Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
169
The majority of visitors take day trips to Colonia from Buenos Aires. However, staying
overnight or exploring the region has certain advantages. Colonia is surrounded by win-
eries and
estancias
and some of Uruguay's most beautiful landscapes, as well as spa resorts.
Only recently experiencing a tourism boom, many of these sites hav e a more authentic
atmosphere than their counterparts in Argentina. As small as it is, overnighting in Colo-
nia allows you to have the town to yourself, after the day-trippers have left, to wander the
cobblestone streets unencumbered. Photography buffs in particular will find this delight-
ful. For those who come as a couple, the small to wn is serenely romantic for watching a
sunset together and then heading to candlelit r estaurants serving steaks, locally caught
fish, and wines from the surrounding vineyards.
ESSENTIALS
Getting There
The easiest way to reach Colonia from Buenos Aires is by
ferry.
FerryLíneas
(
&
02/900-
6617
) r uns a fast boat that arriv es in 45 minutes.
Buquebús
(
&
02/916-1910
) also
offers two classes of ser vice. Prices range fr om $35 to $58 (£24-£39) each way . A ne w
ferryboat-and-bus combination service opened in 2006 to compete with what had been
a monopoly for Buquebús.
Colonia Express
(in Buenos Aires
&
54/11-4313-5100;
in
Montevideo
&
02/901-9597; www .coloniaexpress.com) offers similar prices but a less
frequent schedule.
Colonia is a good stopping-off point if y ou're trav eling betw een B uenos Air es and
Montevideo.
COT
(
&
02/409-4949
in Montevideo) offers
bus service
from Montevi-
deo and from Punta del Este.
6
Visitor Information
The main
Oficina de Turismo,
G eneral F lores and Riv era (
&
052/23700
or 052/
26141), is open daily fr om 8am to 8pm. J ust outside the gates to the B arrio Historico,
and with the same hours, is a smaller
Oficina de Turismo,
Calle M anuel Lobo 224,
between Ituzaingó and Paseo San Miguel (
&
052/28506
). Speak with someone at the
tourism office to arrange a guided tour of the town, or contact the
Asociacion de Guias
Profesionales de Turismo del Departmento de Colonia
(
&
052/22309
or 052/25068;
asociacionguiascolonia@gmail.com). Visit www.colonia.gub.uy or www.uruguaynatural.
com for information about Colonia and the surr ounding r egion. The w ebsite www.
guiacolonia.com.uy has useful information, and keep an eye out for the bimonthly book-
let
Güear
(www.guear.com), which has shopping, restaurant, hotel, and nightlife listings,
as well as pr ofiles of local chefs and other information. A PDF of the booklet can be
downloaded befor e y our visit. M ost locations listed her e take Argentine pesos, U ru-
guayan pesos, euros, and U.S. dollars.
WHAT TO SEE & DO
A Walk Through Colonia's Barrio Histórico
Your visit to Colonia will be concentrated in the
Barrio H istorico
(Old N eighbor-
hood),
located on the coast, at the far southwestern corner of town. The sites, which are
all within a fe w blocks of each other , can easily be visited on foot within a fe w hours.
Museums and tourist sites ar e open Thursday thr ough M onday fr om 11:15am to
4:45pm. For about $2 (£1.35), you can buy a pass at the Portuguese or municipal muse-
ums, which will get y ou into all the sites. M any locations in Colonia don 't hav e r eal
addresses, but often an intersection of two streets is used for direction. Individual muse-
ums don't have phone numbers either , so make sur e to get a map at the tourist office.
