Puerta De La Ciudadela
Puerta De La Ciudadela
4.5
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Monday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Tuesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Wednesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Thursday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Friday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Saturday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Sunday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
About
This drawbridge over a moat was built in 1745 as the only entrance to the city.
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4.5
2,413 reviews
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233
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9
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jimboCA
Castro Valley, CA30 contributions
Apr 2012 • Couples
During our two week stay in Buenos Aires, we occassionally were looking for things to do to get us away from the hustle and bustle of city life. This is a wonderful option for a day away from BA and very easy to do.
We ordered our ferry tickets online at the Buquebus web site. You have to choose a departure time and a return time in the process as well as if you want the fast (one hour) or slow (three hours) trip across the river. This means you have to figure out how much time you want to spend there. We chose to take the fast ferry that left at 8:30 a.m. and to return on the fast ferry at 4:30 p.m. We also splurged to go first class on the trip over and regular tourist fare on the return.
We made our way to the Buquebus Ferry station in Buenos Aires and picked up our tickets and then made our way through immigration. You are leaving Argentina so you need to go through immigration and customs both going and coming back. Make sure you bring your passport and it has the receipt that shows you paid the "reciprocation fee" that you paid on entering the country (this is for Americans, Canadians and Austrailians)-otherwise you may be charged the fee again. This is a really easy process since they are so used to doing it for day tourists. Just leave yourself plenty of time to get through the process.
The one hour ride was nice and comfortable. With first class you get a little extra service and it has its own food service area so that you do not have to deal with the large counter in the tourist fare section. We had breakfast on the way over and it was fine. It is nothing fancy, but it was something to get food in the tummy. One thing that disappointed us was that all the seating is inside and not in a position to really see much of river and the shorelines. The windows on the ferries were not clear enough to be able to take pictures and there is no outside observation deck. Coming back in tourist class was just fine. The seats are very comfortable with plenty of space. It was fun. The cost is incredibly reasonable at about $40.
Once you arrive, it was a short walk to the historic gate to the city. There is a tourist center on the left as you leave the terminal - this is NOT the center that you want. It appears that this center is for booking buses and other kinds of tours in the country. Just outside the historic city gate is the visitor center that you want and where you can pick up a make of the historic district.
This is an amazing place to visit. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and it is quickly obvious why it has this designation. It is as if you are stepping back several hundred years. Somehow they have been able to preserve the vast majority of this historic section of the city. It is a photographer's dream come true. It is just delightful to stroll the streets and imagine what it must have been like several centuries ago. If you have mobility issues, this might not be the place for you as many of the streets are still brick/stone and can be quite uneven. There are not a ton of activities to do here, but for us that was the point! It was a chance to get away and relax a little.
There are a group of museums that you can visit and since the combination ticket is so cheap, it is worth doing even if you do not visit all of them. If you take the 8:30 ferry you will arrive before any of the museums open, so there is plenty of time to wander the streets. Several of the tour books had said that you could buy the combo ticket at any of the museums and they would take any currency -not so much. You must buy the ticket at the City Museum which is on the square and they only take Uruguay currency. Luckily there is a bank/exchange counter also on the square where they would exchange US dollars or Argentine pesos. It all worked out fine, but it was a bit of a hassle that we had not planned on. As a Museum Director, I found the museums to be quaint and similar to many small town museums in the United States. If you can read Spanish, you will probably get more out of the exhibits than we did, but we still were able to glean some of the history of Colonia. The best museum in our opinion was the Spanish museum. The staff there was wonderful and gave us a short orientation of what we were going to see there-although we are not sure how the temporary exhibit about a Nazi ship that was blocked in the harbor at Montevideo had anything to do with Colonia history . Each of the museums is small and only takes a short time to visit. They are worth a look see; as is the historic church.
There are many little shops throughout the town and some of them offer local arts and crafts items along with the standard tourist fare. There are many places to eat or to just sit to have a coffee or soft drink. We had lunch at Anjo Preto and had a delightful steak meal-cooked to our order at medium rare. It was a nice leisurely lunch. It was probably a bit on the expensive side (it's in the heart of the historic section so caters to tourists) but worth it. The staff was incredibly helpful and patient with us gringos!
On our way back to the ferry terminal we walked the main drag out of the historic barrio and saw some of the more modern town. There were a number of restaurants and shops along this street as well. It is a delightful town. We had debated about how long we would want to spend in Colonia since you have to chose a return time for the ferry. This was just the right amount of time. We were back in BA by 6:00 p.m. with plenty of time to make evening plans.
