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Voykit pocket guide · Paraguay
Asunción
Asunción is a short, slow city: the historic centre and river in two mornings, indoors by midday, and never in December to February heat.
Asunción is a low-rise river capital that runs hot for half the year and closes at midday. The trips that go wrong walk the centre at 14:00 in January, plan a museum on its closed day, or use the Costanera after dark. Four areas cover a first visit; one kept bed in the centre or Villa Morra, and a car between them.
- Country
- Paraguay
- Best months
- Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep
- Time zone
- America/Asuncion
- Stay
- 1 days: Historic centre in one morning, lunch at Plaza de los Héroes
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- PYG
- Money
- Cards in hotels, malls and larger restaurants; cash for markets, taxis, small cafés and museums. Carry small notes; change for Gs 100,000 notes is short.
- Daily spend
- Budget Gs 150,000–300,000 excl. bed · Mid Gs 300,000–700,000 excl. bed · High Gs 700,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Install an eSIM before you fly, or buy a tourist SIM at the airport counters (passport needed).
- Emergency
- Police 911 · Ambulance 911
- Plugs
- 220 V; type C sockets (two round pins), and some type A. Bring an adapter.
- Tipping
- About 10% in restaurants if service is not added; round up for drivers.
- Water
- Use bottled or filtered water; ice in established restaurants is usually made from treated water.
- Toilets
- Cafés, malls, hotels and museums; carry tissues.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee in a café | Gs 15,000-30,000 |
| Chipa or empanada | Gs 5,000-15,000 |
| Set lunch (menu) | Gs 40,000-80,000 |
| Sit-down restaurant meal, per person | Gs 90,000-200,000 |
| Ride-hailing car across the centre | Gs 15,000-40,000 |
| Museum ticket | Gs 10,000-40,000 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- Silvio Pettirossi International Airport (ASU)
- ASU to the centre: one ride-hailing car or official taxi, 35–65 minutes — the risk is not the ride but a hotel door that locks and a late arrival with few late options.
By rail and road
| Station | Serves | To the centre |
|---|---|---|
| Terminal de Ómnibus de Asunción (EMBOA) (Terminal de Ómnibus) | Long-distance domestic and international buses (Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia) | Car 15-25 min, Gs 30,000-60,000 |
Typical fares
- Silvio Pettirossi to the centre, app car
- Gs 100,000-160,000, about 25-40 min
- App car across the centre
- Gs 15,000-40,000
Show 8 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Eat, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Walk inside the historic centre by day; ride-hail between clusters and after dark. City buses and the Metrobús corridor are cheap but not well documented for visitors.
| How | Fare | Use for |
|---|---|---|
| Walking | Free | Inside the historic centre by day |
| Ride-hail car | Gs 15,000-40,000 across the centre | Between clusters, bags, night |
| Metered taxi | Agree or check the meter first | Street hail when apps are slow |
| Metrobús (BRT) | Gs 3,500-5,000 (check) | Main avenues, not well signed for visitors |
| City bus | Gs 3,000-5,000 (check) | Locals' daily commute |
Fares are estimates; check before you ride.
- Passes
- No pass. Rides are cheap; check the fare in the app.
- Late at night
- No rail service; ride-hailing runs late, but cancellations rise in heavy rain.
See and do
01Palacio de los López in the morning
The riverside government palace and the walk along Avenida Colón.
Hours: best 07:30-09:30 · Price: Free · Time: 30-45 minHours: best 7:30 AM-9:30 AM · Price: Free · Time: 30-45 min
02Panteón Nacional de los Héroes
Low white-domed mausoleum for independence and war figures, a five-minute walk from the palace.
Hours: best Morning · Price: Free · Time: 20-30 min
03Manzana de la Rivera
Restored colonial block turned city-history museum; the best indoor midday option.
Hours: best Morning or midday · Price: Gs 10,000-20,000 · Time: 45-60 min
04The Costanera at eveningCostanera José Asunción Flores
River views and the coolest air of the day.
Hours: best 16:30-18:30 · Price: Free · Time: 45-90 minHours: best 4:30 PM-6:30 PM · Price: Free · Time: 45-90 min
05Lunch at Lido Bar
A long-running counter and dining room on Plaza de los Héroes.
Hours: best Before 12:30 or after 14:00 · Price: Gs 40,000-90,000 · Time: 45-60 minHours: best Before 12:30 PM or after 2:00 PM · Price: Gs 40,000-90,000 · Time: 45-60 min
06Cementerio de la Recoleta
Family mausoleums and statuary in a quiet residential district.
Hours: best Morning · Price: Free · Time: 45-60 min
07Casa de la Independencia
Free, short, and the clearest single stop for the 1811 independence story.
Hours: best Morning · Price: Free · Time: 30-45 min
08A supervised walk through Mercado 4Mercado 4
The realest market experience in the city, if you keep valuables close.
Hours: best Morning · Price: Free · Time: 30-60 min
09Tereré in the shade
Join or watch the shared-cup ritual that runs the city's afternoons.
