How to get from Buenos Aires to Colonia (Uruguay)

How to get from Buenos Aires to Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay

Uruguay is just a stone’s throw from Buenos Aires and one of the quickest and easiest ways to do it is across the Río de la Plata (River Plate). The two main entrance points via ferry are Montevideo, the Uruguayan capital, and a small city called Colonia del Sacramento, commonly called Colonia.

To get to Colonia, which is the closest Uruguayan city to Buenos Aires, there are two options:
an express ferry that takes an hour to get there and another that takes 3 hours. The 3-hour one is of course a lot cheaper, in fact almost half the price, but you will find it eats into your day and there isn’t much to see from the boat other than lots of water. Most people take the 1-hour ride.

We hadn’t reserved any tickets beforehand, just turned up an hour and a half before the ship was due to leave and we managed to get return tickets for that day without a problem. Not bad considering it was a long weekend. By the way, same day return tickets are cheaper than staying the night and coming back the next day. There are some special offers of return tickets plus a tour and lunch thrown in but unless you like being herded along like sheep, I found the tour not to be necessary. The old part of Colonia is relatively small and can easily done by yourself at your own pace and with time to spare. We came back on the last boat just after 8pm so had time to relax on a patch of lawn and what the sunset over the harbour.



For more information about how to get from Buenos Aires to Colonia del Sacramento via the ferry, including photos of the terminal and where to purchase your tickets once there, check out: Buquebus Ferry. You’ll even see what it’s like inside the boats before you go!

This day trip is well worth doing!