Impressions of... Colonia del Sacramento

For us, Colonia del Sacramento was just a stopping off point to catch the ferry to Buenos Aires the next morning, so we stayed only one night.

Colourful cafes in Colonia

In some ways, Colonia has charm. Its uneven, cobbled streets give it a rustic look, which is complemented by the cafés painted in bright colours and the patterned tablecloths on the tables in the main plaza beneath the palm trees. Some of the avenues are enclosed in a tall tunnel of trees joining branches overhead. Inexplicably, rusty classic cars are parked on the cobbles, now transformed into receptacles for tangled plants.

Classic-car-turned-plant-receptacle in Colonia

For us, Colonia felt too ‘discovered’; the number of people packed into a small town made the place feel rather inauthentic and its quaintness rather forced. It was more like a living museum than a real town. This was perhaps inevitable given that it is only an hour on the ferry from Buenos Aires and therefore a prime target for a day trip.

Pride parade in Colonia

Once you make peace with the fact that this is an objectively beautiful town and will naturally have many visitors, the many small bars and restaurants make for a nice atmosphere and can be enjoyed as much as anywhere. We have form for unexpectedly discovering parades in the most obscure places. Here, we had arrived on the same day as the town’s pride parade. The convivial carnival atmosphere was brought by many participants who had clearly travelled from all over Uruguay (maybe further).

Colourful buildings in Colonia

All in all, Colonia del Sacramento is a nice enough place but our view is that it is worth visiting either if you are passing through or if small towns with cobbled paving are a novelty for you.