Florida. It is also the longest north-south highway in the United States. Although a good part of the route hugs the Atlantic coastline, a large part is quite distant from the coast. US 1 was built to provide quick travel before the Interstate system was built. Now that Interstates are the primary mode of quick transportation, most of US 1 within city limits is regulated by stoplights. Plan on a much slower trip than a run down I-95, but one in which you drive past city greens and quaint shops on some stretches. If you take this route, your aim should be to have a relaxing, medium-speed drive.

The Northeast Corridor between Boston and Norfolk (Virginia) largely coincides with the From Plymouth to Hampton Roads historical tour, and the Washington–Rochambeau Revolutionary Route. For the southern coast, see From St. Augustine to Hampton Roads.

Get in
It is possible to drive U.S. 1 in either direction. The mile markers in Florida begin in Key West at zero and go northward and in Fort Kent, Maine there is a sign that proclaims on one side it is the beginning and on the other side that it is the end. You might want to pick one or more states and travel the route through those states.

Drive
From north to south:

Maine
There are 529 miles of highway in Maine, the second longest stretch and only 4 miles shorter than the mileage in Florida. Traveling south in Maine some of the cities and towns you will see are: Fort Kent, Madawaska, Grand Isle, Caribou, Ellsworth, Bucksport, Belfast, Camden, Rockport, Rockland, Waldoboro, Newcastle, Wiscasset, Bath, Brunswick, Freeport, Yarmouth, Portland, Saco, Biddeford, Kennebunk, Ogunquit and Kittery. US 1 ends at W Main St at the foot of the Clair Fort Kent Bridge. The road becomes ME-161 for the next to Allagash, Maine. The Clair Fort Kent Bridge takes traffic over the St John River into Clair, New Brunswick from the end of US Hwy 1 in Fort Kent.

New Hampshire
The coast line of New Hampshire is fairly short and therefore U.S. Highway 1 is short also. You will visit the Seacoast region and the cities of Portsmouth, Hampton and Seabrook.

Massachusetts
Traveling from Salisbury at the New Hampshire border southward one passes through the North Shore towns of Newburyport, Newbury, Rowley, Ipswich, Topsfield, Danvers, Peabody, and Saugus. The portion from Topsfield northward is predominantly a local road, while the portion from Danvers south is a commuter highway into Boston with a large amount of commercial activity.

Here the route enters Boston, passing through Malden, Revere, Chelsea, Charlestown, downtown Boston, the South End, Dorchester, and Quincy. An alternate route (which carries Route 1 signage but actually is not part of the route) goes through Boston’s Longwood, Mission Hill, Jamaica Plain, Chestnut Hill and West Roxbury neighborhoods along with the suburb of Dedham, before meeting up with the regular route in Westwood. This alternate route is a more scenic drive along Boston’s famed Emerald Necklace, before becoming a divided commercial highway in West Roxbury, while the official route is a freeway that is concurrent with Interstate 93 and (at its southern end) Route 128.

Continuing south you'll follow what was known as "the Old Boston Post Road" and pass through Westwood, Norwood, Sharon, Walpole, Foxborough, Wrentham, Plainville, North Attleborough, and Attleboro to the Rhode Island border.

Rhode Island
From Pawtucket at the northern border of the state, Route 1 travels through Providence, Cranston, Warwick, East Greenwich, North Kingstown, South Kingstown, Narragansett, Wakefield, Charlestown and Westerly.

Connecticut
Crossing into the state over the Pawcatuck River, Route 1 travels west along the coastline and heads through several historic cities such as New London, New Haven, Bridgeport, Fairfield, and Stamford and passes many charming village greens in between.

New York
Route 1 enters New York at Port Chester and passes through Rye, Mamaroneck, Larchmont, New Rochelle and Pelham in Westchester County where it is known as the Boston Post Road. From there the road passes through the Bronx and a short stretch of Upper Manhattan before leaving on the George Washington Bridge to New Jersey. It is a very busy road with lots of trucks and pollution in much of this area, but it is also one of the main commercial streets for some stretches, such as in New Rochelle, where as Main Street it goes right through the historic and still vibrant Downtown and is lined by shops and restaurants.

