Where to stay in Uruguay

The tax, at check-in

• Present an identity document issued abroad and the accommodation is invoiced VAT exempt. The tax is simply not charged, so ask that the booking is in the name on the passport.
• This applies all year and is not time-limited, unlike the restaurant reduction.

Neighbourhoods

• Pocitos is residential, on the rambla, and the easy default for a first stay.
• Ciudad Vieja is the historic core, excellent by day and specifically flagged by the FCDO as somewhere not to walk alone at night or at weekends.
• The port area carries the same warning.
• Punta Carretas sits between the two in price and is quiet.
• Carrasco, near the airport, is leafy and far from everything else.

Practical

• Keep away from isolated or poorly lit areas at night, which is the FCDO's phrasing for Montevideo generally.
• Park in a paid lot and leave nothing visible in the car. Break-ins are common.
• Beaches have lifeguards from December to March and fly green, yellow and red flags. Outside those months nobody is watching.