Crossing the River to Uruguay – A trip From Buenos Aires to Colonia

The Río de la Plata separates the sprawling city of Buenos Aires in Argentina as well as the quaint city of Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay. There are just 28 nautical miles between these two destinations, yet, they feel worlds apart.

In the large as well as chaotic city of Buenos Aires, our taxi barreled down a 12 lane highway (yes, 12 lanes) towards the port where we would catch a ferry to our 3rd South American country, Uruguay.

Arriving in Colonia was like stepping into a postcard.

(Don’t miss the video below!)

There were so lots of old vehicles in Colonia. this was absolutely our favourite
Having spent a month in Buenos Aires, we were accustomed to highrise buildings, massive parks as well as grand statues, lots of of which constructed in Italian Renaissance or art-nouveau style. bit Colonia is a Portuguese settlement from 1680. all of the buildings right here in the historical neighbourhood are low-rise as well as colourful, while the streets are narrow as well as cobbled. There are many crumbling ruins as well as little parks to enjoy.

The town was incredibly green.

The trees covered the streets as well as sidewalks providing some much-needed shade. We liked exactly how eco-friendly Colonia was!
We instantly “clicked” with this location since of how easily accessible whatever felt, as well as exactly how lots of adorable bit cafes as well as restaurants were spilling out onto the back lanes. The vibe in the old town was extremely tranquil as well as relaxed, as well as we understood we had made a fantastic decision in crossing the river to a new country.

Many people select to do a day-trip to Colonia, however we opted to spend three nights here, which was precisely what we needed after withstanding the hustle as well as bustle of the huge city of Buenos Aires for a month.

Don’t miss – Our unusual like / dislike connection With Buenos Aires

After checking-in to our quaint posada, with around 10 rooms, we made our method to the rooftop as well as noticed about 100 people along the river’s shore – both sunbathing as well as swimming. feeling like we were missing out, as well as since it was 30 degrees outside, we threw on our bathing fits as well as headed out for a day in the water!

The view from our posada’s rooftop

Hiring a bike is the very best method to get around the city, as well as to check out beyond the old town. Luckily, our posada had complimentary bikes for guests’ utilize as well as we instantly took advantage of their offer as well as rode our one speed bicycles towards the delighted beach-goers.

We shown up sweaty as well as dying for a swim in the refreshing river.

What we discovered was a cloudy, brown, shallow river. But, considering that others were enjoying it (and since we were so hot), we made a decision to choose a dip. No matter exactly how far out we walked, the water was never higher than our knees.

We knelt down as well as sort-of rolled over in buy to cover ourselves in water to try to awesome off. I’m sure it was rather the sight!

The river looks quite great from afar, however up close was one more story
That lasted all of 5 minutes before we were prepared to step on.

The river may have been a bit of a bust, however the other sites we visited and the restaurants we ate at in Colonia hit the mark.

The old stone bridge as well as part of the city wall

There was truly only one busy road running with the historical center as well as the rest were peaceful as well as residential.

Strolling aimlessly along the back roads we encountered locals sitting on yard chairs in front of their houses sharing their national obsession, mate, with one one more while charming stray dogs wandered the streets in browse of interest as well as some like (which they got from us).

We also came across a theatrical performance in the park as well as Candombe dancers in the streets. We drank beers by the river, explored the harbour, sat in the plazas and soaked up the unique atmosphere.

Candombe dancing is discovered around Uruguay during carnival season. The dance as well as drumming is from the time of African slavery.

The only genuine “sites” in Colonia are some museums, the old stone bridge as well as wall, the lighthouse as well as the church.

The lighthouse caught our eye as well as we made our method to the white pillar jutting out of the ground. The Río de la Plata was an crucial river for transporting goods, however many ships ended up crashing – some with gold as well as silver on board. So, in 1855 it was made a decision that a lighthouse would be developed to prevent this issue, as well as in 1857 the lighthouse turned on its light for the very first time.

The lighthouse in Colonia developed on the ruins of a convent
Although an fascinating site as well as a fantastic vantage point over the river as well as city, we discovered the most unique aspect to be the place of the lighthouse itself. It is set on top of crumbling ruins of the San Francisco Convent which dates back to the 17th century. The views from the top of the lighthouse, as well as the breeze, were fantastic.

We descended down the winding staircase of the lighthouse and shown up at a narrow, cobbled street. Noticing an abnormally little door with a bit indication above the entrance titled “Buen Suspiro”, we made a decision to inspect it out.

It [turned out to be] a white wine bar!

Ducking with the little doorway into Buen Suspiro white wine bar

Coming from Buenos Aires, where we had our much-loved white wine shop Lo De Joaquin, we weren’t sure what we would discover in terms of red white wine in Uruguay. But, it turns out that they grow a grape right here called Tannat, which we had never heard of before. This red grape has a thick skin as well as creates robust, full-bodied wines…while colouring your teeth as well as tongue purple.

When we heard about this grape, we understood we had to provide it a try.

Ducking down to prevent hitting our heads on the doorway, we went into into the bit bar. It was dimly lit, had extremely low ceilings with old wooden beams, as well as shelves full of meats, cheeses as well as wines.

This was our type of place!

The waiter suggested the Maderos 2011 Gran Reserva Tannat, which was the very first time the Tannat grape would hit our lips…but it wouldn’t be the last.

Buen Suspiro is a fantastic white wine bar! If you have a chance, make sure to go there

With a platter of normal regional cheese as well as meat as well as a bottle of Tannat, we took pleasure in our last night in Colonia in the dimly lit cellar.

It doesn’t take much for us to jive with a destination. All we requirement is a good vibe, a variety of restaurants, cafes as well as bars, some fascinating sites thrown in, as well as of course, friendly people. We may not have always liked our time spent in Buenos Aires, however crossing the river to Colonia truly lifted our travel spirits as well as after three days, we were ecstatic to step on as well as check out a bit a lot more of Uruguay.

Check out our video from Colonia here:

Traveller Tips:

There are many ferries travelling between Buenos Aires as well as Colonia. We booked with Seacat Colonia as well as the tickets were 550 Uruguay Pesos each ($19.40). The journey only took about an hour.

Taxis from the port into the old town expense 100 pesos ($3.50).

We stayed at Posada del Flor as well as truly liked it. breakfast is included, plus a mid-day coffee as well as snack. The rooftop is truly nice, the spaces are clean as well as comfy, complimentary bikes are offered as well as the place was great. We paid $106 / night over the weekend in high season, it’s normally around $70 / night during the week.

If you pay with your foreign credit score card in Uruguay, rather than cash, you will get 22% off the cost of food as well as booze at restaurants, as well as vehicle rentals! Plus, hotel spaces are tax-free. So, when paying for your restaurant bill, pay with your credit score card as well as the cost will be minimized by 22% (which is the tax) – it’s a no brainer.

There are a few bus business that travel from Colonia to Montevideo. go to the terminal the day before as well as purchase your ticket. We went with Turil as well as the cost was 354 pesos ($12.50) / ticket. The journey was 2.5 hours.

For great restaurants, inspect out cafe la Tasa de Te, Buen Suspiro white wine bar as well as Que Lo Pario Mendieta.

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