Colonia del Sacramento
Colonia del Sacramento is more commonly known as 'Colonia'. It is a picturesque and lively colonial town on the Uruguayan Littoral and boasts numerous narrow cobbled streets and whitewashed buildings. Colonia del Sacramento is on of the oldest towns in Uruguay and its historic quarter is a UNESCO world heritage site.
Colonia del Sacramento's Barrio Histórico (historic quarter) has some cobblestone streets that were built by the Portuguese in the 17th century. There are several sites of interest in this area, mainly concentrated around the tree-lined Plaza Mayor (main square).
- Portón de Campo is the city gate. it has a wooden drawbridge.
- The lighthouse and convent ruins of the 17th-century Convent of San Francisco.
- BasÃlica del Santísimo Sacramento, or the Basilica of the Holy Sacrament was built by the Portuguese in 1808.
- The Portuguese Museum dates from the 18th century. It has an exhibition of Portuguese furnishings, jewelry, uniforms and old maps of Portuguese naval expeditions.
- La Casa de Nacarello is a beautiful 18th-century Portuguese house.
- La Calle de los Suspiros is a nice historical street.
- The building which houses the Municipal Museum dates from 1835. It was originally known as the Casa del Almirante Brown and currently exhibits artifacts and documents of the city's different periods and cultures.
- The Viceroy's House, or Casa del Virrey was reconstructed from the original ruins.
- The Plaza de toros Real de San Carlos is a Bullring that was included in a now abandoned old tourist complex.
Accommodation is available in town. Colonia is 160 km west of Montevideo.
; "Image 1 - Colonia del Sacramento ©Jorge Salazar Tovar [153kB]")
; "Image 2 - Colonia del Sacramento ©Marcela Laskoski [118kB]")
; "Image 3 - Colonia del Sacramento ©William Warby
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