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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
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 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 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 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.
- 07:30Palacio de los López
- 08:15Panteón Nacional de los Héroes
- 09:00Manzana de la Rivera
- 12:00Lunch at Lido Bar
- 13:00Rest at the hotel through the midday heat
- 16:30Costanera walk
2 days
The usual short Asunción stay. Skip: A rushed Mercado 4 visit on a tight two-day trip.
Day 1 — Centre
- 07:30Palace and Panteón
- 09:00Manzana de la Rivera and Casa de la Independencia
- 12:00Lunch
- 16:30Costanera at evening
Day 2 — Recoleta and Villa Morra
- 08:30Cementerio de la Recoleta
- 12:00Lunch in Villa Morra
- 20:00Dinner 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.