We ferried over the river from Buenos Aires to Uruguay, just an hour and 15 minutes to arrive at Colonia. Named an UNESCO heritage site, it’s seen lots of history and war, changing hands between the Portuguese and Spanish 7 times, ending in the hands of Spain, just before the war for independence began.
The ferry over was easy enough (despite the inability to purchase tickets online). It seems most people go to Uruguay for some time at the beach. Our weekend of choice happened to be a rainy one. Although the trip over was only 75 minutes, we spent another 30 minutes hanging around the port in Colonia waiting for a dock to open up.
On land, it’s no more than a 15 minute walk out of the port to the historic part of town. There’s a wall with a drawbridge, Calle de los Suspiros (Street of Sighs), and quite a lot of touristy-trap restaurants.
We had an overpriced lunch (one of the worst meals I may have had in my LIFE) and took a small walk, before heading back to the bus terminal for our ride to Montevideo.
I’m glad we stopped over Colonia, but also glad we weren’t there for too long. It’s mostly great for the old-world feel, but I got my fill in just a few hours. Almost every other building was a museum, museums showing the interior of a house from the colonial times, the Spanish museum, an Indigenous museum. Many places were closed for the weekend.
Tips for traveling these parts:
Tip #1: Definitely check TripAdvisor reviews before eating around these parts (and maybe anywhere you’re traveling to!). If we had, we would have saved ourselves an expensive, tasteless meal as well.
Tip #2: Ferry tickets are easy enough to purchase in person — if you’re on your way to Calle Florida for some shopping, there are SeaCat, BuqueBus, and Colonia Express offices nearby. You can also purchase them at the port itself, on the north side of Puerto Madero.
Tip #3: If you purchase a ticket to Montevideo (even if it says “via Colonia”) you will head straight from the boat to the bus, with no opportunity to walk around the historic center (or anywhere, for that matter). Buying the bus ticket separately is only $22 USD round trip (cheaper!) anyway.
Tip #4: ATMs in Uruguay allow you to withdraw $USD! A plus, if you’re staying in Argentina where many places provide discounts with cash payment, and potential for better exchange rates with the blue dollar game.
Too bad they took advantage of their UNESCO designation and raked over tourists, instead of enhancing tourist experiences.