By road, Colonia del Sacramento and Barra de Valizas are about 285 miles (458 km) apart, or roughly 6 h 23 min of driving.
Full advisory: Uruguay. Advisory issued: Uruguay July 28, 2026; checked October 10, 2026.
On the roads, the State Department says:
- Uruguay: “If you are in an accident involving injury, stay in place until a police officer arrives.”
| Total distance | 285 mi (458 km) |
|---|---|
| Time at the wheel, no stops | 6 h 23 min |
| Main roads, in order | I-B |
| Departments on the route | Colonia, San José, Canelones, Maldonado, Rocha |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 11.4 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 9 |
Driving Colonia del Sacramento to Barra de Valizas: the shape of the trip
I-B (6 mi) carries about 2% of the 285 miles. It runs through 5 departments: Colonia, San José, Canelones, Maldonado, Rocha. Of the 9 stops listed below, 4 are within a mile of the road.
Roads you'll take from Colonia del Sacramento to Barra de Valizas
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | Department |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–46 | 46 | Colonia, San José |
| connecting roads | 46–47 | 1 | San José |
| local roads | 47–68 | 21 | San José |
| connecting roads | 68–71 | 3 | San José |
| local roads | 71–138 | 67 | San José, Canelones |
| connecting roads | 138–139 | 1 | Canelones |
| local roads | 139–167 | 28 | Canelones, Maldonado |
| I-B | 167–173 | 6 | Maldonado |
| local roads | 173–285 | 112 | Maldonado, Rocha |
- Mile 45 of this route: Colonia → San José (department line)
- Mile 93 of this route: San José → Canelones (department line)
- Mile 162 of this route: Canelones → Maldonado (department line)
- Mile 219 of this route: Maldonado → Rocha (department line)
Stops between Colonia del Sacramento and Barra de Valizas
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Teatro Macció (mile 68), Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe (mile 103), Observatorio Astronómico del CURE (mile 235), Teatro 25 de Mayo (mile 236)
- Nature and outdoors: Cerro Pan de Azúcar Native Wildlife Breeding Station (mile 173), Laguna José Ignacio (mile 207), La Sirena Beach (mile 278)
- Museums and history: Museum of Rosario Mural Art (mile 30), Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe (mile 103), Iglesia de Cristo Obrero y Nuestra Señora de Lourdes (mile 139)
Museum of Rosario Mural Art
Rather than a building, the Museum of Rosario Mural Art is a circuit of history-themed murals spread around Rosario, in Uruguay's Colonia department.
Teatro Macció
San José de Mayo's Teatro Bartolomé Macció is a traditional theater, regarded as the city's most important building architecturally and declared a Historic Monument of Uruguay in 1984.
Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Construction of Canelones' Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe began in 1816; the church became a cathedral in 1961 and Uruguay's national shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in 2020.
Iglesia de Cristo Obrero y Nuestra Señora de Lourdes
Since 2021, UNESCO has counted Eladio Dieste's Church of Christ the Worker among its World Heritage Sites. The engineer's brick church in Estación Atlántida was inaugurated in 1960 and is known for its undulating walls and roof.
Cerro Pan de Azúcar Native Wildlife Breeding Station
Near Piriápolis in Maldonado, this breeding station for native wildlife on Cerro Pan de Azúcar is surrounded by native vegetation and offers guided visits, including a native wildlife trail and a path up the hill.
Laguna José Ignacio
In Uruguay's Maldonado Department, Laguna José Ignacio is a coastal lagoon kept apart from the Atlantic Ocean by a sandbank.
Observatorio Astronómico del CURE
Run by the University of the Republic's eastern campus (CURE), this small observatory in Rocha opened in 2016 and uses a 30 cm reflector telescope under a motorized dome for teaching, research and public outreach.
Teatro 25 de Mayo
Rocha's Teatro 25 de Mayo opened in 1910 as an Italian-style theater in the eclectic style, with room for about 400 people. Now a cultural complex, it is a stop on the city's self-guided heritage walk.
La Sirena Beach
About 2.5 km north of Aguas Dulces, La Sirena is one of Uruguay's two official naturist beaches, backed by vegetated dunes, small marshes, lagoons and pine and acacia woods where coastal birds are common.
Arriving in Barra de Valizas
Parque nacional Cabo Polonio
Part of Uruguay's national protected areas system since 2009, Cabo Polonio National Park spans 25,820 hectares of coastline, ocean and offshore islands.
Cabo Polonio Lighthouse
Standing on the Cabo Polonio headland in Uruguay's Rocha department, this lighthouse looks out over the Atlantic Ocean and was built in 1881.
Dunes of Cabo Polonio
Inside Cabo Polonio National Park in Uruguay's Rocha department, a band of natural sand dunes runs along the Atlantic Ocean.
More drives to Barra de Valizas
- Maldonado to Barra de Valizas
- Montevideo to Barra de Valizas
- Veinticinco de Agosto to Barra de Valizas
- Nueva Helvecia to Barra de Valizas
- Conchillas to Barra de Valizas
- Tacuarembó to Barra de Valizas
From Colonia del Sacramento to other places in Uruguay
- Colonia del Sacramento to Veinticinco de Agosto
- Colonia del Sacramento to Fray Marcos
- Colonia del Sacramento to Alejandro Gallinal
- Colonia del Sacramento to Punta del Diablo
- Colonia del Sacramento to Chuy
- Colonia del Sacramento to Treinta y Tres
Frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Colonia del Sacramento to Barra de Valizas?
About 6 h 23 min of driving without stops, over 285 miles.
How far is Barra de Valizas from Colonia del Sacramento by car?
About 285 miles (458 km) on the Wayro route. Other map services may show a few miles more or less, depending on where they start and end in each city.
Is it safe to drive from Colonia del Sacramento to Barra de Valizas?
The U.S. State Department rates Uruguay Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution. Read the full advisory before you go.
What are good stops between Colonia del Sacramento and Barra de Valizas?
Closest to the road: Teatro Macció (theater, mile 68, 0.8 mi from the route); Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe (cathedral, mile 103, 0.0 mi from the route); Observatorio Astronómico del CURE (astronomical observatory, mile 235, 0.4 mi from the route). All stops are described above.
How we put this guide together
Wayro calculates the route from OpenStreetMap road data; mile numbers are positions along this route, not highway markers, and "from the route" distances are straight-line, so the real detour depends on access roads. Stops are chosen from parks, natural sites, museums, historic sites and attractions close to the route: at least one strong stop for each stretch of the drive, then the best-known places nearest the road, up to nine in all. Places that are closed, private or not open to visitors are removed. Place descriptions are written by the Wayro team from official park, museum, tourism and government websites and other published sources. Safety levels and entry rules were checked against the U.S. Department of State on October 10, 2026. Conditions change, so check the linked sources before you travel.
Route data © OpenStreetMap contributors.