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Colonia
del Sacramento, capital of the Department of
Colonia, was founded in 1680 by Mr. Manuel Lobo and
is the main entry for the tourism that arrives in
Uruguay. Due
to its Portuguese origin, its structure is different
from the classic squared cities of the Río de la
Plata. Many
ridges divide its waters, though all the streams
flow into the Río de la Plata: to the North, the
ridge of San Salvador, at the frontier with the Department
of Soriano, the ridge of Colonia separates the
Rosario basin from the San Juan basin; the ridge of
Guaycurú to the North East has the interest of its
eroded hillsides which became stone seas (the Sierra
of Mal Abrigo).
Some of the most important beaches are: South
Beach, of very fine sands, ideal to practice
nautical sports, flat and safe, extends six
kilometres till the Rosario basin. The Green Beach, next to the port, with a beautiful natural
grove with a carpet of a nice grass and equipped
with services in order the visitors could fully
enjoy it. Colonia
counts with an international port, the most
important entrance for the tourists towards the
different points of the country.
The best way to know the historic
neighbourhood and the outskirts is to walk through
its main points of interest. Such walk could take
all day long. Next,
we will detail the way in order to make you easier
the visit, not to loose time and to guide you across
the best places of the historic neighbourhood.
Let’s start at the “Ciudadela’s door”.
It’s located opposite the Plaza Mayor (where
you could park your car).
The door and the bridge over the ditch, the
stone pillars, the fort and all other walls and
paving, form a notable historic centre of interest.
We go on walking towards the “Suspiros
street” appreciating the environment formed by the
typical houses, the streets made of paving stones,
the amazing view over the river and the surroundings,
which take us to old ages, already forgotten.
The “Suspiros street”
is a pedestrian precinct, very thin, made of stones,
where we could find the most ancient houses of the
city. These
houses have hard wood roofs; reeds fixed with thongs
of raw leather, mud and covered with tiles.
Our walk is enriched by the visit to
different premises where we could find the typical
handicrafts of the old Colonia.
We continue walking across the “San Pedro street”
towards “las ruinas” (the ruins) and the
lighthouse. This
one has been
illuminating the horizon since 1857, supported on
the ruins of the Convent of San Francisco, of the 17th
Century. The
wide and tall stone walls still remain upright. You
could delight in the view from the top of the
lighthouse, overlooking the whole city of Colonia.
We suggest you to make a stop to have lunch and
enjoy the typical meals of this place.
We recommend visiting the restaurant “Don
Pedro” located opposite to the Plaza Mayor.
You could find a varied menu of typical home
cooking meals of excellent quality.
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