Top 10 Buenos Aires

$ Real de San
Carlos
This once-grand resort
complex is a skeleton of
its former self. The
Moorish-style bullring
(above), casino, and
coastal dock, are today a
few wooden pilings.
* Calle de los
Suspiros
The narrow streets sloping
water-ward from the
Plaza Mayor are very picturesque,
and Calle de
los Suspiros, or Street
of Sighs, earns its
distinction among them.
%
Casa Nacarello
This house (right) is a
typical mid-18th-century
Portuguese residence,
stocked with originals
and replicas of period
furniture. The dark
kitchen is very striking.
( El Portón de
Campo
This Portuguese-built
1745 archway, the
City Gate, is the only
structure remaining of
the original fortification.
It feels almost medieval
in its form and heft.
) Rambla Costanera
This west-facing
street (left) hugs the
waterfront, affording
views of adjacent islands.
The rocks below are an
ideal spot to eat lunch,
and are accessible via
two stairways leading
down from Costanera.
Playa Ferrando ^ East of the center is
Playa Ferrando, the area’s
most pleasant beach,
with shade trees and a
nearby grill. It is best
accessed via a rental
scooter, but a taxi would
cost only US$3.
Iglesia Matriz & Built in 1680,
Uruguay’s oldest church
(below) is remarkable for
its unadorned white
stucco façade and twin
cupolas, both of them
covered in beautiful
Italianate tile work.
Getting There
Buquebus, which runs
the most frequent ferry
service to and from
Colonia, has its ultramodern
ticket office and
terminal at Puerto
Madero’s northernmost
point (Avda. Antártida
Argentina 821, 4316-
6500; www.buquebus.
com). Swift catamarans
make the trip in under
an hour, but do not
allow passengers on
deck. For a more leisurely
crossing, take the
three-hour Eladia Isabel,
a comfortable vessel
that allows deck access.
Colonia’s clocks are set an hour ahead of Buenos Aires’ time.
Buenos Aires’ Top 10 25