Just across the Rio de la Plata from Buenos Aires, Argentina, one hour by fast ferry or three hours by slow boat, is the small town of Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay, one of the country’s unsung jewels. The Sycamore-lined shady streets are a quiet respite from noisy city life – a delightful place to while away the day.

Todd and I felt the calling to do just that – spend a quiet day without an agenda or tour, just wander and eat, enjoy good wine and lay in the grass. We bought ferry tickets that would take us round trip for the day, but here I must diverge from the story for a side story and lesson, aka Travel Maestro tip:

Taking the Ferry to Colonia Uruguay

Ladies and gentlemen, PLAN AHEAD for ferry tickets! I was under the mistaken impression that we could just walk up to the ticket office and buy tickets. Maybe you can sometimes, but a) we wanted the fast ferry so we could go round trip in a day and b) it was the weekend before a Monday holiday, so it seemed that half of Buenos Aires also wanted to go to Uruguay. Go figure. To make a long story short, Todd and I walked a couple miles to the ticket office (we could have easily taxied, but we like walking) just to find out that one direction was sold out. We had to push our Colonia outing to the next day and that meant juggling some other plans. My travel style is, “Oh, well.” Todd likes things a bit more structured, but he took the hitch in stride – for the most part. Little did I know he had big plans for the day.

Buquebus operates the ferries. The fast one is a large ferry that carries 1,200 people and 200 vehicles. It has comfortable seating in twos and threes, a food and drink buffet and a separate bar, but passenger interest really perked up when the duty free store opened. A huge, two-level duty free shop was stocked as well as any major airport duty free shop I’ve seen and did a significant amount of business during the hour long ride. Travel Maestro tip: Try to buy your tickets from SeaCat (separate ticket office). They sell seats on the same ferry for about half the price.

Back to Colonia…

Just outside the port exit was the Uruguayan Tourism Welcome Center. Being in the travel industry, I immediately gravitate toward tourism information of any kind and I was not disappointed. This one has a terrific multimedia presentation showcasing the best features of the country (US$5 donation per couple). We picked up a map of the historic district and got a friendly local’s recommendation for the best dining.

Colonia is a small, modern-day town, but the 333-year old Barrio Historico is the carefully restored core that has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The old city is only about 10 blocks of whitewashed buildings and stucco homes with terracotta tile roofs, partially outlined by a massive city wall and gate (restored). There are several special interest museums in the historic buildings, others have municipal uses. We found an utterly charming, family-owned restaurant operating in a tiny two-room historic house and proceeded to spend the next two hours feasting on a five cheese and charcuterie platter with a fabulous local red wine. Very romantic!

After lunch we climbed the light house (about US$1 each); since it was a relatively clear day, we could just barely make out the Buenos Aires skyline across the wide expanse of river. We wandered down to the beach, shopped hand-in-hand, and sat under a shade tree beside at the edge of a grassy square with ruins of buildings from long ago.

We visited Uruguay’s oldest church (c. 1808) and had dolce de leche crepes and ice cream al fresco at a quirky restaurant in the shadow of the twin cupolas of the church.

All in all, it was a perfect, slow day and I felt deliciously content. Little did I know, the best was yet to come…

As we left the Barrio Historico through the enormous city gate at sunset, Todd took my hand, dropped to one knee and proposed! He offered me an antique ring that I’d tried on earlier in the day and I said, “YES!” A few onlookers clapped and wished us felicitaciones (congratulations) and took our picture. I practically skipped back to the ferry.

Colonia is a charming, slow-paced place, well worth a day trip from Buenos Aires. The quality restorations, cobblestone streets and old-fashioned street lamps drew us gently into the past where romance took over for a special day to remember.