"Don't skip over it!" Top 5 Page for this destination Uruguay by Marie-France

Uruguay Travel Guide: 1,687 reviews and 3,231 photos

First stop: Colonia

I was in Argentina for 2 months last winter, and decided to spend 10 days in Uruguay.

A three hours ferry ride from Buenos Aires is Colonia, a quaint 17th century colonial town full of history and great food. Many people make it a short day trip from B.A., but Colonia is worth at least two days to really appreciate its peaceful and relaxed atmosphere.

Here are some notes from my travel journal:

"What can I say? Wow! I've already extended my stay until Friday morning!! :-) "

"In a nutshell: the history and charm of Quebec city, the small town feeling of Fussen or Hallstatt, and the climate of central California!"

STAY TUNED. MORE TIPS TO COME...

Montevideo

Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, is only a few hours away by bus from Colonia. It shares a lot with Buenos Aires, but on a much smaller scale.

Piriapolis and Punta del Este

Piriapolis beach

East of Montevideo, a string of beaches extends all the way to Brazil. These draw crowds of holidaying Uruguayans and Argentinians during the summer. I stopped in Piriapolis for a few days and made a quick side trip to Punta del Este. Piriapolis is a busy family resort, probably similar to what Fort Lauderdale looked like in the seventies, while Punta is an upscale resort with a "French Riviera" feel.

Pros and Cons

Pros:Good food, friendly people, short distances
Cons:can't think of any...
In a nutshell:Worth a few days of exploration

Last visit to Uruguay: Feb 2005
Intro Updated Oct 12, 2005
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Reviews (12)

Relax by the water Things to Do (2)

Colonia's old town is a peninsula jutting out into the Rio de la Plata, so it has water on every side but one! Walk... more travel advice

Bird's eye view of Colonia Things to Do (2)

To get a bird's eye view of old Colonia and the Rio de la Plata (river), climb up the lighthouse, located in the middle... more travel advice

Buquebus - ferry to Uruguay Transportation (2)

The best way to get to Uruguay from Buenos Aires is by ferry. Buquebus is the company that operates the ferries. The... more travel advice

Good breakfast place Restaurants (3)

I discovered this cafe on my first morning in Colonia, when I was looking for breakfast, and ended up returning every... more travel advice

Favorites (3)
See All Architecture

Hotels (2)
See All Big homey house in Colonia

Comments (14)

JessH Jun 11, 2009 at 5:10 AM Report Abuse

Hello Marie-France. South America is a continent I haven't visited yet, so I very much enjoyed reading your tips! Thank you very much for sharing :-) Greetings from Dubai / Jess
traveldave May 3, 2007 at 7:24 AM Report Abuse

I always thought I'd take an excursion to Uruguay if I was ever in BA. Seems like a nice country. By the way, thanks for checking out my homepage the other day.
TheWanderingCamel Apr 26, 2007 at 6:03 AM Report Abuse

Early morning coffee and medialunas in Colonia sounds great - have only been for the day before - maybe we'll spend a night or two there next time we visit BA. leyle
Tom_In_Madison Apr 24, 2007 at 6:36 AM Report Abuse

I'm planning on going to Colonia from BA in a couple weeks....totally forgot about the 'bring a passport' tip even though it's just across the river! Thanks for reminding me!
barryg23 Mar 9, 2007 at 2:43 PM Report Abuse

Lovely description of Uruguay. We've planned 10 days for our visit too, I hope it'll be enough.
kyoub Aug 24, 2006 at 10:34 AM Report Abuse

A very interesting and helpful page. Great photos!
mtncorg Jul 3, 2006 at 2:45 PM Report Abuse

Nice to see pictures of Colonia in the sunshine. The weather was not so accommodating when I was theree ;-\
Srechko Mar 2, 2006 at 9:12 PM Report Abuse

Great photos and narration - Uruguay is on the list of my future destinations (like I don't have enough already...)
Sininen Feb 13, 2006 at 7:57 PM Report Abuse

Hello Marie-France! Happy Birthday from Finland! Love your uruguay page. Great tips with beautiful photos. Uruguay is one country I'd really love to visit. Cheers, Sini
Jim_Eliason Dec 20, 2005 at 6:26 PM Report Abuse

Fantastic page, I really enjoyed Colonia!