New Jersey
From Fort Lee at the eastern border of the state, Route 1 travels through Palisades Park, Ridgefield, Fairview, North Bergen, Jersey City, Kearny, Newark, Elizabeth, Linden, Rahway, Woodbridge Township, Edison Township, New Brunswick, North Brunswick Township, South Brunswick Township, Plainsboro Township, West Windsor Township, Lawrence Township, and finally Trenton, before crossing the Delaware River and entering Pennsylvania. Portions of the route are also concurrent with Route 9. Route 1 is a superhighway in much of Jersey City, Kearny, Newark and Elizabeth and uses the Pulaski Skyway for 3 1/2 miles of that stretch, but much of the stretch south of New Brunswick, which goes past car-centered shopping centers, rather than through downtowns, remains a legacy highway with occasional traffic lights.

Pennsylvania
Upon entering Pennsylvania, Route 1 travels farther southwest through North Philadelphia. After leaving the Philly area, Route 1 turns south and enters Maryland.

Maryland
Route 1 crosses the Mason-Dixon Line just northeast of Rising Sun and then heads roughly south west through Conowingo, Bel Air, Kingsville, Baltimore, Elkridge, Laurel, College Park, Hyattsville before entering the District of Columbia.

District of Columbia
The highway enters the District of Columbia along Rhode Island Avenue and turns left onto 6th Street. A right on Constitution Avenue brings the traveller along the edge of the National Mall. Route 1 turns left onto 14th Street in front of the Washington Monument, although it is illegal for drivers to turn left at this intersection (instead, one must turn left onto 15th Street, left again at the second traffic light onto Jefferson Place, then right onto 14th Street). From there Route 1 passes the Jefferson Memorial and crosses the Potomac River into Virginia.

Virginia
Immediately upon entering Virginia, Route 1 heads through Arlington and Alexandria, then south to historic Fredericksburg and then to Downtown Richmond. South of Richmond, Route 1 traverses Petersburg before crossing into North Carolina.

Just south of Alexandria, Route 1 passes very close to Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington.

North Carolina
In North Carolina, US 1 runs along I-85 through Henderson. It then proceeds toward Raleigh becoming Capital Blvd. It then latches on to the I-440 Beltline around the western side of Raleigh and continues as a freeway south of Raleigh through Cary. It is a freeway south of Cary though Sanford and to Southern Pines. The section from Southern Pines to Rockingham has been widened to four lanes. It continues south along the geological fall line to South Carolina.

South Carolina
Two lanes for much of its length in South Carolina, US 1 here is farther from the interstates and remains an important route in its own right. Tracing the ancient coastline of the Cretaceous period, Hwy 1 connects many of the state's oldest inland settlements and is the primary means of access from the sparsely populated sandhills region to both Columbia and the NC capital of Raleigh. Route 1 enters the state north of Wallace and passes through Cheraw and Camden, there widening to four lanes and running approximately parallel to I-20 into Columbia. As Gervais St., Highway 1 is a primary street in Columbia's central business district and passes directly in front of the statehouse. Leaving the capital, US 1 continues west roughly along the route of I-20 through Batesburg-Leesville and Aiken, entering Georgia at Augusta.

Georgia
From South Carolina, US 1 goes from Augusta south through Wadley, Swainsboro, Oak Park, And Lyons. It continues through Santa Claus And Baxley before continuing through Waycross and Homeland.

Florida
If you travel south through Florida on U.S. Highway 1, some of the towns or cities you will pass by include: Jacksonville, St. Augustine, Palm Coast, Ormond Beach, Holly Hill, Daytona Beach, Port Orange, New Smyrna Beach, Edgewater, Titusville, Cocoa, Rockledge, Melbourne, Palm Bay, Grant, Sebastian, Vero Beach, Fort Pierce, Port St. Lucie, Stuart, Hobe Sound, Jupiter, North Palm Beach, Riviera Beach, West Palm Beach, Lake Worth Beach, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, Boca Raton, Deerfield Beach, Pompano Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Dania, Hollywood, Hallandale, North Miami Beach, North Miami, Miami, Coral Gables, South Miami, Kendall, Perrine, Homestead, Key Largo and the rest of the Florida Keys to Key West, where it ends at an intersection of Whitehead & Fleming St in front of the Judge Jefferson Browne Courtroom Complex in old town Key West. The highway is 533 miles long through the state of Florida.

