Colonia is Uruguay’s most famous colonial city. This picturesque town is an UNESCO world heritage site and is just 50km by ferry from Buenos Aires.
Quite possibly the prettiest town we will see in South America the quaint streets and cobble stone roads are mesmerising. When we arrived the historic centre was neither swamped with tourists nor choked with traffic creating a pleasant, relaxed atmosphere.
The old gate house and wall still stand complete with drawbridge and cannon.
An old lighthouse rises high above the buildings.
The most famous street here is a wonderful mixture of colours from yellows to pastel pink.
The buildings are well looked after, most are now occupied by fancy restaurants and artisanal shops. These come alive at night when they are lit up by candles whilst bottles of red wine flow to the sound of violins and guitars. It was a special moment watching a live classical street band play on the river side pier as the sun set beyond the oceanic horizon.
The town’s cobblestone alleys and leafy streets are sprinkled with old vintage cars and wooden carts adding to the historic feel of the place.
The historic centre is small and easily walkable in one day. We were there for three days which was too long. Perhaps even a day would have been enough.
However, it allowed us the time to check out some of Uruguay’s culture. Starting with the Uruguayan Parrillda, a mixed grill that proves any part of the cow can be eaten. Unable to translate the menu we ate it first then found out later what it was, which was probably for the best as it turned out we had eaten beef sausage, blood sausage, kidney, intestines, rib steak and pork steak.
The burn marks on my forehead are not from the grill but the sun! You would have thought I would have learnt to put sun cream on by now.
The following day we went to the market to purchase the paraphernalia needed to drink the Uruguayan favourite, Yerba Mate.
Providing a glimpse into Uruguay’s past, Colonia is both a pretty and historic part of the country and a must for anyone exploring this part of the world.
