Jane's Midlife Journey

We spent one day in Uruguay on our South American road trip, crossing the River Plate from Buenos Aires to Colonia del Sacramento. This old colonial town on the banks of the River Plate has a picturesque Barrio Historico – a great place to explore on a day trip from Argentina.

How to get to Colonia del Sacramento

We travelled to Colonia del Sacramento by ferry from Buenos Aires. We used the company Buquebus, which offers three sailings per day. The crossing takes 75 minutes. The cost of a ticket depends on a range of factors, but expect to pay in the region of £55 per person for a basic day trip.

Getting around Colonia del Sacramento

The cobbled streets of the old town are best explored on foot. My itinerary covers a distance of just over two miles, starting and finishing at the Ferry Terminal.

Where to stay in Colonia del Sacramento

Like most tourists to Colonia del Sacramento, we visited on a day trip from Buenos Aires.

Colonia del Sacramento in 1 Day Itinerary

Day 1

Ferry to Colonia Attractions 1) Estación Colonia 2) Portón de Campo 3) Paseo de San Gabriel 4) Calle de los Suspiros 5) Faro de Colonia 6) Iglesia Matriz 7) Centro Cultural Bastión del Carmen 8) Muelle de Yates 9) Playa del Rowing 10) Plaza 25 de Agosto Dinner at Mercosur

Ferry to Colonia

Today, we are going to Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay. It’s not far; on the opposite side of the River Plate from Buenos Aires. But the river is so wide at this point, that it’s a 75 minute ferry journey, with Buquebus – that’s almost as long as sailing from England to France!

We check in, pass through Argentinian immigration, then have to do a 180 degree turn to pass through Uruguayan immigration (which is basically an official in the same booth with her back to the Argentinian official). This means that we finish facing in the opposite direction to the original direction we were facing. The old man sets off back the way we came clutching his stamped passport, i.e. in the opposite direction to the huge pictures of boats and arrows, and walks back through passport control, which annoys the official a lot.

Once on board, we try to locate an outside deck, but there isn’t one. I’ve never been on a fully enclosed ship before. The layout is more like a plane with hundreds of rows of front facing seats. All there is to do is stare at the back of the seat in front, which contains the emergency evacuation instructions. By the time we reach Uruguay, I have added several words (all safety related) to my Spanish vocabulary and am wondering how to get deslizarse (to slip or slide) into a sentence.

Estación Colonia

The disused Estación Colonia railway station dates from 1901. The old station sign is still in situ for that all important photo op.

Portón de Campo

We enter the town through the 18th Century city gate, Portón de Campo, and wander along cobbled streets past old Portuguese and Spanish colonial buildings.

Paseo de San Gabriel

From here you can follow the Paseo de San Gabriel along the edge of the River Plate. The line of historic fortifications is still visible.

Calle de los Suspiros

Colonia feels like it’s stuck in a time warp. Little appears to have changed here since colonial times, especially in the ancient cobbles and adobe houses of Calle de los Suspiros.

Faro de Colonia

We visit the Faro de Colonia. You can climb the 118 steps (and one wobbly ladder) to the top of this 19th century lighthouse.

It’s worth the climb for spectacular views across the town and the river beyond.

Iglesia Matriz

Overlooking the Plaza de Armas is the Iglesia Matriz, billed as Uruguay’s oldest church. Built by the Portuguese in 1680, it was subsequently rebuilt by the Spanish (twice). The current building was constructed in 1810, although it was mostly in ruins in 1836 (due to an explosion caused when lightning hit a powder magazine stored under the sacristy) when Charles Darwin passed through. It reminds me a little of my grandfather’s axe…

Centro Cultural Bastión del Carmen

We walk along the river to the Centro Cultural Bastión del Carmen, which has a small art exhibition inside and sculptures in a pretty garden overlooking the river outside.

Muelle de Yates

The Muelle de Yates has a pleasant boardwalk where you can relax and admire the river view.

Playa del Rowing

Playa del Rowing is an urban riverside beach on the outskirts of the old town. I couldn’t resist a little paddle.

Plaza 25 de Agosto

The Plaza 25 de Agosto is a grassy square with a central fountain surrounded by trees.

Dinner at Mercosur

Colonia is heaving with day trippers from Argentina. The boats back are at 9 pm. Our plan was to spend the day sightseeing, have dinner and return to Buenos Aires. Strangely, most of the restaurants shut from 4-8 pm, so this plan seems to have failed. I’m thirsty, hungry and grumpy. Finally, we find an open restaurant; Mercosur. We order some beers and a Caesar Salad for two. It’s the biggest, saltiest salad I’ve ever experienced. Just what we needed after such a sweaty day of sightseeing – replenishing all those lost salts with cheese…

Then we walk back to the ferry terminal, which is already full of people not sure what else to to with themselves in a town which is having a siesta until all the tourists have left.

• Trip taken: January 2019
• Updated: September 2025

I hope you found the above information useful. For guides to more destinations in the 50+ countries we have visited, check out my full list of Independent Travel Itineraries here.

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