Colón

Colón sits on the Uruguay river in eastern Entre Ríos, and it has become one of the most popular river resorts in the country thanks to a combination that is hard to beat in summer: kilometres of clean sandy beach along the river, warm water, a well-run thermal complex with pools of different temperatures, and a compact old centre of nineteenth-century houses built by Swiss and Italian settlers. Boat trips run to river islands and sandbanks, kayaks and stand-up paddling are available, and the Palmar national park with its extraordinary palm savanna is half an hour north. A bridge upstream crosses to Paysandú in Uruguay. The town fills in January and empties by winter.

What you actually see

• The river beaches - long sandy stretches on the Uruguay river.
• The thermal complex - graded pools fed by hot mineral water.
• The old centre - nineteenth-century immigrant architecture and craft shops.
• The island trips - boats to sandbanks and river islands.

When to go

November to March for the beaches and warm water, with January the busiest and hottest. The thermal baths work year-round and are best in the cool months. Winter is quiet and many services reduce hours.

Honest expectations

In peak summer the town is crowded and prices rise steeply; outside summer the beaches lose their point. River levels vary and in drought years beaches widen while water quality can suffer. Mosquitoes are a factor near dusk.

Nearby

El Palmar national park lies north; Concepción del Uruguay and Palacio San José are south.