July 28, 2024

What to Expect in Asunción, Paraguay

By In City Reviews

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Asunción might be one of South America’s most boring capital cities. Asunción is like bland pasta before you add the tomato sauce. We lived in Quito for more than a year, and while it is on par with Asunción’s size and tendency to be overlooked, Quito has way more culturally going for it than Asunción. In fact, Asunción is more similar to nearby Montevideo, but without the beach and infrastructure.

However, this is not to say Asunción is a terrible city. After spending two months here, I have nothing bad to say about it other than that it is boring. I felt perfectly safe the entire time. Asunción has neighborhoods with very high qualities-of-life. Paraguayans are super friendly and welcoming. And it has the only Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf location in South America!

Photo of Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf in Asunción.
Coming from Los Angeles, we are big fans of Coffee Bean and Teal Leaf (CBTL for those who know). Thus, we loved having a taste of home in Asunción!

If you are coming as a tourist, I would not recommend spending more than a week here if you have plenty of time. Otherwise, a couple of days will get the job done regarding sightseeing. Or, if you have a limited time schedule, you may want to skip Asunción altogether. But if you do come to Asunción, what should you expect? I’ll tell you in this blog post!

Where to Stay in Asunción

Asunción is quite spread out for being a smaller capital city. However, as a tourist, there are only a couple of neighborhoods we’d even recommend considering.

Shopping Del Sol: Villa Morra, Ykua Sati, Las Lomas

We strongly recommend staying near Shopping Del Sol and Paseo La Galería, in either the Villa Morra, Ykua Sati, or Las Lomas neighborhoods. If you ask us where you should stay in Asunción, there isn’t really an alternative. This neighborhood offers the highest quality of life, with walkable access to stores, shops, and restaurants. Plus, it is Asunción’s newest business district, so if you are coming on business, you’ll likely need to come to this area anyway. Read my review of Shopping Del Sol and Paseo La Galería here.

Shopping Del Sol and Paseo La Galería are the two fancy malls that anchor the neighborhood. They are both typical American malls, with large interiors, plenty of international brands, and a mixture of cheap food court-style eateries and fancy restaurants. The two malls are almost across the street from each other and really form the center of the neighborhood. The closer you are, the more you’ll pay in rent. But you’ll probably have a much better time as you can easily walk to both malls.

First floor photo of Paseo La Galería. In the photo, note the American Eagle, Puma, Under Armour, and Gap stores.

There are plenty of Airbnbs in this neighborhood, and a reasonable rate is US$300-$400 per week to stay in one of the fancier condo buildings. We stayed at an Airbnb inside the Tribeca building, one block from Shopping Del Sol, and we loved it. Note that even in a walkable neighborhood, walking in Asunción isn’t that great. The weather is often too hot or too cold – much like Texas – and the sidewalks turn into rivers when it rains. During our first week in Asunción, we experienced a mild rain, but our clothes and shoes didn’t dry out for two full days.

If you are looking for a hotel, there are several international hotels in this neighborhood. The two best ones are the Sheraton Asunción and the Wyndham Dazzler. Both are across the street from Shopping Del Sol and provide an international upscale hotel chain experience. They are also next to the World Trade Center business complex if you have business there. Expect to pay hundreds of dollars per night for either of these hotels.

Exterior photo of the Sheraton Asunción.
The Sheraton Asunción is right next to Paseo La Galería.

If you stay in Villa Morra, you will also be closer to boutique restaurants and shops, which are uncommon in the residential Ykua Sati and Las Lomas neighborhoods. We had Vietnamese and Thai food in Villa Morra, and while they were okay versions of the food, they are as close as you will get to non-Latin international cuisine in Asunción.

Two Alternatives to Shopping Del Sol

If you want to stay somewhere nice without the American shopping mall bubble, we’d recommend the Mariscal Lopez or Recoleta neighborhoods. These neighborhoods are not within walking distance of Shopping Del Sol or Paseo La Galería, so you won’t feel their influence. However, they are still lovely residential neighborhoods with several mid-range shops and restaurants. Mariscal Lopez is also on the edge of Asunción’s Downtown – El Centro – so it could also be a good alternative to staying in El Centro (we don’t recommend staying in Downtown).

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If you stay in Recoleta, you’ll be within walking distance of Shopping Mariscal, which is yet another large shopping mall in Asunción. It is quite lovely, but not as pretentious as Shopping Del Sol. You may also be within walking distance of some shops and restaurants in Villa Morra, but it depends on how far south in Recoleta you stay. Note that both neighborhoods are not designed for tourists, so tourist infrastructure is light to non-existent. If you stay in these neighborhoods, you will likely stay in an Airbnb or a lower-tier hotel or hostel.

Photo of the exterior of Shopping Mariscal in Asunción.
Shopping Mariscal between the Villa Morra and Recoleta neighborhoods.

If you truly want to be away from everything, the Mburucuyá neighborhood north of Las Lomas could be a good option. This sleepy residential neighborhood isn’t really near anything except Asunción’s Botanical Gardens. Mburucuyá isn’t within walking distance of almost anything, so a car or a strong liking of Uber is a must-have in this neighborhood. You’ll probably be either staying in an Airbnb or with friends and family in Mburucuyá.

