Colonia, Uruguay: Epic Views from the Buenos Aires Ferry

Introduction

Hey travel buddies! 🌍 Join me on a virtual ride from Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay aboard the Colonia Express Ferry. 🚢 Get ready for jaw-dropping views of Buenos Aires’ skyline, Puerto Madero, and a quirky onboard store for some unique souvenirs! 🏙️🛍️ As we approach Uruguay, the excitement builds – stepping into a new country! 🇺🇾

The ferry ticket isn’t just a ride; it unlocks a fascinating walking tour through Colonia’s gems – Plaza Mayor, Porton del Campo, Faro de Colonia de Sacramento, and the Basilica of the Blessed Sacrament. Indulge in local flavors and explore colorful streets before bidding farewell! 🍴📸 #ColoniaExpress #UruguayAdventure

Boarding the Colonia Express Ferry

I woke up early this morning in Buenos Aires, to board in this ferry that would take me to my country #76. Unbelievably, I still had some countries left in South America, and because of time constraints I was not able to go to Montevideo, although I planned the whole city 🙁

I got the ferry tickets through GetYourGuide with an optional walking tour of the town.

To board this ferry you have to Check In first. The terminal is very modern and the check in was quick. They would check your tickets and passport. There is a nice coffee store in there and a nice waiting area. When the boarding process starts, they would be calling by groups, and then we all have to pass through Customs.

This was the most confusing part of the process, since there were many lines and almost no info on where national from other countries could do the immigration.

But then after boarding, the big ferry with multiple floors, offered the best views of Puerto Madero and the rest of the Rio de la Plata ports in Buenos Aires.

On the way to Uruguay

As we got further from Argentina, we were able to see the Buenos Aires Skyline afar, and slowly hiding down and down, confirming the big sphere we are all riding on.

Inside of the ferry there was a big store, with many different items.

After 1 hour and 15 minutes we were arriving in Uruguay. Colonia was just in front of us.

Bienvenidos a Uruguay

“Welcome to Uruguay” was a nice touch, finally confirming a new country in my list, and excited to be part of this tour.

After disembarkation, we were joined by the tour guide who would then guide us through the old streets of Colonia del Sacramento, one of the oldest towns in this country. Because of this location, this beautiful town was ruled and fought multiple times by Spain, Portugal, Brazil, until it was finally part of the independent Uruguay.

The walking tour

The picturesque town reminded me of my hometown of Cartagena, Colombia, the old walls surrounding the city in the effort of protecting it from the invaders.

The tour guide was super nice, and told us a lot of secrets keeping us hooked to the whole story. Fortunately it felt nice this morning, even though it was sunny.

I was amazed by the cute views we would find at every corner of this town.

After some time of the walking tour, the guide left us by ourselves, giving a few hours to enjoy the town, grab something to eat, buy some souvenirs and then head back to the ferry terminal.

Exploring Colonia

I took some minutes to explore Colonia by myself, just walking around and enjoying this safe town.

There are a lot of stores and restaurants, and by noon, the town was crowded even this time being off-season.

I was starving, and even though the restaurants closer to the main square looked nice, I went a little bit deeper into a very well rated one: DOS 22 Restaurant.

Time to head out

After lunch, I continued walking around, and appreciating the beautiful Colonia.

And just in time I went into the terminal for my ferry back to Buenos Aires. On this side, the return was even more smooth.

After a few minutes, I got back in the ferry and started the way back to Buenos Aires, which I was able to see in the distance. But my day continues in another post that you can read right now.