Colón

Colón is a city of about 23,000 people (2010) on the western bank of the Uruguay River in the east of Entre Ríos province, head of the department of the same name, facing Paysandú in Uruguay, to which the General Artigas Bridge links it. General Justo José de Urquiza founded it on 12 April 1863 at a natural river port that served the farm colony of San José, settled from 1857 by Swiss, French and Piedmontese immigrants, and the Villa de Colón was laid out by law in 1871; the parish of Saints Justo and Pastor dates from 1876. Known as the Provincial Capital of Tourism, it has five beaches along the river with about 14 km (9 mi) of sand, among the longest in the province, as well as hot springs with their facilities, hotels, a casino and campsites, boat and four-wheel-drive outings, and Parque Quirós, a park on high ground that looks out over the riverbank. The neighbouring towns grew from agricultural colonies of European, especially Swiss, immigrants.

Background

Colón is a city of about 23,000 people in the east of Argentina's Entre Ríos province, on the western shore of the Uruguay River, facing Paysandú in Uruguay, to which the General Artigas Bridge connects it. General Justo José de Urquiza founded it in 1863. It is known as the Provincial Capital of Tourism, with about 14 km of beach along the river.

Source: Wikipedia, "Colón, Entre Ríos"

What you'll find

• The river beaches - five beaches with about 14 km (9 mi) of sand on the Uruguay River.
• The hot springs - thermal waters with their own facilities.
• Parque Quirós - a park on high ground above the riverbank, with paths, stairs and sports grounds.
• River and land outings - trips by semi-rigid boat or four-wheel drive.

When to go

Any time of year; visitors come all year round.

Practical notes

It is a relatively small city geared to tourism, and the neighbouring towns, founded as immigrant farm colonies, offer small-scale historical sightseeing.

Nearby

El Palmar National Park, with its Yatay palms, is about 60 km (37 mi) away to the north; in a straight line Paysandú is about 11.9 km (7.4 mi) to the south-south-east across the river and Concepción del Uruguay about 30 km (19 mi) to the south-south-west, with the Palacio San José, Urquiza's former country residence, nearer that city.

Key facts