Change happens slowly in Colonia del Sacramento, which is certainly a good thing. The beautiful old town is well preserved and has deservedly earned its UNESCO World Heritage status. Wide cobbled streets, colonial-style colourful houses, a pictu
resque lighthouse and abandoned antique cars are sure to charm their way into your photo album but there is more to Colonia than the postcard image.
East of the old town (which juts out on a peninsular) is the main commercial part of the city where you will find more affordable prices, nice beaches, lots of houses and a sprinkling of shops and bars. Although this part may offer you a cheaper beer, the old town is really the star attraction and the best place to stay.
Quaint and sleepy in nature, the ‘barrio historico’ barely wakes from its complacent slumber even among the throngs of weekend tourists from nearby Buenos Aires. Men still fish off the rocks, old people sit outside their houses in the afternoon and bicycles still dominate the bumpy roads.
Despite being one of Uruguay’s top tourist destinations, the old town has retained its dignity and does not pander to cheap tourism, yet.
On the façade the town is still dreamily like it was in by-gone times although locals will reveal that the city has actually changed, even if it is at a typically laid-back Uruguayan pace.
Menus are now translated into English (you make have to ask for them though), hotels and hostels are now aplenty (although many are tastefully disguised in beautiful old houses), and prices are at a premium (sadly, unlikely to change).
Trendy bars and picturesque restaurants entice visitors and locals who sip cocktails and mate while looking over the riv
er at sunset.
The beaches are also a main attraction, the best being by the commercial town, which continue to allure families to their shallow shores as they have done for centuries. New chill out bars along the waterfront bring an added attraction for young people in the area and thirsty tourists.
Colonia’s desirable location means it has been shuffled between the hands of Spain, Portugal, Brazil, Uruguay and back again; but now the city sits comfortably in the hands of a
bohemian crowd, a change that it seems to agree with.
Other ‘changes’ aren’t so welcome. Take for example billionaire Nicolas Mihanovich’s dream to create a pleasure complex in nearby Real de San Carlos. Mihanovich spent a fortune in the early 20th century building a casino with its own power plant, a bullring and a racecourse. This ‘change’ was firmly spat back in his face when bullfighting was outlawed shortly after its opening (and only 8 fights) and the casino failed to attract any foreign lucre when Argentina levied a new tax on boats crossing the river.
Even traffic has not quite caught up with the old smugglers’ port: locals still pootle about on pushbikes; polite and patient motorists invite you to cross the road first; and even the odd cart and horse makes its way across the cobbles. Visitors can travel about by golf cart, bus or the more affordable, but worryingly less roadworthy, hire bicycles.
Below the historical surface lies a cultural nucleus for dwellers of neighbouring towns and villages who all rely on the city for their nightlife and discos as well as their intellectual fix. The city keeps atop of national cultural initiatives, participating in museum nights and other events, and the picturesque old town is a haven for artists, amateur and professional, who come to capture the alluring street scenes.
Countless boutique galleries (often in restaurants and front rooms) are free to visit and there are a handful of small museums in town. The ‘Centro Cultural’ is worth a visit, if not for its local exhibitions, for the beautiful garden overlooking the harbour.
The relaxed pace of life, constant mate drinking and casinos that more closely resemble bingo halls mean that Colonia does not really match up to any of the hedonism found across the river in BA, however the city is still a hub of activity and an irresistible destination.
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