By road, Pelotas and Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay are about 454 miles (731 km) apart, or roughly 10 h 2 min of driving. You cross from Brazil into Uruguay at about mile 89.
- Level 4: Do Not Travel in Brazil: informal housing developments (favelas, vilas, comunidades or conglomerados).
Full advisory: Brazil, Uruguay. Advisory issued: Brazil August 31, 2026; Uruguay July 28, 2026; checked October 10, 2026.
On the roads, the State Department says:
- Brazil: “Use caution when walking or driving at night.”
- Uruguay: “Illumination, pavement markings, and road surfaces for secondary roads can be poor.”
| Total distance | 454 mi (731 km) |
|---|---|
| Time at the wheel, no stops | 10 h 2 min |
| Main roads, in order | BR-392 → BR-116 |
| Border crossing | about mile 89, Brazil → Uruguay |
| Regions on the route | Rio Grande do Sul, Cerro Largo, Treinta y Tres, Lavalleja, Canelones, San José, Colonia |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 18.2 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 9 |
Crossing from Brazil into Uruguay
The route crosses at about mile 89, from Rio Grande do Sul into Cerro Largo. Plan on two checks on each side: immigration for your passport and customs for the car.
| Entering Uruguay (U.S. citizens) | No visa needed for visits of 90 days or less. Passport: must be valid for 6 months beyond your arrival date. |
|---|---|
| Driving in Uruguay | You can drive on your U.S. license. |
| Entering Brazil (U.S. citizens) | Visa required: apply and get approved before you travel; travelers without visas can't enter. Passport: must be valid for one month at entry, with a blank page for each stamp. |
| Driving in Brazil | If you'll stay more than 180 days and drive, carry an Inter-American Driving Permit with your U.S. license. |
| Rental car | Cross only if the rental company authorizes it in writing and gives you the papers for the border; ask before you book. |
Sources: U.S. State Department, Uruguay (updated August 13, 2026); U.S. State Department, Brazil (updated August 06, 2026). Checked October 10, 2026; rules change, so confirm before you go.
Driving Pelotas to Colonia del Sacramento: the shape of the trip
BR-116 (79 mi) and BR-392 (3 mi) carry about 18% of the 454 miles. The first 89 miles are in Brazil; the last 365 are in Uruguay. It runs through 7 regions: Rio Grande do Sul, Cerro Largo, Treinta y Tres, Lavalleja, Canelones, San José, Colonia. Of the 9 stops listed below, 4 are within a mile of the road.
Pelotas to Colonia del Sacramento: the road sequence
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–2 | 2 | Rio Grande do Sul |
| BR-392 | 2–5 | 3 | Rio Grande do Sul |
| connecting roads | 5–8 | 3 | Rio Grande do Sul |
| BR-116 | 8–87 | 79 | Rio Grande do Sul |
| connecting roads | 87–88 | 1 | Rio Grande do Sul |
| local roads | 88–349 | 261 | Rio Grande do Sul, Cerro Largo, Treinta y Tres, Lavalleja, Canelones |
| connecting roads | 349–352 | 3 | Canelones |
| local roads | 352–383 | 31 | Canelones, San José |
| connecting roads | 383–386 | 3 | San José |
| local roads | 386–407 | 21 | San José |
| connecting roads | 407–408 | 1 | San José |
| local roads | 408–454 | 46 | San José, Colonia |
- Mile 89 of this route: Rio Grande do Sul → Cerro Largo (international border)
- Mile 116 of this route: Cerro Largo → Treinta y Tres (region line)
- Mile 186 of this route: Treinta y Tres → Lavalleja (region line)
- Mile 296 of this route: Lavalleja → Canelones (region line)
- Mile 362 of this route: Canelones → San José (region line)
- Mile 410 of this route: San José → Colonia (region line)
Stops between Pelotas and Colonia del Sacramento
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Museo Agustín Araújo (mile 168), Cathedral of Minas (mile 272), Teatro Politeama (mile 352), Museo Departamental de San José (mile 386)
- Nature and outdoors: Salto del Penitente (mile 261), Parque nacional Arequita (mile 271)
- Museums and history: Museo Agustín Araújo (mile 168), Cathedral of Minas (mile 272), Iglesia de Cristo Obrero y Nuestra Señora de Lourdes (mile 316), Museo Departamental de San José (mile 386), Museum of Rosario Mural Art (mile 424)
Quebrada de los Cuervos
Crossed by the Yerbal Chico creek, the Quebrada de los Cuervos is a ravine in Treinta y Tres department and a natural protected area in Uruguay.
