Montevideo is South America at an easy, human pace: a safe, low-rise capital where the beach and the Rambla promenade are part of daily life and everyone carries a thermos of mate. It is progressive, stable and friendly, with a strong public university and several private ones, and it makes a relaxed base for exploring the region. Buenos Aires is just a ferry across the river.

• Universidad de la Republica (UdelaR), the large, free public university at the heart of the city
• Universidad ORT Uruguay, the largest private university, strong in tech and business
• Universidad Catolica and Universidad de Montevideo for more private, English-friendly options

Student life leans on the barrios of Cordon and Parque Rodo around the main university faculties, full of cheap bars, live music and bohemian cafes. Uruguayans socialise late and slowly, often over a shared mate or an asado with friends. The calendar peaks with Carnival, the longest in the world at around forty days, and its Afro-Uruguayan candombe drumming.

• Parque Rodo and Cordon for student bars, live music and cheap eats
• Learn to share mate; being handed the gourd is how you get included
• Ask the Montevideo group on Studcasa where the good asados and boliches are

Uruguay is pricier than most of Latin America but still gentle on a European budget, so plan around EUR 750 to EUR 1,150 a month with rent. A room in a shared flat runs roughly 13,000 to 22,000 pesos (about EUR 300 to EUR 500), and eating at markets and ferias keeps food cheap. Buses are inexpensive with an STM card.

• A room in a shared flat is around 13,000 to 22,000 pesos a month (EUR 300 to 500)
• Eat cheaply at the ferias and the Mercado Agricola; a chivito is a filling, low-cost meal
• Get an STM card for the city buses, which are the only public transport

Most students share flats in Cordon, Parque Rodo, Centro or beachy Pocitos, found through Facebook groups, Mercado Libre and the classifieds site Gallito. Pocitos and Punta Carretas are pricier and near the beach, while Cordon and Centro are cheaper and central for UdelaR. Agree terms clearly, as informal rentals are common.

• Gallito.com.uy and Mercado Libre for flats and rooms; Facebook groups for shares
• Cordon and Parque Rodo are central and student-friendly; Pocitos for the beach
• Ask the Montevideo group on Studcasa about rooms as exchange students cycle through

Montevideo has no metro, so the city runs entirely on buses, paid with the rechargeable STM card, and they reach everywhere if slowly. The Rambla makes walking and cycling along the coast a genuine pleasure. For nights out, Uber and Cabify are cheap and safe, and most students mix buses by day with apps after dark.

• Buy and top up an STM card for the city buses, the only public transport
• Walk or cycle the Rambla, the long waterfront promenade that links the beaches
• Use Uber or Cabify at night; both are cheap and reliable

The academic year follows the Southern Hemisphere calendar, roughly March to July and August to December, with UdelaR free and enormous and the private universities smaller and more structured. Teaching at UdelaR is in Spanish and fairly independent, so decent Spanish helps a lot. Private universities offer more support and some English-taught courses.

Rules depend on your nationality, so verify with the Uruguayan consulate. In practice most EU, UK, US, Canadian and Australian citizens enter visa-free for 90 days, extendable once for another 90, which can cover a single semester at a push. For a longer or more official stay you should arrange a student visa or temporary residence through the national immigration authority (DNM), coordinated with your host university.

Expect to provide your acceptance letter, proof of funds, health insurance and a criminal record check, often apostilled and translated. Uruguay is bureaucratic but orderly, so give yourself time. Check whether your programme wants you to enter as a tourist and regularise on arrival, or apply at a consulate first.

• 90 days visa-free, extendable once, for most Western passports
• Student residence needs acceptance letter, funds proof, police check
• Get documents apostilled and translated before you travel

Uruguayan life revolves around meat and mate: the asado (barbecue) is a weekend ritual, the chivito steak sandwich is the national dish, and the mate gourd goes everywhere. Markets like the Mercado del Puerto and the Sunday Tristan Narvaja street fair are the tastiest way in. Football is a religion here, born at the Estadio Centenario, home of the first World Cup.

• Eat an asado at the Mercado del Puerto and try a chivito at least once
• Browse the huge Sunday Feria de Tristan Narvaja for food, books and bric-a-brac
• Catch a Penarol or Nacional match, or visit the historic Estadio Centenario

Ciudad Vieja is the atmospheric old town by the port; Centro and Cordon are central and practical near the university; Parque Rodo is the bohemian student favourite. Pocitos and Punta Carretas offer beachside living and more polish, while Carrasco out east is leafy and upmarket near the airport.

• Cordon and Parque Rodo, central, cheaper and closest to UdelaR
• Pocitos, beachside and popular, with a lively residential buzz
• Ciudad Vieja for old-town character, near the Mercado del Puerto

Montevideo is a springboard for Uruguay's coast and beyond. The glamorous beaches of Punta del Este are two hours east, the UNESCO-listed old town of Colonia del Sacramento a similar distance west, and Buenos Aires just a ferry across the Rio de la Plata. Wilder Atlantic beaches like Cabo Polonio lie further up the Rocha coast.

• Punta del Este, about 2 hours east, for the country's most famous beaches
• Colonia del Sacramento (2.5 hours), a UNESCO old town and the ferry port for Buenos Aires
• Buenos Aires by Buquebus ferry across the river for a weekend in Argentina

Bring or buy a mate set and learn the etiquette; sharing it is the fastest way to make Uruguayan friends. Some Spanish is close to essential, especially at UdelaR, and the local Rioplatense accent takes a little tuning. Things move slowly and shut for long lunches, so adopt the unhurried pace rather than fighting it.

• Get a mate gourd and thermos, and learn to take the round without stirring or refusing
• Brush up your Spanish; the Rioplatense accent uses a sh sound for ll and y
• Pack for humidity and grey winters; Montevideo is milder but wetter than you expect