Premium Day Trip to Colonia del Sacramento
Description
Step into a storybook setting on a walking tour of Colonia del Sacramento, where cobblestone streets, colorful facades, and centuries of history come alive at every turn. Start your journey in the magical Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage gem, and let yourself be swept away by its colonial charm. Stroll down the legendary Calle de los Suspiros, uncover tales of romance and mystery, and soak in the lively atmosphere of Plaza Mayor, framed by museums, cozy cafés, and art-filled corners. Feel like an explorer as you wander the ancient city walls and climb the lighthouse for jaw-dropping views over the shimmering Río de la Plata. Step inside the serene Basilica del Santísimo Sacramento and let the hauntingly beautiful ruins of the Convent of San Francisco transport you back in time. A mix of history, charm, and postcard-perfect moments—this tour is the perfect way to fall in love with Colonia!
Tour Options
Itinerary
The historic city of Colonia del Sacramento, founded in 1680, evokes images of ancient Lisbon for its Portuguese-style architecture and winding streets. Colonia is located in the southwestern part of Uruguay, on the Río de la Plata, and in 1995 UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site. You can visit Colonia easily by ferry from Buenos Aires in just a day trip, and this is one of the reasons that make its beaches a popular destination of great tourist attraction for Argentines. Among its main monuments are the Church Matrix, which is the oldest in the country, the Municipal Museum and a port dating from the seventeenth century that merges harmoniously with the river.
It is born in the Plaza Mayor and continues on a slope to the Río de la Plata. It is a narrow street with Portuguese characteristics, cobbled with a wedge and without sidewalks. The sides are tilted towards the center to form a drainage channel. The houses, built in the first half of the 18th century, have stone walls, tile roofs and ceramic floors. The doors and windows are small and made of wood, although only houses with a gabled roof are preserved.
It was built in the year 1745 by order of the Portuguese governor Vasconcellos who at that time was leading these lands. In its origins the Door was the portico of entrance to Colony, protected at that time by a strong military of thick walls that were frequent target of pirate attacks, Spanish and English.
It was built in January 1857. It has two red flashes every nine seconds. It is a circular tower of white masonry with a dome with white and red radial stripes. It has a unique structure with a square base and a cylindrical tower that reaches the lantern. It was built on one of the old towers of the Convent of San Francisco, whose ruins are at the foot of the lighthouse. Its height is 26 meters and has a luminous range of 7.8 nautical miles
The Basilica has a most unusual altar feature for its time and even now; an back lit semi-circular alcove that features a very large monstrance (receptacle for displaying the Sacred Host or Blessed Sacrament). The outside brickwork shows the Portuguese influence of its builders.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Pick up will be at your centrally located hotel in Buenos Aires (Palermo, Recoleta and Downtown area)
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- A current valid passport is required on the day of travel
- NOTE: Passport name, number, date of birth and country is required at time of booking for all participants
- This is a kid-friendly tour
Reviews(37)
This tour was a worry-free way to explore Catalonia from Buenos Aires. We were picked us up from our hotel promptly and taken to the ferry with good directions on how to proceed. Another tour guide met us as we exited the ferry in Uruguay and took us on an informative hour long walking tour. So much history here! We then had about 3 hrs to enjoy the town and explore. We opted for a wine and cheese tasting at a local establishment. Our tour guide then met us to accompany us back to the ferry and again helped us to check in. Back in Buenos Aires, our driver drove us back to our hotel. A great day!
Fantastic experience; from pickup to drop off everyone was professional, friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. Logistics were super smooth with door-to-door transportation, high speed ferry round trip. Our guide, Mayra, was a lovely ambassador for Uruguayan hospitality and history and provided a wonderful walking tour of Colonia with great local recommendations. Highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting BA for a fun day trip!
It was a fun experience. Our guide, Ali, was incredible and we learned so much about Colonia and Uruguay from her. Very well organized.
Not worth the money - $250/person for the 5 min. transfer from hotel to the port + $70 boat fee + 2 hours tour guide - your charge is way too high.