Museo Agustín Araújo
Treinta y Tres's departmental fine arts museum, the Museo Agustín Araújo is a public museum in the city of Treinta y Tres, Uruguay.
Salto del Penitente
Parque nacional Arequita
Arequita National Park is a protected natural area in Lavalleja department, southeastern Uruguay, known for Cerro Arequita, its related rock formations and its biodiversity.
Cathedral of Minas
Minas's main Catholic church, the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception served as the seat of the Diocese of Minas from 1960 to 2020.
Iglesia de Cristo Obrero y Nuestra Señora de Lourdes
Wavy brick walls and a rippling brick roof define this church in Estación Atlántida, along with an openwork brick bell tower and a baptistery set underground. Engineer Eladio Dieste designed it, and it opened in 1960.
Teatro Politeama
Canelones' Teatro Politeama opened in 1921 and reopened in 2014 as the Complejo Cultural Politeama Teatro Atahualpa del Cioppo. Uruguay declared the theater a National Historic Monument in 2022.
Museo Departamental de San José
Set in central San José de Mayo, the Museo Departamental de San José is a history and fine arts museum that also runs a library, archives and cultural programs.
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.
Arriving in Colonia del Sacramento
Basílica del Santísimo Sacramento, Colonia del Sacramento
In Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay, the Basílica del Santísimo Sacramento (Basilica of the Holy Sacrament) is a Roman Catholic parish church you can stop at in town.
Colonia del Sacramento Lighthouse
Erected in 1857 on the ruins of the Saint Francis Xavier convent, the Colonia del Sacramento Lighthouse stands in the town's historic district in Uruguay.
Museo del Origami
Set in the historic district of Colonia del Sacramento, Museo del Origami is a nonprofit museum devoted to the art of paper folding and part of Uruguay's national museum system.
More drives to Colonia del Sacramento
- Mercedes, Uruguay to Colonia del Sacramento
- Paysandú to Colonia del Sacramento
- Tacuarembó to Colonia del Sacramento
- Salto to Colonia del Sacramento
- Rivera to Colonia del Sacramento
- Artigas to Colonia del Sacramento
More drives from Pelotas
- Pelotas to São Leopoldo
- Pelotas to Novo Hamburgo
- Pelotas to Santana do Livramento
- Pelotas to Bento Gonçalves
- Pelotas to Criciúma
- Pelotas to Tubarão
Frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Pelotas to Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay?
About 10 h 2 min of driving without stops, over 454 miles.
What is the driving distance from Pelotas to Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay?
About 454 miles (731 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.
Where does the Pelotas to Colonia del Sacramento drive cross the border?
At about mile 89, from Brazil into Uruguay.
What do U.S. citizens need to drive from Pelotas into Uruguay?
No visa needed for visits of 90 days or less. Passport: must be valid for 6 months beyond your arrival date. You can drive on your U.S. license. (U.S. State Department, updated August 13, 2026.)
Is it safe to drive from Pelotas to Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay?
The U.S. State Department rates Brazil Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution; Uruguay Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution. Read the full advisory before you go.
What roads does the drive from Pelotas to Colonia del Sacramento use?
In order: BR-392 and BR-116. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.
Where can you stop on the way from Pelotas to Colonia del Sacramento?
Closest to the road: Cathedral of Minas (cathedral, mile 272, 0.6 mi from the route); Teatro Politeama (theater, mile 352, 0.2 mi from the route); Museo Departamental de San José (history museum, mile 386, 0.7 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.