Colonia del Sacramento is situated in Rio de la Plata in the Southwestern part of Uruguay. It is an urban city that is steeped in Spanish and Portuguese history with colonial style roots. The city is also known as Colonia to most of its residents and tourists who enjoy the quiet city for its beauty and grace. The city is also known as Argentina's more peaceful cousin. Tourists in Buenes Aires take the Seacat Colonia, Buquebus, or Colonia Express ferries in droves to sail the fifty miles to the beaches of Colonia looking for that special retreat away from the rat race of the larger city of Buenes Aires. It is a friendly laid-back city where there are more ice cream parlors than there are bars.
Tourists who visit Colonia wonder why they ever fell in love with bigger cities. Tourists have their picnics on the beautiful green grass at the Puerta de Campo where they can share ice cream and wonderful stories along the lengthy wall that spans from the waterfront to the historic part of the city. It consists of a gate to the city with a drawbridge that can be lowered. The city is filled with majestic cobble stone streets where most residents and tourists can just walk to any place they want to go. When people do not want to walk they can rent dune buggy's or golf carts to drive around the small city and countryside, or take a horseback riding tour.
Colonia del Sacramento is a wonderful port city to explore. Tourists are not able to walk into a shop without seeing the residents dressed up in historical Colonial style clothing to represent their favorite era. Colonia is also home to one of the oldest churches in Uruguay. When tourists walk around the city they will notice that the loud traffic sounds of larger cities are replaced by the gentle sounds of bikes, golf carts, and scooters. Most tourists love to spend most of their time in the historic part of the city where they can shop all day in quaint little stores.
The Barrio Historico in old town Colonia is a World Heritage with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, which is an organization that promotes communication and education. The Colonial edifice of Colonia has a large emphasis in education and cultural art. With only a population of over 21,000 people it is the oldest city in Uruguay. It is a city with only two main highways that either go east or north. The east will take tourists to the capital of Uruguay in Montevideo and the north will take tourists to the Aaron de Anchorena National Park, as well as the town of Fray Bentos.
At night the town of Colonia can be so quiet that it can feel like the remnants of an empty ghost town. The brown colored ocean can be seen in a panoramic view throughout the town. There are sail boats and yachts that can be seen sailing through the beautiful water on a constant basis. Colonia is one of the most popular cities in Uruguay that brings many tourists throughout the year looking for a great travel destination. To find more information on Colonia del Sacramento, check the other articles on www.encolonia.com