Across the River Plate to Punta del Este

The Plaza de Mayo, Recoleta and the milongas of Buenos Aires, the ferry to the stone streets of Colonia del Sacramento, founded by the Portuguese in 1680, Montevideo’s Ciudad Vieja and rambla, and the two beaches of Punta del Este, with sunset at Casapueblo.

Day by day Open the itinerary in the app

Buenos Aires → Colonia del Sacramento → Montevideo → Punta del Este · 9–14 days

The route on the map, in the itinerary’s order.

ArgentinaBuenos Aires
Days
3–4
When
Mar–May · Sep–Nov
Per person/day
Average 90–140 USDMid-range · per person/day
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.
UruguayColonia del Sacramento
Days
1–3
When
Mar–Apr · Oct–Nov
Per person/day
Average 3,150 UYUMid-range · per person/day
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.
UruguayMontevideo
Days
2–3
When
Mar–Apr · Oct–Dec
Per person/day
Average 90–140 USDMid-range · per person/day
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.
UruguayPunta del Este
Days
3–4
When
Jan–Mar · Dec
Per person/day
Average 4,660 UYUMid-range · per person/day
Cost scope
Per person per day: accommodation, meals, urban transport, visits and a small allowance for extras. Flights excluded; larger purchases vary. Editorial estimate, not a quote.

Who it is for

For anyone who wants to cross the River Plate and see both capitals, Portuguese-built Colonia and the resort where the river meets the Atlantic.

Not for anyone travelling between April and November and expecting beach days: in those months Punta del Este is empty, with no lifeguards and seasonal services closed.

The strategy

Buenos Aires comes first. From Puerto Madero, Colonia Express and Buquebus cross the river to Colonia in about 1h15 on the fast boat, with immigration control at boarding and the travel document valid for your nationality. Spend a night in Colonia so you can watch the sunset without racing for the return boat. Colonia to Montevideo is about 2h30 by bus from the terminal next to the port, and Montevideo to Punta del Este about 2h20 to 2h30 on COT buses from Tres Cruces. In Punta del Este, a rental car makes Casapueblo, the Arboretum Lussich and José Ignacio easy. To fly home, Laguna del Sauce airport, 21 km away, has regional flights, some only in season; the other option is Carrasco airport in Montevideo, where COT buses stop. March is the month when all four stops are in their best season.

What you will see

Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires. Opera house opened on May 25, 1908, with Aida, a horseshoe-shaped hall for about 2,480 people and acoustics ranked among the world's best.
Portón de Campo, Colonia del Sacramento. The gate of the old citadel, with a wooden drawbridge over the moat, marks the entrance to the Barrio Histórico from the land side.
The Rambla, Montevideo. Twenty-two uninterrupted kilometers of boardwalk between the port and Punta Gorda, built starting in the 1920s.
Casapueblo, Punta del Este. The house, studio and museum that the artist Carlos Páez Vilaró built without plans at Punta Ballena, starting in 1958, in white lime and curves, compared to Mediterranean houses and inspired, he said, by the nest of the hornero bird.

Day by day