Hours: best Afternoon · Price: Free-low · Time: 20-30 min
10Itauguá day trip for ñandutí lace
See the lace made at source rather than just sold in the centre.
Hours: best Weekday morning · Price: Car about 40 min each way · Time: Half day
Hours and prices are desk estimates (checked 2026-09); anything marked (check) is not confirmed. Coordinates open in any map app.
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Areguá | Car or bus about 45 min each way | Half day |
| Itauguá | Car about 40 min each way | Half day |
| Caacupé | Car about 1 h each way | Half day |
Eat
| Where | What · area | Price | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercado 4 food stalls | Chipa, empanadas, mbeju · Mercado 4 | Gs 5,000-15,000 | Budget |
| Cơm-style menú del día stalls | Set lunch over rice or noodles · Any office street | Gs 40,000-70,000 | Budget |
| Lido Bar | Soup and grilled dishes, counter and dining room · Plaza de los Héroes | Gs 40,000-90,000 | Mid-range |
| Bolsi | Milanesa, sopa paraguaya, set lunch · Plaza Uruguaya | Gs 40,000-90,000 | Mid-range |
| Tío Lucas | Asado (mixed grill) · Villa Morra | Gs 70,000-140,000 | Mid-range |
| Talleyrand | Surubí, steak, French-influenced menu · Centro histórico | Gs 100,000-200,000 | Splurge |
Per person, one dish or one meal, 2026 estimate. Confirm the day before: addresses and hours change.
Sleep
| Band | Price a night | Where | What |
|---|---|---|---|
| budget | Gs 150,000-300,000 | Centro histórico | Budget hotels and guesthouses |
| mid | Gs 400,000-900,000 | Centro histórico and Villa Morra | Mid-range hotels, business hotels |
| splurge | Gs 1,200,000+ | Villa Morra and centre landmark hotels | International chains and upscale local hotels |
Per room per night in guaraníes, 2026 estimate.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Buenos díasBWEH-nos DEE-as |
| Hello (Guaraní) | Mba'éichapambah-EH-ee-CHAH-pah |
| Thank you | GraciasGRAH-syas |
| Thank you (Guaraní) | Aguyjeah-GOO-yeh |
| How much is this? | ¿Cuánto cuesta?KWAN-toh KWES-ta |
| The bill, please | La cuenta, por favorla KWEN-ta por fah-VOR |
| Please take me to this address | Lléveme a esta direcciónYEH-veh-meh ah ES-ta dee-rek-SYON |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Tereré: If offered a shared cup, it is normal to drink your portion and hand it back; declining is fine too, just say so.
- Greetings: A handshake or a light cheek kiss (one side) between people who know each other; a handshake is safe with strangers.
- Photos: Ask before photographing people, and never photograph soldiers or police posts up close.
- Tipping: About 10% in restaurants if service is not added; round up for drivers.
- Dress: Casual and modest; beachwear stays at the pool, not in the street.
Red lines
- Do not photograph soldiers, police posts or the presidential palace up close.
- Do not walk in the Bañado neighbourhoods by the river; they are not visitor areas.
- Ask before photographing people.
Scams and watch-outs
- Street taxis that quote a high price without a meter: use a ride-hailing app or agree the total first.
- Unofficial 'guides' at the palace who ask for money afterwards: decline or agree the price first.
- Airport touts offering a 'cheap' ride inside arrivals: use the official taxi counter or your app.
- Phone snatching from motorbikes: keep it out of sight at the kerb.
One and two days
1 day
A stopover before Iguazú or the missions. Skip: Mercado 4 and Recoleta: both need more time than a one-day stop allows.
- 07:307:30 AMPalacio de los López
- 08:158:15 AMPanteón Nacional de los Héroes
- 09:009:00 AMManzana de la Rivera
- 12:0012:00 PMLunch at Lido Bar
- 13:001:00 PMRest at the hotel through the midday heat
- 16:304:30 PMCostanera walk
2 days
The usual short Asunción stay. Skip: A rushed Mercado 4 visit on a tight two-day trip.
Day 1 — Centre
- 07:307:30 AMPalace and Panteón
- 09:009:00 AMManzana de la Rivera and Casa de la Independencia
- 12:0012:00 PMLunch
- 16:304:30 PMCostanera at evening
Day 2 — Recoleta and Villa Morra
- 08:308:30 AMCementerio de la Recoleta
- 12:0012:00 PMLunch in Villa Morra
- 20:008:00 PMDinner in Villa Morra
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- SENATUR — Paraguay tourism: www.senatur.gov.py/
- DINAC — civil aviation authority: www.dinac.gov.py/
- Wikivoyage — Asunción: en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Asunci%C3%B3n
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Asunción
Lléveme a esta dirección
Please take me to this address
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
Take me to
- Costanera José Asunción FloresCostanera de Asunción
- Mercado 4Mercado Cuatro
Show the address written out for the driver; Asunción street numbering can be inconsistent outside the centre.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/asuncion). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.