Day Trip to Colonia Del Sacramento, Uruguay

Buenos Aires is definitely one of the most exciting and interesting cities I’ve ever been to. And while the lively atmosphere and restless traffic are all part of that, sometimes you might feel an urge to escape the hectic of the city and just relax for a day. A great way to do that is to head to Colonia, a tiny town on the coast of Uruguay, just across the Rio de la Plata. We were lucky to go on a very sunny, cloudless day and after about 90 minutes on the Colonia Express (a ferry that goes daily in between Buenos Aires and Colonia) we arrived at what seemed like a place stuck in time. Colonia, founded in the late 17^th century by the Portuguese, contains the ‘barrio historico’, the historical centre, which is a UNESCO world heritage site. Even though the historical centre, as well as the town in general, is really small, it’s very beautiful and perfect for a quiet, relaxed day. The highlight of the historical centre is the lighthouse, which you can climb on top of and get a beautiful view over the town and the Rio de la Plata.

From there we could even see the skyline of Buenos Aires, which, due to the flat landscape of the city, looked like its floating in the River. A unique and very stunning sight indeed! Around the lighthouse, walking around the old streets and historical houses really gives you an idea of what life must’ve been like there during colonial times. We ended our trip through the town by watching the sunset over the Rio de la Plata.

After 7 hours in Colonia, it was time to head back to Buenos Aires. After being in Buenos Aires for 7 weeks, it was a really refreshing and nice experience to go to Colonia for a day. I would highly recommend a visit to Colonia to anybody staying in Buenos Aires. Make sure you go on a sunny day and I guarantee that you’ll enjoy it!