Half a Day in Colonia, Uruguay's UNESCO Site, Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay

On my way towards Brazil, I had a few days to spare in Uruguay and explore one of the lesser known South American countries. Arriving from Buenos Aires in Argentina, my first point of contact was the UNESCO World Heritage town of Colonia del Sacramento and the brown water at it’s waterfront did not look at all like a “river of the colorful bird”, which is the Guarani translation of the word Uruguay.

It was pretty easy to get into Uruguay, multiple ferry companies offer rides from Buenos Aires, making Colonia del Sacramento the most visited town in the country. My ride set me back 25€ and it took an hour to reach the other side of Río de la Plata. I was picked up by my Couchsurfing host and her son, soaking in some first impressions on the way back to their house. Since it was already late, we just shared a nice dinner and set out to explore the town the next day.

Colonia del Sacramento was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list based on the historic center, featuring beautiful houses next to cobblestone streets; calle de los suspiros being the definite highlight. It is a great spot to take pictures and you should make sure to come early or late in day, hopefully avoiding all the tourists ruining your shots like it was the case with me. From there, it is just a short walk towards the Citadel gate and the brown colored waterfront, leading to the second major attraction: A white lighthouse, built in 1857 and used as a viewpoint for those who want to spend a few Uruguayan pesos (~20) to get up there. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).