Stay safe
US-1 travels through the big cities of Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Miami on the Atlantic Seaboard. Within Boston, Chelsea and Dorchester do have some crime, although both areas are rapidly gentrifying. However, you may want to be cautious in parts of North Philadelphia which Highway 1 traverses. If you do plan to stop in the City that Never Sleeps, though, you'll still want to exercise caution because driving in New York City is not necessarily a "smart" option due to crowded streets.

US-1 also travels through the Florida Keys. Most of US-1 in the Keys is a two-lane street heading north and south. Though there are rails alongside each lane on the bridges, take care because some South Floridians are considered to be "reckless" drivers.

Go next
Fort Kent and Key West are the termini of the highway, but US-1 goes through many large cities, many of which are found in the Drive section of this article.
 * Worcester (Massachusetts) is the second largest city in Massachusetts, about 30 or so miles from Boston.
 * Yonkers is one of New York City's largest suburbs, behind Newark (New Jersey); it is the largest suburb of NYC within the state of New York.
 * Wilmington is 30 miles south of Philadelphia with a population of almost 71,000 residents. This is the largest city in Delaware, and was formed in 1638 - 44 years before Philadelphia.
 * Virginia Beach and Norfolk are the two largest cities in Virginia, which make a great side-trip from Richmond.
 * Savannah is a major port city in northeast Georgia, accessed from Interstate 95.
 * Orlando can be accessed from Florida's East Coast with ease, from Daytona Beach via I-4, to Miami, from the Florida Turnpike.
 * From Plymouth to Hampton Roads is an itinerary along the Atlantic coast of the United States, showcasing the nation's early history, from the first Anglo-American settlements in the 17th century to the American Civil War, which ended in 1865.
 * Interstate 10 begins at its junction with I-95 and US Hwy 1 in Jacksonville, Florida and goes 2,460 mi (3,960 km) west towards Los Angeles, California through the Florida Panhandle, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, southern New Mexico, Arizona and Southern California. It replaces or parallels much of the Old Spanish Auto Trail (US Hwy 90 and old US Hwy 80), known to by the Old Highway 66 of the south, between Jacksonville and Casa Grande, Arizona. The original Old Spanish Auto Trail spanned from St Augustine, Florida to San Diego, California. Therefore, the section of US Highway 1 between Jacksonville and St Augustine replaces the Old Spanish Auto Trail while Interstate 8 replaces the Old Spanish Auto Trail (old US Highway 80) between Casa Grande and San Diego.
 * The Lincoln Highway is a historic, and first, trans-continental highway that starts at Times Square in New York City and runs approximately 3,142 mi (5,057 km) west through the states of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada and California; to Lincoln Park in San Francisco, California. It was made up of different roads linked together to create the first organized trans-continental auto trail in a time when the automobile was becoming more affordable, with more people traveling longer distances by car. A section of US Hwy 1 and 1-9 in New Jersey is on the Historic Lincoln Highway between Newark and Philadelphia. Between Philadelphia and Granger Junction in Western Wyoming it closely follows the present US Highway 30. It follows Interstate 80 through Wyoming, Utah and California while US Hwy 50 replaces the old Lincoln Highway across Nevada.
 * Presidents of the United States There have been 45 individuals who have served as presidents of the United States between 1789 and today (including two non-consecutive terms for Grover Cleveland). This article discusses sights and destinations all over the world related to the (former) presidents of the United States. Many of these sights and destinations are lined up along the eastern seaboard, some of which are accessible from US Highway 1 or off of US Highway 1 along a different road.
 * The Underground Railroad is a network of disparate historical routes used by African-American slaves to escape the slave holding southern states to reach freedom in the northern states and to Canada. Today many of the "stations" along the "railroads" serve as museums and memorials to the former slaves' journey north. Historically the "stations" served as a "pit-stops" and hiding places for escaped slaves on the run to avoid capture. A number of these sites identified, nearest to US Hwy 1, are in Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, and New Brunswick.
 * The American Civil War from 1861 to 1865 was the most destructive armed conflict in the history of North America, with more than 600,000 deaths in total. The United States still bears scars from this conflict, in which the slaveholding southern states formed the Confederate States of America, attempting to secede from the Union, and the North fought to defeat the secession. There are a number of old Civil War battlefield sites and other significant historic sites along US Highway 1. Some of which may require a detour of several miles east or west along another road from US Highway 1.

title: U.S. Highway 1