'''Colonia del Sacramento''' is in Uruguay. It is filled with old colonial buildings and cobbled streets, and is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Understand

Colonia del Sacramento (Nova Colonia do Santissimo Sacramento) was founded in 1680 by the Portuguese (Manuel Lobo), sandwiched in between the Portuguese colony of Brazil and the Spanish Vice Royalty of the River Plate (later Argentina, Uruguay and Southern Brazil). Its strategic position and use as a smuggling port meant that its sovereignty was hotly contested and the city changed hands several times between Spain and Portugal.

Get in

Two daily boat connections arrive and depart from Buenos Aires and are the main connection to Argentina. A fast expensive one and a cheap slow one. The fast [http://www.buquebus.com Buquebus] catamaran ferry (one hour) costs 60 USD return and is usually quite crowded with day tourists and travel groups. Make sure you book in advance for weekends and the peak season (Christmas until the end of February). The slower boat costs 102 Pesos (from Buenos Aires) round trip, and takes about 3 hours.

A cheaper possibility is to take a boat from Tigre [http://www.bsas4u.com/delta-getaway-experience-p-142.html] to Carmelo in Uruguay. From Carmelo, take a bus, which run every two to three hours from the center of the city to Colonia. Great landscape and also drops off kids from school along the way.

There are several connections by bus from Montevideo to Colonia. Be careful with people telling you that all buses are booked out. This is in general not true and a taxi is much more expensive. For the peace of your mind buy a bus ticket upfront to avoid rare disappointment.

If you want to extend your stay in Argentina, then Colonia is a good place because upon arrival you are granted a new 90 day tourist visa for either country.

Get around

The old city of Colonia, which holds the main attractions, is quite small. It can be easily walked in a single day. There are shops where you can rent bicycles or scooters which you can use to ride around the city or in to the countryside. Streets aren't always in perfect condition, so keep an eye on the road, especially cobbled ones.

The ferry terminal is about half a kilometre south of the old city and the main bus terminal is about a kilometre south of the city center.

It is possible to rent row and sail boats from the marina.

See

The main attraction of Colonia is its historic center[http://www.bsas4u.com/trip-colonia-uruguay-p-211.html]. Nine small museums in the center can be visited with only one entrance ticket. For a few pesos you can go up to the top of the lighthouse (''faro'') and see most of the city and look out over the city and the river.

Outside of the city there is a semi-abandoned amusement park with Uruguay's only bullfighting ring, no longer in use.

Do

  • Climb up the old light house (entrance fee is two for one regular price)
  • Walk the old city center and eat fresh ice cream
  • Look for souvenirs and eat asado
  • Eat

    The old city is full of restaurants which serve the weekend tourist crowd from Buenos Aires. The specialties are Italian and asado (barbeque).

    Colonia was also settled by Swiss immigrants and is home to a unique local Swiss cheese that you can get at the markets.

    Drink

    '''Yerba mate''', the local drink of choice. Every single person here carries around their own cup and bombilla, so when in Rome...

  • Lentas Maravillas . anta Rita 61. Barrio Historico. 5220636. entasmaravillas@gmail.com. 0:30-20:00. Amazing cafe and lounge with garden overlooking the Rio de la Plata. Brunch is especially good with Illy coffee. Stop by for 5 o'clock tea to enjoy tartlets, muffins, cookies, and other culinary delights or sip mojitos in the garden while reading a wide selection of books from the lounge.

    Sleep

  • '''Hostel Colonial''', Av. General Flores 440, 052-28151 (hostelling_colonial@hotmail.com). Nice basic hostel, with Internet and shared kitchen. Dorms from USD 10.
  • '''Hotel La Mision''', M. del Tapes 171. 05226767 (+598 5226767). Small, cute hotel. Great location in historic district. The original building dates from 1762.
  • '''El Viajero Hostel''', Washington Barbot 164, Phone +59852 22683, Email: info@elviajerocolonia.com, [http://www.elviajerocolonia.com]. Dorms from USD 12 (USD 11 YHA members). Well-run, clean, friendly hostel just a few metres from the historic old city.
  • Stay safe

    Colonia is a preserved tourist town with very little of the harassment seen in most cities in Latin America. The dominance of local weekenders from Buenos Aires and Montevideo creates a very different environment from tourist cities which primarily host non-Latin American tourists.

    Get out

    There are frequent buses to Montevideo[http://www.bsas4u.com/capital-montevideo-uruguay-p-210.html] and several time a day ferries to Buenos Aires and El Tigre[http://wikitravel.org/en/Colonia#Get_out] Argentina.