Colonia Small-Group Day Trip from Buenos Aires

based on 107 reviews

Duration:12 hours (approx.)
Location: Buenos Aires, The Pampas

From $87

Book in 2 easy steps:

1. Select A Date

2. Enter Total No Of Travellers

ADULT (Age : 0 to 99)

Mobile or paper ticket accepted

Top Selling Tours & Activities

Full-day Tours

Car Tours

Bus Tours

Water Tours

Good for avoiding crowds

Nature Walks

Walking Tours

Historical Tours

PRODUCT DETAILS
TRAVELER REVIEWS
TRAVELER PHOTOS

Enjoy a one-day visit to the small but picturesque town of Colonia, Uruguay. The tour includes a fast ferry, a 2-hour walking guided tour in Colonia with a professional guide, and transfers to Buenos Aires and Colonia.

Languages Offered: Spanish & English

PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT IN ORDER TO CORRECTLY EMIT THE TICKETS WE NEED THE PICTURES AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, OTHERWISE WE WILL EMIT THEM WITH THE INFORMATION ALREADY PROVIDED AND WE CANNOT GUARANTEE THE CORRECT EMMITION OF THEM, RISKING YOUR TOUR.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

WHAT TO EXPECT

1. Barrio Historico
Your full-day tour starts with hotel pickup in Buenos Aires. Meet your guide and drive to the station catch a ferry to the city of Colonia. The ride is one hour long and you can admire the views as you travel. Once you get to the city of Colonia, you will enjoy a 2-hour guided tour of the city. This quaint town in Uruguay lies just on the opposite side of the River Plate. You will visit the historic center and be taken back in time. Founded in 1680 by the Portuguese, the town is famous for its cobbled, windy streets and colorful houses. Today, it is a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. Learn from your guide about the city's layout and how it differs from the majority of Uruguayan cities. Admire its streets and houses as well as small bars, restaurants. After your tour, you will have three more hours in Colonia to explore on your own. You can head to one of its lovely plazas and small flower-filled parks. You can enjoy lunch and visit some art and craft shops, museums and a large yacht harbour. After a nice day in Colonia, you will board the ferry back to Buenos Aires, where you will be taken back to your hotel.
2. La Calle de los Suspiros
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.
3. Puerta de la Ciudadela
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.
4. Faro de Colonia del Sacramento
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.
5. Basilica del Santisimo Sacramento
The Basilica has the most unusual altar feature for its time and even now; a 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.

ADDITIONAL INFO

CANCELLATION POLICY

Posted By : Dwight_E
This is a great day trip from Buenos Aires. However keep in mind that it takes about more than two hours each way to travel to and return from the site with the bulk of travel time on a ferry. Signature Tours that operated this tour made the travel back and forth pretty easy. Our guide was very knowledgeable about the history of both Colonia and Uruguay. I’m a big history buff (my wife less so!) so this tour was very memorable for me. We spent about 1/2 of our time in Colonia with the guide and the other half exploring on our own. We did have a great lunch at Buen Suspiro and there are other great places within Colonia to try based on what we heard from others within our tour group. There are plenty of options to explore, shop, eat or have some quiet time with this tour.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-01-05 07:57:07

Posted By : James_P
Do not take this tour...its agonizing. To sum it up you get a 2 hour tour in Colonia with a guide (who was good) BUT you have to invest a total of 12 hours. The process of going through immigration in Argentina and Uruguay 4 times (2 times to get there and 2 times to get back) was frustrating. Then waiting in line at the ferry terminal to go over and come back was also time consuming. While Colonia is mildly interesting its definitely not worth $250 per person and 12 hours.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2023-12-16 11:45:18

Posted By : Edward_M
Had a great trip! Driver picked me up 5 min early. Walked us through the ferry entrance and customs process. Super easy. We met our tour guide in Uruguay once we left the terminal. She was fantastic, spoke really good English and was a great guide. Super easy going day. Highly recommend checking out Colonia for a fun, relaxing day trip. Same driver met us outside of customs again in Buenos Aires and drove us back to the hotel.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2023-11-16 19:06:14

Posted By : Sandra_L
This was a fantastic experience. Our guide, Alejandra, was personable and incredibly knowledgeable. We learned much about the country, the history, and the culture. One of our best experiences yet
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2023-11-14 09:28:45

Posted By : priscilla_d
Excellent guide, explaining the history of Uruguay. It’s unique place in Latin America and a beautiful unesco heritage site! Enjoyed excellent meal at charco on the water
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2023-11-13 07:25:00

Posted By : Pablo_F
Lovely day out to visit an amazing quaint town right accross the City of Buenos Aires.
Colonia was wonderful and our guide Alejandra made it all possible.

Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2023-10-24 15:17:01

Posted By : Dominique N
Our guide, Alejandra, is a proud citizen of Uruguay. She met us at the ferry and began our tour about the history of region. She had visuals so we could see what she was talking about on a variety of topics.

Our tour of this little town was fun and informative. Our guide added so much more to our experience while in this town. We had time to explore on our own and ate at a shaded restaurant that had great food as well.

We were eventually taken back to the ferry for our trip to our hotel. It was a great day!
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2023-10-18 15:09:17

Posted By : markcw2023
We had a really good time. Our tour guides were very knowledgeable and showed up everything. They were very prompt.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2023-09-22 08:07:55

Posted By : Clara_M
Adorable town , I enjoy walking around enough time to walk, have Lunch and get memorias, beautiful old streets.
Thanks
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2023-09-19 14:42:21

Posted By : Joshua_H
What a beautiful experience. It was well worth spending a day outside of our Buenos Aires trip. The town had such great history, lots of photography opportunities, and great cafes. The tour company was very communicative and responsive. It was seamless from pick up to drop off. It made us want to do a special trip to Uruguay in the near future.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2023-08-17 08:23:57