Uruaguay

Uruguay is a small country between Argentina and Brazil. It is known for its beautiful coastline and small beach towns, making it an ideal underrated beach vacation getaway.

Uruguay's Fast Facts

Language

Spanish,

Capital City

Montevideo

Currency

Uruguayan peso

Budget Range

Visa Info (learn more here)

Find out more about the visa requirements for Uruguay here.

Regions of Uruguay

Know Before You Go to Uruguay

Spanish

hola

OH-la

hello

gracias

GRAH-see-ahs

thank you

por favor

POHR FAH-vohr

please

no entiendo

NOH ehn-tyEN-doh

I don’t understand

¿Hablas inglés?

hah-BLAHS een-GLEHS

do you speak english?

buenos días, buen día (inf.)

BWEN-hos DEE-as, BWEN DEE-a

good morning

buenas tardes, buenas (inf.)

BWEN-ahs TAR-des, BWEN-ahs

good afternoon (until sunset)

¡chau! / hasta luego

CHOW / AH-sta loo-EH-goh

bye! / see you later (also used as “bye”)

buenas noches, buenas (inf.)

BWEN-ahs NOH-ches, BWEN-ahs

good evening or goodnight

¿Dónde está el baño?

DOH-ndeh ehs-TAH EHL BAH-nyoh

where is the bathroom? (IMPORTANT: women’s restrooms are often indicated with an M (mujer=woman)

¿Me da ___, por favor?

MEH DA ___ POHR FAH-vohr

Can i have ___ please? (casual but polite way to order food and drinks)

Quisiera ___, por favor

KEE-see-yehr-ah ___ POHR FAH-vohr

I would like ___ please. (formal and polite way to order food and drinks)

buen provecho

BWEN proh-VE-choh

Enjoy your food or meal. (People may use the phrase as they walk by someone eating when in a restaurant. Waiters will say this phrase when they serve you your meal)

Progressive Culture

Uruguay is one of the most progressive countries in South America and the world.

LGBTQ+ Rights

Uruguay has strong laws protecting the rights of any LGBTQ couple, adding anti-discrimination laws for trans people in 2018. Being gay in Uruguay has been legally recognized since the 1930s and a Pride parade has occurred in Montevideo since the 1990s. According to the Spartacus Gay Travel Index, Uruguay is listed as one of the top countries in the world with regards to the legal situation and living conditions for members of the queer community in that country.

Drug Legalization

Drugs have been decriminalized in Uruguay but the selling of drugs is not legal. The government has taken over the entire supply chain process of the production and selling of marijuana. Currently, the government sells marijuana in pharmacies but tourists are not allowed to purchase it. However, it does speak to the overall mentality and culture of Uruguay.

Religion

Interestingly, about 45% of the population of Uruguay considers themselves to be agnostic or atheist. Another 45% of the population is Catholic. However, the lack of religious ties for such a large part of the population is due to the strong separation of church and state since the early 1900s. This also means that there is complete religious freedom in the country.

Football Religion

Football (soccer) is the “official” religion in Uruguay. 90% of the population is passionate about football, making it the country most emphatic about the sport. And for a country with a population of 3.4 million people, it is impressive that they have won the world cup twice (1930 and 1950) and 2 Olympic medals.

Tipping

Tipping is definitely appreciated in Uruguay for restaurants and bars with tableside service. It is standard to leave 10% in cash either at the table or directly to the server. When it comes to taxis (if you use a taxi instead of Uber), you should round up your fare to the nearest peso and you can be clear about the amount of change you want returned to you if you cannot pay with exact change. Finally, for tours that you take that are “free walking tours”, you should tip $20 in Uruguayan pesos.

El Mate

Something that you will see people carry and share with friends is the mate drink. This is an herbal drink that is integral to local culture and interpersonal relationships. It is often shared amongst friends and colleagues throughout conversations. You will often see people in parks, on benches, or walking around, sharing the drink out of the same gourd-like cup and metal straw.

Because it is a social drink, if you are talking to someone in a social setting who is drinking mate, they may offer it to you. If you accept, they will fill the cup with the yerba mate leaves and add hot water to it. When it is ready to be drunk, they will hand it to you to drink all the liquid from the straw. It is not polite to not finish the full cup of liquid so be sure that you drink enough to hear the bubbling sound! Also, avoid moving around the straw as it is typically placed in a particular way to best enjoy the drink. When you are done drinking all the liquid, you then hand it back to the person pouring the water and they will add more water and hand it to the next person to drink. If you don’t want any more mate, politely say “gracias” and you will be skipped on the next pass around. (You can always refuse the mate drink and it will not be seen as impolite!)

Note: One difference you will notice is that in Uruguay people drink mate while moving whereas in Argentina they almost always will be seated.