TRANSFERS · FERRY AND FLIGHT · 2026
Uruguay is a boat ride away and your flight is a motorway away, and whether both fit into one day comes down to a handful of numbers worth knowing before you book either.
Colonia del Sacramento sits about 50 kilometres across the Río de la Plata from Buenos Aires, close enough that plenty of travellers fold Argentina and Uruguay into one trip, and sometimes into one day. At Buenos Aires Transfers we drive between Ezeiza or Aeroparque and both ferry terminals, in both directions, so we know the two versions of the plan: landing at Ezeiza in the morning to walk Colonia's cobbles by the afternoon, or riding the ferry back from Montevideo and boarding a flight home that same evening.
Both can work, and far more often when you know where the hours go. Three questions decide it: how long is the drive, how early do you need to be at the port, and what happens if the plane is late.
Where do the ferries leave from?
Check the company on your ferry ticket first: Buenos Aires has two ferry terminals, at opposite ends of the Puerto Madero docks, a few kilometres apart by road.
Buquebus sails from Dársena Norte, at the north end of the docks. Its boats go to Colonia and to Montevideo.
→ AV. ANTÁRTIDA ARGENTINA 821, RETIRO
Colonia Express has its own building at the south end, by Dársena Sur. Its boats cross to Colonia, and for Montevideo and Punta del Este it sells the boat to Colonia with a bus connection onward.
→ AV. ELVIRA RAWSON DE DELLEPIANE 155, PUERTO MADERO
For our transfers both are the same trip and the same fare, but tell us which one is on your ticket: the wrong end of the port costs time.
How long is the drive from Ezeiza to the ferry terminals?
By road, Ezeiza is about 34 kilometres from the Buquebus terminal and about 32 from Colonia Express. On a clear road, our drivers reckon on around 40 minutes to either one. With traffic, allow up to an hour to Colonia Express and up to 80 minutes to Buquebus.
If your flight uses Aeroparque, the city airport on the riverside, the drive is much shorter: about 7 kilometres to Buquebus and about 10 to Colonia Express.
Landing at Ezeiza and sailing the same day: how much margin?
Think of it as three stretches, one after the other.
Getting out of Ezeiza. Between touchdown and walking out with your bags, immigration and the baggage belt take 40 minutes to an hour on a normal day.
The drive. From 40 minutes to 80, depending on the terminal and the traffic.
The terminal. Buquebus says its check-in opens about two hours before departure and closes 20 minutes before. That cut-off is for the check-in desk, not the gangway: after it come the customs scanners, then immigration, then the waiting room. Buquebus also offers web check-in, which it says speeds up boarding. Colonia Express does not publish a check-in cut-off on its website, so check your ticket and do not assume it is later than Buquebus's.
Add the three together and, with a plane that lands on time, you need between an hour and forty minutes and two hours and forty from touchdown to sailing just to reach the Buquebus desk before it closes. That is the floor, not the plan. If a long-haul flight lands late, the floor moves and the ferry does not.
Landing early is the easy problem: Colonia Express lists its Buenos Aires terminal as open every day from 6:00 to 22:00.
Flying in and sailing out? We track your flight, meet you at arrivals with a name sign and drive you to the right end of the port. See our ferry terminal transfers.
How much time do you need to ferry back and fly out the same day?
Getting off the boat. There is no passport queue on this side: Argentina's immigration service has booths next to Uruguay's at the ports of Colonia and Montevideo, so both countries' controls are done before you board. Disembarkation still goes in order, as the crew calls it, and that is not instant.
The drive. The same 40 to 80 minutes, in reverse.
The airport. Each airline sets its own presentation time. Aerolíneas Argentinas, for example, asks passengers on regional and international flights who check a bag at the airport to present themselves 180 minutes before departure, and says anyone who arrives later will not be boarded. Look up the rule for your airline and fare.
