Colonia del Sacramento – an escape from urbanity

Photo by Kate Stanworth

Founded in 1680 by Portugal as ‘Colônia do Sacramento’ but soon after disputed by the Spanish who were settled on the opposite bank of the river at Buenos Aires, the colony now known as Colonia del Sacramento kept changing hands from crown to crown until it became part of the independent country of Uruguay in 1828.

Colonia del Sacramento (more commonly known as Colonia) has expanded to the north and east from its original historic quarter built by the Portuguese. This quarter, designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, retains its irregular, terrain-matching streets laid down by the first Portuguese settlers, which contrast with the wider, orthogonal streets in the newer Spanish areas.

The Buquebus hydrofoil service from Buenos Aires leaves Puerto Madero on a daily basis, seven days a week, also travelling as far as Montevideo and Punta del Este. You have the option of the slower ferry journey lasting three hours or the faster ferry journey lasting one hour. The 17thcentury cobblestoned streets of the historic quarter are within walking distance of the ferry terminal.

Photo by Kate Stanworth

Our Buquebus experience was quick and hassle-free. Immigration at the ultra-modern Puerto Madero terminal is well-organised with quick-moving queues. The ferry itself is spacious and the reclining cushioned seats very comfortable. There is a canteen-style restaurant onboard as well as a well-stocked duty-free shop. We arrived into the port at Colonia in time for a quick wander before lunch.

The national currency in Uruguay is the Uruguayan peso, but everywhere in Colonia will accept Argentine Pesos and many will also accept US dollars. The official exchange rate at the time of print is six Uruguayan pesos to one Argentine peso.

The tree-lined Plaza Mayor is the central focal point of the historic quarter, flanked by Colonia’s most notable visitor attractions. Colonia is a small, easily walkable town but there are numerous fairly-priced vehicle hire companies renting out everything from scooters to go-karts to golf buggies.

As we headed away from the hustle and bustle of the ferry terminal towards the historic quarter, our curiosity was sparked by two middle-aged ladies racing down the main road in a six-person golf cart. We stopped them at the crossroads and enquired as to where we could hire such a vehicle.

Photo by Kate Stanworth

Shortly afterwards, we were in possession of the keys to the ‘EZ-GO’, a four-person, roofless, doorless golf buggy that we hired from ‘Thrifty’. Although given basic instructions on how to drive the thing, our knowledge of Uruguayan traffic law was somewhat limited and after several blocks of driving on the left-hand side of the road with total disregard for one-way systems, we enlisted the help of a bemused but obliging traffic warden for a crash-course driving lesson.

I highly recommend hiring a buggy as, although the go-karts may look a lot of fun, they are very low to the ground and don’t lend themselves well to being driven down cobbled streets (not that the buggy was the most comfortable ride either, be prepared for a bumpy time unless you stick to the main roads).

The great thing about the golf buggy is that you can park it almost anywhere whilst you wander off sight-seeing as Colonia is much safer than Buenos Aires as well as more accessible.

Watch where you leave your buggy though, because upon parking up and going for an ice-cream, we returned to our buggy cone in hand to discover a policeman scribbling away on a notepad and noting down our vehicle registration number. He handed us a parking ticket and informed us that we had in fact parked in a bus stop and caused quite a disturbance, but let us off the fine when we pleaded our innocence as clueless gringas. Although Colonia seems a world away from the chaos of BA, traffic laws still apply!

We had lunch on the roof terrace of the Colonia Yacht Club and I had the typically Uruguayan chivito (thinly cut beef), the special at practically every restaurant in Colonia, whilst my companion enjoyed a salmon sandwich. Your meal is cooked on a grill on the terrace in front of your eyes, sound assurance that the food you are about to eat is fresh and piping hot.

Photo by Kate Stanworth

Heading through the city gate over the wooden drawbridge (on foot) our first port of call was the lighthouse and ruins of the 17th century Convent of San Francisco. Make sure you apply sun cream liberally as Colonia is a very windy seaside town and you won’t realise you are burning! For five Uruguayan Pesos you can climb the staircase to the top of the lighthouse and take in the breathtaking view.

At a stone’s throw from the lighthouse is the Municipal Museum, rebuilt by the Spanish in 1835 as the Casa del Almirante Brown. It exhibits artefacts and documents of the city’s different periods and cultures. Our issue was that we made our visit on a Tuesday, the one day of the week the museum is closed, strangely enough!

The Iglesia Matriz – the oldest church in Uruguay, dating from 1695-99, is also worth a visit, as is the Basilica del Sanctísimo Sacramento, built of stone by the Portuguese in 1808. Explore Colonia’s original Portuguese roots at the Portuguese Museum – constructed in the 18th century, it exhibits Portuguese furnishings, jewellery, uniforms and old maps of Portuguese naval expeditions.

After soaking up so much culture, we decided to soak up some sun at the end of our day in Colonia and strolled down the beach; leaving our shoes in the buggy (the beaches are not accessible by car). Reluctant to hand our keys back in at the Thrifty office (the buggy had been our mobile home for the day), we paced it back to the ferry terminal and slept the whole journey back to BA.

Visit www.buquebus.com for ferry information. A weekday day-return (leaving BA 9am, returning from Colonia 7pm) costs $124. We hired the ‘EZ-GO’ from Thrifty for US$40 for the whole day. Visit www.thrifty.com.uy for car hire information or drop in at Gral. Flores 172 upon arrival (booking not necessary).