For most people, Colonia del Sacramento on the coast of Uruguay is either a stopping off point to catch the ferry to Buenos Aires, or a day trip from Buenos Aires or Montevideo.
It has a markedly different vibe to Montevideo and Punta del Este – it has hints of small tourist towns in Europe with its uneven, cobbled streets and its cafés painted in bright colours and tables draped with patterned tablecloths in the main plaza. It also betrays a hipster vibe, with rusty classic cars parked on the cobbles, now transformed into receptacles for tangled plants.
On the face of it, Colonia has that European charm that so many (particularly American) tourists seek on their travels. It’s quaint, charming, rustic – but is there anything there that goes deeper than those rather patronising clichés? Or has Colonia been deliberately made to look a certain way, ticking all of those boxes?
For me, Colonia felt too ‘discovered’. The number of people packed into a small town made the place feel rather inauthentic and its quaintness rather forced. It was more like a living museum than a real town. This was perhaps inevitable given that it is only an hour on the ferry from Buenos Aires and therefore a prime target for a day trip.
That said, once you make peace with the fact that this is an objectively beautiful town and will naturally have many visitors, the many small bars and restaurants make for a nice atmosphere and can be enjoyed as much as anywhere.
All in all, Colonia del Sacramento is a nice enough place but my view is that it is only worth visiting either if you happen to be passing through or if small towns with cobbled paving are a novelty for you.