Lovely town. Definitely worth the visit and to explore and get the history of another country. Our guide was great and gave us a comprehensive run down and tour of the town. Then gave us two hours to have lunch and explore. Lots of restaurants and shops to explore. Just be prepared to spend some time in both directions going through customs and immigration. It's about 2 hours on each side, which adds to the day.
This premium day trip to Colonia del Sacramento was absolutely excellent from start to finish and exceeded my expectations. In Buenos Aires, my guide Jesus was extremely prompt, communicative, and professional. He picked me up right on time and made the ferry process smooth and stress-free. Customs and immigration for the ferry can feel more chaotic than an airport, but Jesus guided me step-by-step through check-in and boarding. He was friendly, knowledgeable, and bilingual (English and Spanish), and he also shared helpful local tips before departure. Once in Uruguay, Lily was truly a standout. She is an absolute gem. Her English is impeccable, and her historical knowledge rivals that of a professor, enhanced by over 20 years of living experience in Colonia. She is clearly well known and respected by local artisans, residents, and business owners—I even overheard others say she was the best guide, and they were right. Lily is a fantastic storyteller with a great sense of humor. She gave thoughtful recommendations on where to eat and shop, pointed out where to find the best value, and helped us avoid tourist traps without ever making it feel transactional. Her care and pride in Colonia really showed throughout the day. Colonia itself is charming and beautiful, especially beyond the main historic sites. Walking the outer areas revealed excellent restaurants, cafés, gelato shops, urban art, and stunning architecture. A few practical tips: arrive early for the ferry to clear customs and immigration and to get better open seating. Food and drinks are available onboard, so skip the café at the ferry terminal. Traveling light makes the experience even smoother. Also, there are many stray dogs in colonia that according to Lily are taken care of by the locals, they are sweet, if i ever go back i would feed them. I highly recommend this trip. The ferry ride is calm and scenic, Colonia is lovely, and the experience is elevated by two exceptional guides who truly care about what they do.
The tour was excellent and worry free! They picked us up from our hotel promptly and directed us to the ferry. Our private tour guide met us as we exit the ferry in Uruguay and we had a very informative 2 hour walking tour of Colonia de Sacremento and its history. We then had about 3 hrs to enjoy the town and explore. Our tour guide then met us to accompany us back to the ferry and checkin. Once we arrived in Buenos Aires, our driver drove us back to our hotel. This tour allowed us to visit Uruguay with ease. Definitely recommend this tour!!!
Ms. Lily gave us an excellent historical overview of Colonia del Sacramento and even recommended great spots to enjoy authentic Uruguayan cuisine. In Argentina, our driver Jesús ensured a safe and comfortable journey with his attentive and professional service. Highly recommended!
A lovely introduction to Uruguay and the unique town of Colonia! It was very helpful to have a driver pick us up from our hotels and navigate our tickets for the ferry to Uruguay. The ferry was large and comfortable and just took 50 min to get us across. Our guide Alejandra was waiting for us at the port as we disembarked with a sign with our names on it - very easy to find. She spoke excellent English and offered a lot of history and background on the country of Uruguay as well as Colonia, which was super interesting. There was so much I was unaware of! The walking tour was about 90min and then we were on our own for lunch and to wander about the small town for 3.5 hours. There were lots of cute small restaurants and stores, but I think 2.5 hours would have been enough for free time - it was exceptionally hot that day and we spent an hour just sitting in a gelato shop just to cool off. Easy ferry ride back and we were greeted by the same driver from the morning who took us back to our hotels. All in all, definitely worth it if you have extra time to spare in Buenos Aires!
Wow. We went here for the day on our honeymoon as one of our last day activities, and just one word: wow! It was the best tour we went on during our trip. Alejandra was very knowledgeable and passionate. We learned so much about Colonia and Uruguay more generally. I would recommend this trip to anyone! Thank you for an amazing time.
Dear Valued Customer, Thank you for choosing Tours Buenos Aires to organize your travel experiences. Your trust means the world to us! We are also grateful for your thoughtful review, as it inspires us to keep pushing our boundaries and delivering exceptional service.