We ordered our ferry tickets online at the Buquebus web site. You have to choose a departure time and a return time in the process as well as if you want the fast (one hour) or slow (three hours) trip across the river. This means you have to figure out how much time you want to spend there. We chose to take the fast ferry that left at 8:30 a.m. and to return on the fast ferry at 4:30 p.m. We also splurged to go first class on the trip over and regular tourist fare on the return.
We made our way to the Buquebus Ferry station in Buenos Aires and picked up our tickets and then made our way through immigration. You are leaving Argentina so you need to go through immigration and customs both going and coming back. Make sure you bring your passport and it has the receipt that shows you paid the "reciprocation fee" that you paid on entering the country (this is for Americans, Canadians and Austrailians)-otherwise you may be charged the fee again. This is a really easy process since they are so used to doing it for day tourists. Just leave yourself plenty of time to get through the process.
The one hour ride was nice and comfortable. With first class you get a little extra service and it has its own food service area so that you do not have to deal with the large counter in the tourist fare section. We had breakfast on the way over and it was fine. It is nothing fancy, but it was something to get food in the tummy. One thing that disappointed us was that all the seating is inside and not in a position to really see much of river and the shorelines. The windows on the ferries were not clear enough to be able to take pictures and there is no outside observation deck. Coming back in tourist class was just fine. The seats are very comfortable with plenty of space. It was fun. The cost is incredibly reasonable at about $40.
Once you arrive, it was a short walk to the historic gate to the city. There is a tourist center on the left as you leave the terminal - this is NOT the center that you want. It appears that this center is for booking buses and other kinds of tours in the country. Just outside the historic city gate is the visitor center that you want and where you can pick up a make of the historic district.
This is an amazing place to visit. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and it is quickly obvious why it has this designation. It is as if you are stepping back several hundred years. Somehow they have been able to preserve the vast majority of this historic section of the city. It is a photographer's dream come true. It is just delightful to stroll the streets and imagine what it must have been like several centuries ago. If you have mobility issues, this might not be the place for you as many of the streets are still brick/stone and can be quite uneven. There are not a ton of activities to do here, but for us that was the point! It was a chance to get away and relax a little.
There are a group of museums that you can visit and since the combination ticket is so cheap, it is worth doing even if you do not visit all of them. If you take the 8:30 ferry you will arrive before any of the museums open, so there is plenty of time to wander the streets. Several of the tour books had said that you could buy the combo ticket at any of the museums and they would take any currency -not so much. You must buy the ticket at the City Museum which is on the square and they only take Uruguay currency. Luckily there is a bank/exchange counter also on the square where they would exchange US dollars or Argentine pesos. It all worked out fine, but it was a bit of a hassle that we had not planned on. As a Museum Director, I found the museums to be quaint and similar to many small town museums in the United States. If you can read Spanish, you will probably get more out of the exhibits than we did, but we still were able to glean some of the history of Colonia. The best museum in our opinion was the Spanish museum. The staff there was wonderful and gave us a short orientation of what we were going to see there-although we are not sure how the temporary exhibit about a Nazi ship that was blocked in the harbor at Montevideo had anything to do with Colonia history . Each of the museums is small and only takes a short time to visit. They are worth a look see; as is the historic church.
There are many little shops throughout the town and some of them offer local arts and crafts items along with the standard tourist fare. There are many places to eat or to just sit to have a coffee or soft drink. We had lunch at Anjo Preto and had a delightful steak meal-cooked to our order at medium rare. It was a nice leisurely lunch. It was probably a bit on the expensive side (it's in the heart of the historic section so caters to tourists) but worth it. The staff was incredibly helpful and patient with us gringos!
On our way back to the ferry terminal we walked the main drag out of the historic barrio and saw some of the more modern town. There were a number of restaurants and shops along this street as well. It is a delightful town. We had debated about how long we would want to spend in Colonia since you have to chose a return time for the ferry. This was just the right amount of time. We were back in BA by 6:00 p.m. with plenty of time to make evening plans.
Written May 12, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
barca_fanatic
Gold Coast, Australia207 contributions
Jan 2019
What a great place to take a day trip from Buenos Aires, just a couple of hours on the ferry across to Uruguay, great colonial era architecture, some cool boutique shops and some pretty good restaurants..