Work backwards from your flight. For a 21:00 departure with that three-hour rule, you want to be at Ezeiza by 18:00, which in heavy traffic means leaving the port by about 16:40. The ferry you book should be scheduled to arrive well before that, with room for a late crossing and a slow walk off the boat.
What can go wrong on the day, and what does the transfer cover?
Four things eat a same-day connection:
1. A late plane. Out of your hands, and the ferry will not wait for it.
2. The queues. Immigration at Ezeiza, and customs and immigration at the port before you sail, vary by the day.
3. Traffic. It is the reason the drive ranges from 40 to 80 minutes.
4. The river. Colonia Express says passengers whose sailing is delayed by bad weather can move to another time or date, with no refund for weather. With a flight to catch, a rescheduled boat is the scenario to plan around.
On our side, we follow your flight in real time and adjust the pickup if your arrival changes, with no extra charge for delays outside your control. The driver waits with a name sign at arrivals or at the terminal exit, with the meeting point confirmed by WhatsApp. The fare includes 60 minutes of waiting at the airport and at the port, help with the luggage and the tolls, and it is the same by day or by night. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before, and the service does not run on 24, 25 and 31 December or 1 January. We sell the ground transfer only: the ferry ticket you book directly with Buquebus or Colonia Express.
When is a night in Buenos Aires the smarter plan?
Sometimes the honest answer is not to connect at all. Book a night in the city when:
1. The arithmetic does not add up. If the gap between your landing and your sailing is under the floor above, the plan needs a new day, not a faster car.
2. You come off an overnight long-haul flight. It can be done, but your first day in Uruguay may be spent asleep on a boat bench.
3. There is weather in the forecast on the day you fly home. The ferry is the leg that can be moved out from under you. Crossing the day before turns a missed flight into a slow breakfast.
4. The last boat has gone. In the September to October 2026 timetable, the last Colonia Express departure from Buenos Aires is at 20:00. A late-evening landing will not make it, whatever the traffic.
How do the two directions compare?
| Stretch | Landing at Ezeiza, then the ferry | The ferry, then a flight from Ezeiza |
|---|---|---|
| Leaving the first terminal | 40 to 60 min from touchdown to the kerb | Disembarkation, in the order the crew calls (immigration is done before boarding in Uruguay) |
| The drive | 40 min; up to 60 to Colonia Express and 80 to Buquebus | The same, in reverse |
| At the other end | Buquebus check-in closes 20 min before sailing, then customs and immigration | Your airline's cut-off (180 min for an Aerolíneas Argentinas international flight with a bag checked at the airport) |
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take from the Buquebus terminal to Ezeiza airport?
About 34 kilometres by road: around 40 minutes on a clear road and up to 80 in heavy traffic. From Colonia Express, about 32 kilometres, 40 minutes to an hour.
Can I land at Ezeiza and take a ferry to Colonia the same day?
Yes, if the gap is wide enough. With an on-time landing and Buquebus's check-in cut-off, the bare minimum is roughly one hour forty to two hours forty from touchdown to sailing, so leave more.
Do I go through immigration again when the ferry arrives in Buenos Aires?
No. Argentine immigration officers work next to their Uruguayan counterparts in Colonia and Montevideo, so both controls are done before you board.
Do Buquebus and Colonia Express use the same terminal?
No. Buquebus sails from Dársena Norte, at the north end of the Puerto Madero docks, and Colonia Express from its own terminal at the south end.
Close together? Ask us first
A ferry and a flight on the same day is a good plan when the numbers leave room. If yours are close together, write to us first and we will tell you honestly whether the connection is realistic. And if the answer is a night in Buenos Aires, the city is a fine place for one more evening, and we will gladly drive you to the boat in the morning.
Plan your ferry and airport transfer. Message us on WhatsApp at +54 9 11 2404-0448, or book your transfer online between Ezeiza or Aeroparque and either terminal. For airport rides on the other days of your trip, see our private transfers in Buenos Aires.