Money Matters

Argentine money is accepted everywhere in Colonia, Uruguay—have an idea of the exchange rate to avoid overcharging. Not changing money? Use Argentine pesos for small transactions; hotels give better rates for dollars. Avoid exchanging at the ferry terminal as the commission's often high.

Uruguayan bills come in denominations of 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1,000, and 2,000 pesos uruguayos. Coins are available in 50 centésimo pieces (half a peso), 1, 2, 5, and 10 pesos. Coins for 5- and 10-pesos have replaced banknotes. At this writing, there are 6 Uruguayan pesos to the Argentine peso, and 22 Uruguayan pesos to the U.S. dollar.

Brazil's currency is the real (R$; plural: reais or reals). One real is 100 centavos. There are 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 real notes and 1, 5, 10, 25, and 50 centavo and 1 real coins. At this writing, there are 0.46 reais to the Argentine peso, and 1.78 reais to the U.S. dollar.