I only spent one day and one night there, but I left wanting to go back. This is Colonia del Sacramento, a small city in Uruguay that is usually included in the itinerary of anyone who spends a few days in Buenos Aires: the historic town is an hour by boat from the capital of Argentina, making it a great option for a day trip.
Traveling from Montevideo is also easy – just hop on one of the several daily buses and 2h30 later you will be there. We take both routes. To help you with the same mission, we made a guide on how to get to Colonia del Sacramento, whether from Buenos Aires or Montevideo.
See also: Where to stay in Colonia del Sacramento
Just because it’s close to home doesn’t mean you can travel without insurance: Find out why you should take out travel insurance to go to Uruguay and how to guarantee one with good coverage (and at a discount).
How to go to Colonia del Sacramento from Buenos Aires
There’s a river in the middle of the way. Between Buenos Aires and Colonia del Sacramento there is only the Rio de la Plata, which makes traveling between the two cities much easier – it is easier to get to Colonia from Buenos Aires than from Montevideo.
Colonia was built by the Portuguese when they tried to dominate the eastern side of Rio (an area that later became Uruguay). It was an important port and commercial route for a few decades, when it rivaled Buenos Aires, until it was dominated by the Spanish. Centuries later, tourists arrived.
Three companies provide the connection between the cities. The one we used (and recommend) was Colonia Express, which usually has the best prices. We paid around 700 Argentine pesos, round trip, leaving Buenos Aires on Friday morning and returning on Monday at 6:45 pm.
The company also has a promotional price for those who just want to make the return trip and want to travel at a less busy time: around 500 pesos for those who leave Buenos Aires on the 12:30 pm boat and return on the 8:45 pm boat. Believe me: there is time to see all the city’s attractions, have lunch in a nice restaurant and enjoy the sunset, which is unmissable. You will be in Buenos Aires at 10pm, in time for dinner and the Buenos Aires nightfall.
Inside the boat there is a small (or rather, tiny) Free Shop. Colonia Express does not transport cars. Tickets can be purchased at the boat departure point, in Puerto Madero, or at a store in the city center, at Avenida Córdoba, 753.
If Colonia is usually the cheapest option, the best known is BuqueBus, which has two types of boats: fast ones, with 1-hour trips, and slow ones, with 3-hour trips. The latter are cheaper, obviously, but BuqueBus prices are rarely better than Colonia Express. On the other hand, BuqueBus transports vehicles.
BuqueBus arriving in Colonia
There is also a third option, Seacat, which also does not transport cars and works more or less according to the Colonia Express scheme. In all three companies it is possible to buy the ticket in advance, via the official websites. In all cases, you can also buy a ticket to Colonia del Sacramento or Montevideo, either by boat to the Uruguayan capital or by bus + boat combo.
Remember that you have to arrive at the boarding point one hour before departure, after all you are about to go on an international trip: there is check-in, immigration procedures, large luggage check-in and all that common ritual on trips of this type.
We went by boat to Colonia and, the next day, we bought a bus ticket to Montevideo on our own. As the bus station is next to the port, doing this is very easy.
Also read everything we published about Buenos Aires
How to go to Colonia del Sacramento from Montevideo
Just go to Montevideo Bus Station and look for one of the several companies that run the route – there are buses every hour and the ticket costs around 500 Uruguayan pesos. As previously stated, the trip lasts 2h30. Montevideo Bus Station is at Bulevar General Artigas, 1825, 15 minutes from the city center.
Several buses connect the bus terminal to the Avenida 18 de Julho region, where there are many hotels and hostels. Some of the options are buses 180, 181, 187, 188 and CA1. Before getting in, check with the driver whether the vehicle is going in the direction you want. There are also buses connecting the Montevideo bus station to other areas of the city.
Also read everything we published about Montevideo
It is possible to travel from the capital to Colonia by rented car. Diego, from the blog Meus Roteiros de Viagem, did this. The road is good and the route is quite peaceful.
Another option is to buy one of the combos mentioned above, which includes boat + bus transportation between Buenos Aires, Colonia del Sacramento and Montevideo.
*Argentina is experiencing an inflationary process of more than 30% per year. For this reason, the prices stated here may no longer apply at the time of your visit.
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