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El Centro: Don’t Stay in Downtown

We don’t recommend you stay in Downtown Asunción, known as El Centro. Kevin and I both felt like it was Downtown Los Angeles from the 2000s: run down, full of homeless, and not clear why you want to be there. Our lawyer told us that Downtown used to be Asunción’s business district, but it fell out of favor to Villa Morra and Shopping Del Sol. Now Downtown is mostly full of government buildings, including the immigration and Interpol offices if you will be obtaining Paraguayan residency.

El Centro de Asunción, Paraguay.
Street Scene in Asunción’s Downtown District.

For us, the only true sightseeing in El Centro is northeast of Downtown, between Av. Mariscal Lopez and the river. Here, you’ll find several attractions, including the Presidential Palace, the Cultural Center of Paraguay, the Legislature Building, and the coast (La Costanera). If you are Christian and religious, there is also Catedral Metropolitana. None of these are must-see sights, by the way. But if you want to immerse yourself in Downtown, you might as well see these sights.

Photo of La Catedral Metropolitana de Nuestra Senñora de la Asunción in Paraguay.
La Catedral Metropolitana de Nuestra Senñora de la Asunción is cool if you are into Christian religious architecture and churches.

If you are into biking, jogging, or long walks, walking along the Costanera can be cool. Amongst coastlines in the world, this would probably rank somewhere towards the bottom. But remember that Paraguay is landlocked, so walking along the river is as close to a coastline as you get (the other coastline is down south in Encarnación). It is quite clean and has a certain beauty, a mix of nature and urban architecture simultaneously. The only problem is that there is no shade at all, so it can be tough to walk much most of the year when it is scorching.

Photo of La Costanera riverfront in Asunción, Paraguay.
La Costanera Riverfront in Asunción.

What to Eat in Asunción

Asunción is not a foodie city. There are very few international restaurants and most of what there is falls into two categories: wheat-based meals and meat-based meals. Wheat-based restaurants fill you up with empanadas, pastas, and sandwiches. Meat-based restaurants serve a lot of asado, or grilled meat. If you have spent time in Argentina or Brazil, you’ll be quite used to the cuisine, but without the flare of Argentina and Brazil.

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For lunch, you can get a cheap but hearty meal in most restaurants and mall food courts. A lot of these places are “steamer places,” as Kevin likes to call them. They serve a set menu with pre-made food kept warm in steamer trays. At first, Kevin was completely against eating at these places as the food isn’t really Instagram-worthy. But as we figured out our food choices are highly limited by not eating at these places, we gave in and started eating lunch at these places. Most aren’t bad, but they are what they are: meat with two sides.

Picture of typical lunch food in Paraguay.
Typical “steamer” lunch in Asunción. For both plates and two drinks, we spent around US$11.

It is not entirely true that there are no international restaurants in Asunción. However, outside a couple of boutique Asian restaurants in Villa Morra, most of you’ll find places in mall food courts serving food that barely counts as cuisine from the represented country. Think of Panda Express, but eating the leftovers from the trays instead of the freshly cooked entrees. This includes Mexican food from Señor Taco, a chain of Mexican-themed restaurants commonly found in malls. The food looked amazing until we ate it; we recommend you don’t.

If you are looking for a fancier meal and enjoy eating meat, then we recommend eating a meal at La Cabrera. There are two locations: one in Paseo La Galería and one in Shopping Del Sol. La Cabrera is a steakhouse, but they also serve pork, chicken, and fish as well. However, instead of getting one big entree with meat and a side dish, La Cabrera instead keeps sending out tiny little portions of different appetizers. We didn’t expect this, so by the time our actual side orders came, we were completely full. But all of the food was excellent and definitely worth the price tag. Except to pay US$35-40 per person, not including alcoholic beverages.

Photo of a meal at La Cabrera steak house in Asunción, Paraguay.
This photo doesn’t even show several of the other little side dishes they gave us, nor the two actual sides we ordered! But the steak (order the lomo) was superb.

North vs. South Latin America

As we have spent much time in Northern South America, we noticed two clear differences between the Northern and Southern Latin countries. First, southern countries focus way more on wheat than corn as the main grain, probably due to the European influence in Southern Latin America. Southern countries also use more mandioca (or yuca or cassava) as the secondary grain, whereas northern countries use more rice. Second, southern countries don’t incorporate beans as much, except for the Brazilian dish feijoada. Meat is truly the primary and second protein source for southern countries.

The problem is that by focusing on wheat, it is much harder for us to eat in Southern South America as we eat gluten-free. (If you also prefer eating gluten-free, read our Gluten Free Guide to Asunción here.) Empanadas are ubiquitous in Asunción, but they are made from wheat, not corn. However, for almost anyone reading this article who is fine with eating wheat, then this is not a concern for you.

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Another interesting change is that finding iced tea in southern South America is almost impossible. The only proper iced tea we have seen is at Starbucks and their shaken black tea. Even Coca-Cola, which has its products everywhere in Asunción, doesn’t sell Fuze Ice Tea in Paraguay; in Ecuador, we could buy it on every corner. Thus, we drink more Coke and Pepsi in Paraguay than in Ecuador. If you are conscious about sugar intake, make sure to ask for Coca sin azúcar (without sugar) or Pepsi Black (pronounced Pepsee Blahck).

Fuze Tea and corn-based arepas in Bogotá, