Colonia del Sacramento, located on the shores of the Río de la Plata, is a historic and picturesque city in Uruguay. Its old town, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, blends Spanish and Portuguese influences, with cobblestone streets and colonial buildings. With its peaceful and charming atmosphere, it is perfect for strolling, enjoying its cuisine, and admiring views of the river, making it an ideal destination for a relaxing getaway.
Private Tour of Colonia del Sacramento
After a 1.15-hour crossing from Buenos Aires, you will arrive in Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay. A vehicle and guide will be waiting to take you on a tour of the city. Colonia del Sacramento, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was founded by the Portuguese in 1680, during a time when Spain and Portugal were in full conflict. Today, peace reigns, and the historic quarter retains a charm that will be appreciated on your guided walk.
You will visit the Matriz Church, the Bastion of Carmen, the streets of Santa Rita, San Gabriel, and the area of San Pedro’s road, all featuring colonial architecture and vibrant buildings. You will also visit the "Street of Sighs," which has been the setting for historical films, while the Puerta del Campo and Plaza Mayor 25 de Mayo bring the past into the present, tangible symbols of historical events and enduring traditions.
Colonia is a truly charming place, hiding architectural treasures complemented by the natural beauty of its surroundings. The Río de la Plata and historical sites such as the Real de San Carlos Bullring and the lighthouse offer a magical blend of scenic beauty and cultural significance.
Duration: 1 h 30 Approx.
Walk through the Historic District of Colonia
Walk through the old neighborhood founded in 1680 by the Portuguese, starting in front of the Portón de Campo, visiting the Street of Sighs, originally from 1720, the San Francisco Monastery, which are the oldest ruins in Uruguay, the lighthouse, the Governor's House, the Basilica of the Most Holy Sacrament, and other buildings in the historic district of Colonia.
Tourists can gain insight into the history of the city and why it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1995.
Includes: Assistance from a local guide throughout the Walking Tour.
Tour valid only for passengers staying in the Historic District.
Walk: Moderate, not extensive, but we will encounter cobblestone streets along the walking route.
NOTES: It is recommended to wear comfortable clothing, sunscreen, a hat, bring water, and wear comfortable walking shoes.
Duration: 1:30 hs aprox.
Min. 01 - Max. 80
Exploring Colonia del Sacramento
Passengers are picked up at their hotels, the Port, or the Bus Terminal. The tour includes a visit to the Real de San Carlos area, with stops at the San Benito Chapel and the Mihanovich Complex from 1910: the old hotel (currently the headquarters of the Polytechnic University of Valencia), the Bullring, the Frontón (a pelota court), the Racetrack, the Power Plant, and the Pier. Along the west coast, following the large bay and its beaches, the tour continues through various residential neighborhoods before reaching the city center and its commercial areas. The tour then enters the historic district through the Portón de Campo (the old gateway to Colonia del Sacramento).
A guided walk through the neighborhood offers a detailed understanding of the key points of interest that led to its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995.
Duration: approx. 2.5 hours
Estimated pick-up time: PM, from 16:30 onward
Distill your own Gin at Sur34
Sur34 Gin was born from the passion and vision of two engineers, one Argentine and the other Uruguayan, who met in Colonia del Sacramento and discovered a shared dream of creating a premium craft gin that could compete at the elite level of the global spirits market. The mission is to position Colonia del Sacramento as a world-class producer of high-quality gin, captivating the most discerning gin drinkers around the globe with excellence. It took nearly two years to find the perfect combination of natural botanical ingredients, with our native mandarin as the star, both in flavor and aroma. This is complemented by another 14 botanicals to create a perfect balance of citrus, spice, and herbal notes.
Duration:
Gin Masterclass: 45 min.
Gin Masterclass + Gin Tonic toast: 1 h 15.
Gin Masterclass + Gin Tonic + Create your own gin: 2:30 hs.
Las Liebres Inn
Accommodation at Las Liebres: A charming inn with cozy suites and personalized service, offering the perfect place to relax and disconnect, while enjoying an exquisite experience of pause. Enjoy an à la carte breakfast in our gourmet restaurant, set in a warm atmosphere and with a privileged location. Posada Comarca Las Liebres is undoubtedly an excellent option for a highly exclusive sensory experience.
Includes: Accommodation in El Aljibe suites for 1 night with à la carte breakfast.
The inn features a restaurant under the culinary direction of Hugo Soca, a chef who has championed homemade food as a cultural manifesto of Uruguay; using natural ingredients, garden produce, and household utensils. A simple, hearty, and particularly flavorful cuisine. For years, Hugo has traveled across the country, visiting and promoting artisan producers and small farms that produce delightful offerings, compiling ancient family recipes. Colonia represents a wonderful synthesis of all this, and the Las Liebres Restaurant provides the perfect natural setting.
Includes: Dinner with a 3-course menu, accompanied by mineral water or soft drinks and wine.
Vineyards and Olive Groves of Quintón
This winery cultivates grapes in a landscape of rolling hills and plains crossed by a stream, with Coy Malbec and Syrah vines grown in the Guyot system. The winemaking, carried out in a gravity-flow winery, and the use of French oak barrels help preserve the quality of the wine. Additionally, on 120 hectares, high-quality olive oils are produced using advanced technology, cultivating varieties such as Arbequina, Frantoio, Barnea, and Picual.
Includes: Visit with wine tasting. Transfer to Montevideo.
Artisanal Cheese Workshop with "Farm to Table" Lunch at La Vigna
The experience begins with a welcome from the hosts at La Vigna, along with a brief explanation and introduction to the world of artisanal cheese: organic and holistic animal management, sustainability, and production processes that are respectful of our planet.
The day continues with a visit to the dairy farm and the cheesery to fully immerse yourself in the world of cheese. The workshop consists of several parts:
Theoretical-practical workshop at La Vigna's cheesery:
Introduction / milk / utensils / management and fermentation + beginning of dairy cheeses.
Depending on the time of year, the production of different cheeses may vary. Guide for cheese preservation and aging.
Cheese Tasting:
Led by Agustín, "the architect of cheese," you will taste different cheeses to savor and recognize the distinct flavors and textures of each: sheep, goat, and cow.
The five-course lunch will be accompanied by national label wines from the best wineries in Uruguay, mineral water, flavored waters, and wine.
The prelude to an afternoon of relaxation is complemented by our variety of teas and coffees, or a selection of homemade liqueurs and limoncellos.
Min 10 Max 40
Duration: 6 hs
Colonia Bike Tour with Brunch at La Casa de los Limoneros
Enjoy a bike ride along the Rambla in Colonia del Sacramento and immerse yourself in the rural landscape of the city, filled with vineyards and plantations of olive trees and lemons. Ride to La Casa de los Limoneros, a property surrounded by lemon trees and gardens. After your ride, you will be welcomed at this English-style house, offering a peaceful and inviting atmosphere, where you can enjoy a delicious outdoor brunch and relax in the beautiful courtyard or by the pool.
Discover the rural area of Colonia del Sacramento on this tour. We will begin at the Rambla of Colonia del Sacramento and head towards the El Caño area, where olive trees, lemon trees, and vineyards abound. Upon reaching La Casa de los Limoneros, you will be welcomed at this colonial-style house, where you can relax while tasting their famous lemonades and delight your palate with a delicious brunch in the beautiful courtyard or by the pool.
Duration: 4hrs
Full Day Carmelo Wineries Tour (Including Tasting and Lunch)
Departure from Colonia to the city of Carmelo, located an hour to the northwest. This area is known as the birthplace of Uruguayan wines, with its entire coastline offering excellent land for vine cultivation and the finest grape varieties.
A region marked by its rich heritage, with stony lands of excellent quality, the Carmelo area and the rocky soils near the San Juan River produce wines of exceptional quality. Combined with the temperate climate created by the warm waters of the Uruguay and Paraná rivers (which flow into the Río de la Plata), the conditions are especially ideal for late-ripening varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon. Tannat, Tannat Rosé, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Syrah are some of the varieties grown in the region.
The tour includes visits to two wineries:
El Legado Winery: A family heritage turned into passion resulted in an exquisite wine, which they successfully crafted with great dedication and hard work. They are a small winery, located in the heart of the Wine Route, in the Colonia Department. They offer their visitors a unique atmosphere and the warmth of their team. They produce an exclusive wine, the product of a unique system in Uruguay that prioritizes grape quality, starting with its cultivation under the Vertical Cordón System.
Cordano Winery: It is also a family-owned winery, opened in the last century by Italian immigrants from Piedmont. They focus on wine tourism under the name Almacén La Capilla. They have a well-organized family museum located in the winery building.
The tour includes a visit and wine tasting at both wineries, as well as lunch at one of them.
Includes: Departure from the Port or Hotels in Colonia, transfer from Colonia to Carmelo, visit with wine tasting at both wineries and lunch, transfer from Carmelo to Colonia port/Hotel. Private service with a guide.
NOTES: The order in which the different locations are visited may change to avoid and/or alleviate traffic. The schedule may be subject to changes due to traffic (+/- 30 minutes). The schedule may also be affected by public holidays and/or unforeseen circumstances. It is recommended to wear comfortable clothing, sunscreen, a hat, water, and comfortable walking shoes.
Duration: Approx. 6 hours
Min. 01 - Max. 40
El Legado Winery
Cordano Winery
Cheese Tasting Experience at La Vigna Estate
Immerse yourself in a unique culinary adventure at La Vigna, an artisanal estate renowned for its handcrafted, organic cheeses. Designed and led by the "Architect of Cheese," Agustín Battellini, the estate’s owner and expert cheesemaker, this experience showcases a diverse selection of seasonal cheeses made from sheep, goat, and Jersey cow milk, all produced with passion and care at La Vigna.
Indulge in a variety of cheeses, each reflecting the art of the craft:
Soft cheeses
Bloomy rind cheeses
Hard, aged cheeses
Cheeses featuring Penicillium camemberti
Cheeses featuring Penicillium roqueforti
Your tasting will be accompanied by homemade breads, house-made chutneys, and other delightful creations from the estate.
Includes: 1 glass of wine and flavored waters.
Walking Tour of Colonia del Sacramento with Mate Tasting
Passengers are picked up at the hotel by the local guide. The Old Town of Colonia del Sacramento, with its cobblestone streets and buildings still preserved from that era, will make you feel as if you were in the 18th century. The walking tour begins in the historic center, founded in 1680 by the Portuguese, starting at the "Portón de Campo" and visiting the Street of Sighs, dating back to 1720, and the San Francisco Monastery, which houses the oldest ruins in Uruguay. The tour continues with a stop at the old lighthouse, followed by the Basilica of the Most Holy Sacrament and other buildings in the historic district of Colonia. This tour will introduce you to the history of this ancient and picturesque city, which was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1995.
Duration: 2 hrs
Wine Tour in Carmelo with a visit to Finca Narbona Winery, including Wine Tasting and Lunch
The city of Carmelo, located just an hour northwest, is known as the birthplace of Uruguayan wines, offering excellent coastal lands for growing vines and high-quality grape varieties. It is a region marked by its rich heritage, with stony lands of excellent quality. The Carmelo area and the stony lands near the San Juan River produce wines of great quality. Combined with the temperate climate created by the warm waters of the Uruguay and Paraná rivers (which flow into the Río de la Plata), the conditions are especially ideal for late-ripening varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon. Tannat, Tannat Rosé, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Syrah are some of the varieties grown in the region.
You will visit Finca Narbona and enjoy a tasting of their most iconic wines: Narbona Tannat Rosé, Narbona Pinot Noir, and Narbona Tannat Oak. The tasting will be accompanied by a selection of cheeses and homemade breads from their own production.
Later, you will enjoy a gourmet lunch at Narbona's restaurant, set in a picturesque countryside setting, savoring delights such as pasta, artisanal cheeses, freshly baked breads, and more. To further enhance your culinary experience, each dish will be paired with a selection of four premium wines from their winery.
Duration: 6 hrs
Lusitanian Craft Workshop with Ariel Chapé
Discover the art of ceramics in Colonia del Sacramento with Ariel Chapé, a master ceramist renowned for his classic Lusitanian pottery. His signature can be seen on tiles, mugs, plates, bowls, murals, and more, not only in Uruguay but also in Argentina, Brazil, and among many Europeans who take home souvenirs from Colonia del Sacramento. In this workshop, you will immerse yourself in the world of clay as Ariel shares his life experiences and artistic journey in his studio. Learn basic ceramics techniques, hand modeling, pottery wheel fundamentals, decoration tips, and material handling during this immersive ceramic experience.
Includes: Transfer in and out, Ceramics Workshop, guide assistance throughout the tour, traditional Uruguayan coffee break.
Duration: Approx. 2 hours
Min. 3 - Max. 10
Dinner at Bistró del Quintón.
Indulge in an exceptional culinary experience at a restaurant located in the iconic Plaza de Toros Real de San Carlos. Here, unique gastronomic experiences await you, where you can immerse yourself in tastings and pairings while exploring art and cuisine in an incomparable setting. This restaurant, part of one of the prestigious wineries in Colonia, is an integral part of this landmark site of Uruguayan heritage.
Includes:
Five-course dinner with wines from Bodega Del Quintón, paired to complement each course.
Soft drinks and mineral water.
Craft beer.
Espresso coffee or tea service with petit fours.
Cooking classes at Osada Bistró.
"Osada Bohemia" is a historic house over 100 years old, located in the historic district by the river with magnificent views. Here, you will be welcomed by a chef who will prepare the lunch together with the guests.
Inclues:
Guests will be welcomed with a selection of local cheeses and cured meats, accompanied by a glass of Uruguay's flagship wine – Tannat – and homemade country bread.
Preparation of the appetizer, main course, and dessert, accompanied by wine, soft drinks, and mineral water.
Coffee with a small glass of Vermouth Bohemia.
Duration: 4 hrs
Full day in Colonia with a visit and tasting at the Viñedos y Olivares del Quintón winery.
Colonia del Sacramento, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was founded by the Portuguese in 1680, during a time when Spain and Portugal were in full conflict. Today, peace reigns as the historic district closes the door to the past, preserving a charm that will be appreciated during your guided tour.
The Matriz Church, the Bastion of Carmen, the streets of Santa Rita and San Gabriel, and the area of the Camino de San Pedro capture attention with their colonial architecture and flowering buildings. The Street of Sighs has served as the setting for historical films, while the Puerta del Campo and Plaza Mayor 25 de Mayo also bring the past into the present, tangible symbols of historical events and enduring traditions. Colonia is a truly charming place, with its architectural treasures complemented by the natural beauty of its surroundings. The Río de la Plata and historical landmarks such as the cathedral, the San Carlos Bullring, and the lighthouse offer a magical blend of scenic beauty and cultural significance.
Located 30 minutes from the historic center of Colonia del Sacramento, on a 120-hectare property with native flora and fauna, in a hilly area bordered by the El Quintón stream, you will find the winery and olive mill "Viñedos y Olivares del Quintón."
The visit begins with a tour of the gravity-flow winery and high-tech olive mill, guided by a winery specialist. It continues with a tasting of olive oils and wines, accompanied by regional cheeses, olives, and artisan breads.
Includes: Transfer in and out, city tour of Colonia, guide assistance throughout the tour, visit and tasting at the "Viñedos y Olivares Del Quintón" winery.
Walk: moderate, not extensive, but we will encounter cobblestone streets during the walking tour.
NOTES: The order of the stops may change to avoid and/or alleviate traffic. The schedule may be subject to modifications depending on traffic (+/- 30 minutes). The timing may also be affected by public holidays and/or unforeseen circumstances. It is recommended to wear comfortable clothing, sunscreen, a hat, water, and comfortable walking shoes.
Duration: 6 hs aprox. - Min. 01 - Max. 100
Full Day Colonia with a visit to the wineries of Carmelo (including tasting and lunch).
Colonia del Sacramento, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was founded by the Portuguese in 1680. Today, its historic district, full of charm, can be explored on a guided tour. Highlights include the Matriz Church, the Bastion of Carmen, and the Street of Sighs, among others, showcasing rich colonial architecture. The Puerta del Campo and Plaza Mayor 25 de Mayo are symbols of its history. Colonia combines architectural treasures with the beauty of the Río de la Plata and other iconic sites, creating a magical and cultural atmosphere.
The lands of the department, especially those in Carmelo and the rocky areas near the San Juan River, are of excellent quality for wine production. Combined with the mild climate created by the warm waters of the Uruguay and Paraná rivers (which converge into the Río de la Plata), the conditions are particularly ideal for late-ripening varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon. Tannat, Tannat Rosé, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Syrah are some of the crops developed in the area.
Includes: Transfer from Colonia port, City Tour of Colonia del Sacramento, transfer from Colonia to Carmelo, visit with tasting and lunch at Bodega Cordano, visit with tasting at Bodega El Legado, transfer from Carmelo to Colonia port. Private service with guide.
NOTES: The order of the stops may change to avoid and/or alleviate traffic. The schedule may be subject to changes depending on traffic (+/- 30 minutes). The timing may also be affected by public holidays and/or unforeseen circumstances. It is recommended to wear comfortable clothing, sunscreen, a hat, water, and comfortable walking shoes.
Duration: 7:30 hs aprox.
Min. 01 - Max. 40
Bodega El Legado
Bodega Cordano