Colonia, Uruguay was once a stronghold against the forces of Buenos Aires. Full of quiet, cobblestone romance, it remains a refuge from the big city.
Buenos Aires has an abundance of wine, a nightlife (that continues after sunrise), museums, street markets, and endless entertainment. But, it could use a bit of moderation.
After a couple weeks of go, go, go in the city it was time to breathe some new good air.
“There are ferries to Colonia everyday,” a friend suggested. “Just hop on a boat.”
I didn’t know that Colonia, Uruguay existed until I needed to escape from city life.
I knew little about Uruguay as well, except its reputation as the “most chill” place in South America. Weed was legal, there were lots of beaches, off the grid communes set up in sand dunes, citizens drank more Yerba Mate tea than Argentinians (someone call Guinness World Records), and, like Argentina, they pronounced “Y” sounds as “Sh.”
It sounded perfect. A comfortable hour and a half ferry ride across the Rio de la Plata (River of Silver) and I stepped out of a high-paced metropolis — and into another time.
Ahhhhh. I exhaled.
Colonia del Sacramento, the oldest city in Uruguay
I arrived mid-afternoon onto stone streets lined with pastel painted facades and climbing vines. Bistro tables invited me to lunch near Avenida General Flores. I ordered yerba mate tea (while in Rome Uruguay) and some pastries, and sat wrapped in brickwork from the roads to walls.
Although it only takes two hours to walk around the whole town, I could spend a week just wandering and sipping tea. On every block were ornate door hinges and handles, rod iron spirals, and decorative Spanish painted tiles.
It’s a small place with so much charm to take in.
Banks, artist studios, cafes, and shoe stores — the markings of an ordinary modern town — are set into the architecture of the historic village.
The first colony here was founded in 1680 by the Portuguese and is now a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site. Which explains why its roads were so peaceful — many are pedestrian only.
La Calle de los Suspiros (Road of Sighs)
“You can tell these are Portuguese roads because they form a V with a central gutter,” a waiter told me.
This “V” is most obvious in the centre of the Road of Sighs (Calle de los Suspiros). Comically, what is now the town’s most romantic street with stonework stoops and flower boxes, once housed its brothels.
That’s how it got its sighs.
Colonia, like its sighing residents, had constantly traded hands and it showed.
A patchy quilt of architecture and destruction mark the transitions between the Spanish, Portuguese, Brazilian, and Uruguay revolutionaries who claimed the strategic riverside fort.
The town lives up to its name — Colonia has been a colony many times over.
I walked slowly, and slanted-ly, through the historic centre towards Rio de la Plata. The town is a perfect natural naval base, surrounded on three sides by a deep river that flows to the Atlantic ocean.
Bastion de Santa Rita (Santa Rita Tower)
I walked up the stairs of the Bastion de Santa Rita watchtower and lighthouse. Each back-step had a tile painted with an image of the tower, in case I forgot where I was…
From atop the squat stone cylinder, I looked over the town and river. The vibrant sunset through palm fronds felt like a tropical paradise. Until a cool breeze ruffled my hair.
Here, the temperature is cool enough for warm tea in winter (around five degrees Celsius) but gets hot and humid in summer.
Porton de Campo (The Farm Gate)
For medieval lovers, the town fortress has a functioning drawbridge and moat! I immediately invaded it.
Enchanting notes flowed out from inside the fort. A musician tapped on an otherworldly Hang instrument, she cupped the steel bowl-like drum between her crossed legs.
Back at the hostel, I met some roadtripping Brazilians.
“Uruguay is popular with Brazilians from the South because it’s so close and calm,” a friend from the mega-city of São Paolo said.
Calm, chill, relaxed — so far Uruguay was living up to its reputation.
“We’re driving to Montevideo tomorrow, wanna come?” She extended an invite. I wanted to see more of Uruguay now.
Lee-gow! “Cool!” they taught me to reply in Brazilian Portuguese.
Colonia was at once under siege, hard, stone — and peaceful, artistic, and delicate. In just two days, I’d fallen in love with its European charm, South American warmth (and tea), and Uruguayan chillness. The entire town was a walking museum to be taken in slowly.
I hadn’t expected a historic haven so close to the insanity of Buenos Aires. It was just the escape I’d needed.
How to visit Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay
Two ferry services depart from Buenos Aires: Buquebus and ColoniaExpress (toggle top left for English). Each has three scheduled departures daily.
Here’s the official Uruguay Tourism Guide to Colonia del Sacramento.
From Colonia, you can take the ferry back to Buenos Aires or a bus onward to experience more of Uruguay’s chillness. Or, if you’re lucky, hitch a ride with some friendly Brazilians!
