Piriapolis & Colonia del Sacramento (Uruguay): travel diary
It’s hard not to love these two cities, with a relaxed and contagious atmosphere, beautiful sunsets and miles and miles of beach.
Piriapolis
Piriapolis is only 30 minutes drive from Punta del Este. The beach of Piriapolis is even more beautiful than Punta’s, thanks to its super fine sand, the water isn’t deep -> perfect for children. The water is unfortunately not turquoise like the one you can see in Thailand, but it is clean.
Piriapolis is “the city that rises”, a paradise for those who want to escape the many tourists in Punta del Este. The atmosphere is more local, family oriented here. And the sunset reminds me too much of the famous salt desert in Uyuni
There is a great hotel: Argentino Hotel, where you enter as if you were in a mill (there is also a Casino). It looks like in the Gran Hotel series, or in the movie The Grand Budapest Hotel, in the 1900s. The old elevators with the double door are still not replaced. One also sees many photographs of the time and the silver cutlery, reminding us of the splendor of this hotel which unfortunately did not age well. JB and I lose 50$UR at the Casino (1,7€). With 50$UR, we spend well 30 minutes trying all kinds of machines. It’s not Macau either, but it’s fun.
Next to the tourist office, in the evening, there are many activities for children. And the sidewalk along the beach serves as a store for the hippies who come to sell their creations, sitting on a folding chair next to their minivan.
There aren’t many things to do in Piriapolis apart from going to the beach and walking. There is a fishing village (fresh fish is sold there every day), concrete picnic tables at the water’s edge and a small path leading to the top of a hill next to it.
Colonia del Sacramento
From Piriapolis, we have to take two buses to go to Colonia del Sacramento (the first one drops us off in Montevideo, then we have to take another bus to Colonia del Sacramento).
Colonia is a city full of charm with its tree-lined cobblestone streets. There are a few remaining ruins (ruins of forts or churches) in the historical center. Everything is charming, cute. Antique cars are parked in the street to be used as decorations or to attract attention for a restaurant.
This is where we can find a real Nutella pancake. After several months of traveling, how good it feels!
Colonia del Sacramento and Montevideo are the two favorite destinations in Uruguay for Argentines who come to spend their weekends. Both are located between 1h and 2h30 by boat from Buenos Aires. There are even day tours departing from Buenos Aires for tourists wishing to discover Uruguay in express mode.
