Colonia del Sacramento & Carmelo

Day 1 - Colonia  

Your private transfer will welcome you at the port of Colonia (ferries arriving/departing to/from Buenos Aires) and transport you to the selected hotel.  Accommodation is for 2 nights with breakfast included.   Check in and spend the rest of the day at your leisure to rest or walk around this quaint town, so full of history.  

Day 2 – Colonia del Sacramento  

You will be picked up from your hotel lobby to go on a Private Colonia del Sacramento Walking Tour.             
Prior to the walk you will be driven to the San Carlos Bullfight Arena, the San Benito Chapel, Colonia’s West coast and its beaches.  You will then continue on to the city’s Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1995.  The walk will take you around the Old District of Colonia (known as Colonia del Sacramento), founded in 1680 by the Portuguese.  The walk starts at the old city gates, and continues toward the “Street of Sighs” in which we will visit a charming place known as “El Buen Suspiro” (the “good sigh”) built by the Portuguese and which dates back to 1720.  You’ll be able to sample local wines, cheese and home made desserts.  We’ll stop at the Main Square, then the ruins of the San Francisco Church (the oldest ruins in Uruguay), the Lighthouse, Governor’s House, the Sacramento Basilica and other attractive sites and buildings along the way.  
This is an educating walk through a tranquil area, which will provide visitors with knowledge on the city’s history and the reason for it to be named a World Heritage Site.  Upon completion of the Walking Tour, passengers are free to continue on their own before going back to the hotel.     
Colonia del Sacramento & Carmelo 04 Nights 
 
Day 3 – Colonia to Carmelo  

After breakfast, check out from your Colonia hotel and a private transfer will take you to Carmelo.  Accommodation is for 2 nights with breakfast included. Check in to your Carmelo hotel and enjoy the rest of the day at your leisure.  

Day 4 – Carmelo – Irurtia Winery and Antique General Store  

Pick up from your hotel lobby to go on the Visit and Wine Tasting at Irurtia Bodega and to “Almacén de la Capilla”.  
THE IRURTIA WINERY was born with the arrival of Basque Don Lorenzo Irurtia to Carmelo, Uruguay during the second half of the 19th Century. His passion for good wines and his laborious dedication to the vine cultivation gave its fruits with the first harvest of 1913.  Don Lorenzo found in Carmelo the opportunity to settle with his family and start his business, just like hundreds of other immigrants did, when welcomed by these lands of freedom and order.   Some went into cobble stone making, and for Don Lorenzo it was the start of the vine farming, taking advantage of the wonderful possibilities given by the existing floor, quaternary rocks covered with limestone soil. Time passed, and five of the eight IrurtiaEtchenique siblings Miguel, Antonio, Carmelo, Natalia and Francisca have dedicated their life’s work to the vineyard and the small winery.     
ALMACEN LA CAPILLA is a very old general store located in Colonia Estella.  It is set in a peaceful surrounding of nature and was founded by Antonio Cordano back in 1955 in order to supply the immediate region with assorted merchandise.   You will be stepping back into the old times when entering this place.        
In the evening, enjoy a 3-course dinner at Morgan Restaurant, part of the Carmelo Yacht Club.  Sodas and water are included.   

Day 4 – Depart Uruguay  

After breakfast, check out from your hotel in Carmelo, and a private transfer will take you to the Colonia port.    
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