Afternoon in the Barrio Histórico
Colónia del Sacramento is reached by mid-afternoon via Avenida General Flores. The Barrio Histórico occupies a small peninsula founded by the Portuguese in 1680 opposite Buenos Aires; it changed hands repeatedly — ceded to Spain in 1777, reoccupied by Portugal, absorbed into Brazil in 1816 — before joining Uruguay after independence in 1825. Its organic street plan makes it a UNESCO World Heritage Site like no other.
The route reaches the Portón de Campo just before 1:00 pm. Built by the Portuguese in 1745, this gate and drawbridge was the city's only land entrance; its chains and old cannons remain. Beyond it, cobbled streets mix Portuguese and Spanish styles.