Colonia del Sacramento Things to Do

The Spaniard urbanization that can bee seen in other Uruguayan colonial towns, but in Colonia del Sacramento that the chessboard town plan is not present ; the Portuguese used another kind of town plan, so the narrow streets of cobble stones wind all over the ancient city; so let you wander over there...
The picture shows Calle de los Suspiros (Sighs Street).

La urbanización española puede verse en otras ciudades coloniales, pero en Colonia del Sacramento el plano en damero no está presente; los portugueses utilizaban otro tipo de planeamiento urbano, por lo que las callejuelas de adoquines serpentean por la ciudad; piérdanse por ellas...
La foto muestra la Calle de los Suspiros.

Puerta de Campo (Country Gate) is nowadays the main entrance to the ancient city; this gate was inaugurated in 1745, and it has a drawbridge over a moat (do not worry, it has no crocodiles!)

Puerta de Campo es en al acutalidad la principal entrada a la ciudad antigua; esa puerta fue inaugurada en 1745, y tiene un puente levadizo y un foso (no se preocupen, no tiene cocodrilos!)

A good starting point when you visit a new town is the Tourist Information Office: there you will find information (obviously!), maps, brochures, and everything you need to make up your mind: you follow the clews or you just do what you want!

Un buen punto de partida cuando se visita una nueva ciudad es la Oficina de Información Turística: aquí encontrarán información (¡obviamente!), mapas, folletos, y lo que necesiten para decidirse: o bien siguen las indicaciones, o bien hacen lo que ustedes quieran!

In Plaza Mayor alone, you'll find the Museo Portuguese and the Museo Municipal. The Portuguese Museum is full of artifacts that highlight the Portuguese heritage of Colonia and the Municipal Museum contains a collection of colonial documents and artifacts.

The good thing is that these museums are remarkably inexpensive. In fact, you can buy a ticket for 10 pesos (which is like less than 50 cents US) which gets you into all of the historic district's museums (I think there are a total of 5).

This 17th century church is one of the most interesting architectural sites in Colonia and one of the oldest churches in Uruguay. It is still an active parish, but when Andrea and I visited it was quiet inside. The white walls and very simple design give it a cool and peacefull feel.

This bridge is also referred to as Puerta de la Ciudadela and it marks the entrance to the historic center. It was built in 1745 by the Portuguese governor as the only entrance to the town in order to protect it from unwanted intruders.

The Barrio Historico is where you'll spend your time in Colonia. The historic center is like stepping back in time (except with running water and electricity!). It's located on the southwest edge of town and when you cross the bridge you are entering into an area of cobblestone streets and historic buildings. You'll see wrought ironworks and colorful flowers dangling from windowsills over white walls with the kind of cracks and flaws in them that give them character. It's a great place to spend an afternoon.

The lighthouse is surely one of the first things you'll see when you arrive in the historic district. It was constructed in 1857 from stones from the ruins of the Convento de San Francisco that sits right below it. It's free to visit, but be prepared for the narrow steps that lead to the top. The views from up there out over the Rio de la Plata and back over the town itself are worth the effort.

As Andrea and I were walking around town, we kept seeing these guys dressed up as soldiers marching around Plaza Mayor (perhaps demonstrating the military past?). You might notice them when you first cross the bridge and enter the historic district. Since we didn't take any guided tour, I'm not exactly sure who they were depicting.