Colón is the sort of place where you could just lay around on the sand fanning yourself with palm leaves, though not glamorous enough to simultaneously eat grapes off the vine one by one. It’s one of the loveliest small towns in the Argentine province of Entre Ríos, mostly popular for its riverside beaches and hot springs. While several towns along the border offer beaches and hot springs, Colón is too picturesque to pass up: warm and sunny, adorable and clean, easily traversed on foot, and visitor-friendly without being overrun with tourists. During the off season, Colón remains tranquil (late March through November) and may appear a bit deserted. However, Colón during the summer is a completely different animal; the town becomes alive again and a fierce sunshine awakens anything that might have been hibernating for the winter. Colón is easily accessible by bus with nine departures daily to and from Buenos Aires and regular connections to other destinations (Colón is five hours north of BA, right on the Río Uruguay, which separates Argentina from its pint-sized neighbor).
Colón is largely frequented by domestic tourists during the busy summer months, many from Buenos Aires. While Colón barely maintains its pulse during the winter, with its regular population of 25,000 and two traffic lights, it’s an excellent town for getting off the international tourist track and connecting a little bit with the provinces. Argentina is increasingly tourist-friendly and accessible, meaning that the major destinations are bursting with hostels, English-speakers, and aggressive tourism agencies trying to sell you a $500 trip to the greatest natural wonders on earth. While these major destinations are amazing and beautiful, they are heavily visited and the tourists have increasingly left their footprints and Clif Bar wrappers behind. Colón is indeed a tourist destination, but a locally-minded one, effectively marrying the concepts of accessibility and tranquility.
Eating & Shopping
Many hometown joints concentrate on the ubiquitous pizza, sandwiches, and empanadas, but if you’d rather die than eat another ham-and-cheese, Entre Ríos is also great for fish (surubí, pacú, boga, and dorado swim nearby) and the classic Argentine asado (BBQ). You’ll find that most restaurants are basically the same, but north of downtown on San Martín is an Argentine parrilla called Parrilla Tranquera. Go inside to pick a table and start at the salad bar, offering basic salad fixings and potato salads, then proceed outside to choose your cuts straight from the grill, including beef, chicken, pork, chorizo (sausage), morcilla (blood sausage), or chinchulín (cow intestine). If you don’t know which is which, or if you’ve forgotten your cow vocabulary, just point without being obnoxious and they’ll help you out. For empanadas, go straight to El Sabrosón (Urquiza near J.J. Paso). Shopping in Colón isn’t exhilarating, but there are many stores along 12 de Abril for souvenirs, regional specialties, some clothing and house wares, etc. Check out the combination store and artist workshop La Casona for handcrafted jewelry, semi-precious stones, woven goods, and various artistic creations, plus the cash register is often run by local artists (12 de Abril at the corner of Plaza San Martín). El Sótano de Quesos (follow Gauchon to the waterfront and make a left) is also popular with locals and visitors alike, offering cheeses, cured meats, dulce de leche, jellies and jams, and jalea real (a jelly with supposedly healthful and restorative qualities made exclusively from the queen bee, $4 per small container, which must be kept on ice). The helpful, perhaps overly attentive staff will assault you the moment you walk in to offer cheese samples. Think before buying wine here; Entre Ríos has its own wines, but locals would rather try a Malbec from Mendoza. For wine, head to the local “wine boutique” Yuca (San Martín at Balcarce), which coincidentally also has excellent dulce de leche.
Music & Art
If you’ve come to Colón for music and art, you’ve taken a wrong turn, or you appreciate the challenge of finding water in the central Sahara. This tiny hamlet technically has a theater and museum, but both are largely inactive. Colón’s community theater is the Teatro Centenario, built in 1925, which was at one time a combination theater and movie house, and now is used for occasional live theater, classes, and events (12 de Abril near Maipú). The Museo Histórico Regional de Colón also provides some local insight, though this author has visited several times during their posted hours and it’s always closed (Moreno at Laprida, 30 cents, open only M–F, 9–11:30 AM). La Casona occasionally has a small exhibit upstairs, but this depends on your walking by at the exact moment that they are both open AND have something to exhibit. Colón’s real claim to artistic fame is their annual Festival Nacional de la Artesanía in Parque Quiros, held every February, featuring a different artistic theme each year, attracting enormous crowds and talented artists from all over the country and beyond.