Written November 6, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Holling911
Newport Beach, CA95 contributions
Nov 2019 • Solo
Interesting day trip
Might be cool to hang out if you have time. Pretty quiet, but interesting. Short ferry ride from BA
Might be cool to hang out if you have time. Pretty quiet, but interesting. Short ferry ride from BA
Written November 4, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gayle B
North Port, FL16 contributions
Oct 2019
Interesting town with lots of historic buildings. The Portugese and Spanish influences in the buildings tells an interesting story. In some places the cobblestone street surfaces are quite uneven. Wear appropriate shoes. The entire town is very clean.
Written October 21, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dan L
Bunbury, Australia8,540 contributions
Mar 2017 • Couples
This gate was the only entrance through the city wall in colonial times. It was rebuilt between 1968 and 1971 by the ruins of the old wall and wooden drawbridge. The remaining level of the original wall, partially rebuilt, is marked by bronze nails.
Written April 28, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Patricia Fuoco
Sao Paulo, SP82 contributions
Dec 2016 • Couples
An historic place to understood why Colonia del Sacramento is a UNESCO's site! A walking tour of one hour is enough for basic information. Of course, the history is so interesting that you would stay more time specially with a beer: Patricia!
Written December 9, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Global_Traveller
Lexington, KY263 contributions
We visited this walled port town on a day trip from Buenos Aires. It was a really nice time although the weather was not very cooperative.
We rented an electric car from Viaggio rent a car. They are located right in front of the entrance to the Ferry terminal. The price was very cheap, $35 for 6 hours. The car is basically a golf cart, but it has all of the safety features to drive it on the road. I highly recommend this for getting around. This is much better than a rental car.
The old town area is very small and there are several restaurants and cafes to find a nice lunch and this provides a few hours to explore he town.
It is a very nice day and I would recommend it to all who are looking for something to do that provides a break from the hustle and bustle of BA.
We rented an electric car from Viaggio rent a car. They are located right in front of the entrance to the Ferry terminal. The price was very cheap, $35 for 6 hours. The car is basically a golf cart, but it has all of the safety features to drive it on the road. I highly recommend this for getting around. This is much better than a rental car.
The old town area is very small and there are several restaurants and cafes to find a nice lunch and this provides a few hours to explore he town.
It is a very nice day and I would recommend it to all who are looking for something to do that provides a break from the hustle and bustle of BA.
Written January 1, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kenny Vivas
Caracas, Distrito Federal, Venezuela27 contributions
Aug 2012 • Couples
Nearby there is an small tourism center where you can book a guided tour for 30 uru pesos. Totally recomended. If not, all the Ciudad Vieja will only be a bunch of old houses and walls
Written August 25, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kanan A
Australia8,678 contributions
Mar 2012 • Friends
The review titled "Needs Cost Benefit Analysis" is totally incorrect. He doesn´t state whether he comes from Montevideo or Buenos Aires, but the bus from Montevideo costs only 240 pesos (US$12), and the hydrofoil from BA cost around US$40.
As stated by so many others, the Puerta de la Ciudad is a beautiful, and full of historical significance. The old city is a delight to walk around, and should also be taken in by night to be fully appreciated, as the magic changes completely, and it´s cafes become filled with soft lights and seductive music.
As stated by so many others, the Puerta de la Ciudad is a beautiful, and full of historical significance. The old city is a delight to walk around, and should also be taken in by night to be fully appreciated, as the magic changes completely, and it´s cafes become filled with soft lights and seductive music.
Written March 3, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
EC13091
Ellicott City, MD1,540 contributions
Feb 2012 • Couples
This lovely gate serves as your gateway back in time. From here, your town of the Historic District begins, and it's well worth it. The seal above the gate is a copy, with the original now in a museum.
Written February 25, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Museo de Colonia
Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay
Me gustarĂa cambiar el tĂtulo ya que no tenemos puerta de la ciudadela ya que esta no existiĂł, este portĂłn miraba hacia el exterior por lo que su nombre correcto es PORTĂ“N DE CAMPO
Written September 6, 2019
Gracias por la aclaraciĂłn, pero no creo ser yo el que pueda cambiarle el tĂtulo. No obstante, considero hermoso todo el casco histĂłrico incluido el PortĂłn de Campo.
Cordiales saludos,
Written September 6, 2019
Gostaria de obter uma planta original do traçado da muralha e do fosso que cercava a antiga Colônia do Sacramento.
Written April 6, 2019
Provavelmente essa informação poderá ser obtida junto à Prefeitura, no setor de Patrimônio Histórico.
Written April 6, 2019
quisiera saber si podemos celebrar un cumpleaños nro. 25 en familia. Somos 15 personas. entre padre madre hermanos. etc.
además quisiera saber e precio por persona. gracias.
Written October 27, 2015
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