Nightlife
Colón is sadly struggling in this area. There is one true bar (sort of) called Moment on 12 de Abril, though a stiff Fernet and coke or a Quilmes can be had at practically any local restaurant. The only club open year-round is El Mediterraneo by the river, though the age minimum is only 15, which means that its population of 13-year-olds is steadily rising, which in turn means that Colón’s population of pregnant 14 year-olds is also soaring out of control. The other club is called Kaiman, which is similar to El Mediterraneo but open only during the summer, located also on the river but further south. These are your choices; don’t feel pressured to explore them.
Accommodations
Colón’s Piedras Coloradas campgrounds are located along the riverfront near Parque Quiros, plus some camping and bungalows outside of town. Many residents of Colón rent their apartments or spare rooms out to tourists; this is an option, but exercise caution before you wander into someone’s living room and unpack. There is also a marked difference between local and foreigner prices. To the residents of Colón, the term “foreigner” also includes those snobby, coffee-to-go drinking, highly fashionable city folk from Buenos Aires, without whom the economy of Colón would be in shambles. Colón boasts a five-star hotel right on the waterfront called Hotel Quirinale Internacional, which overlooks the Río Uruguay and is mere steps from the costanera, beach, and 12 de Abril. The hotel includes spa services, a restaurant, a casino next door, and free wireless internet. The building itself is rather old and aging, but is still an institution of Colón. For an unbeatable central location, try Hotel Plaza located on the edge of Plaza San Martín. Currently being remodeled, this hotel is still open for business and provides rooms starting at $33/night on the off season, $40/night during the peak months of summer. Rooms facing the plaza have a view and all come with breakfast, A/C and heat, cable TV, access to the hotel pool (though who needs this when you’re two blocks from the beach), plus extra services are available, including a sauna, Finnish baths, and a gym. There is also a lovely and homey Hostería on the corner of Gauchón and Peyret near the river, next to the only vegetarian restaurant in town, Verde Gourmet.
Transportation and Basics
There is no public transportation system, but the town is very walkable and there are a few remise (taxi) companies, which are also available at the bus station. You can also rent a bike to explore the town; two useful bike shops are located on San Martín near Pra. Junta and on Bolivar near Salta (prices and availability vary). Concerning basic amenities, Colón has two ATMs and a Correo Argentino (post office) along the main drag 12 de Abril. This main street also has most of the shops and restaurants, and quite a few internet cafes. The visitor’s center is next to the port, in a beautiful building that was originally the customs house, built by General Urquiza. Here you can pick up helpful maps and information, though the bus station also has maps and information, plus they can help in finding accommodation and generally getting situated. As Colón has no airport, most visitors will arrive at the bus station, which has many departures to Buenos Aires and other towns in the area.
Nearby
Colón connects to Paysandú, Uruguay by international bridge and a bus ride across the border takes about 45 minutes (unless the bridge is closed for protesting). This is an easy way to cross over into Uruguay and explore the Uruguayan interior (Paysandú is about five hours from Montevideo), much simpler than the ferry ride from Buenos Aires to Montevideo or Colonia del Sacramento. One political note about this area concerns the paper factories down the river near Gualeguaychú. These factories (located in Uruguay but owned by European companies) have been polluting the Río Uruguay and entrerrianos have been protesting its presence (you’ll notice signs, t-shirts, and bumper stickers that say “Si a la vida, No a las papeleras!” or other versions thereof). This may interrupt bus service; inquire before purchasing a ticket. The small town of San José is very close to Colón, about eight kilometers down the road, which makes it an excellent afternoon trip. Palacio San José, former residence of General Urquiza, is also close, but not so easily reachable by bus directly from Colón. Try going to Concepción del Uruguay first or joining a tour. Parque Nacional El Palmar, home of the ancient yatay palm trees, is only 45 minutes north, almost halfway to Concordia.
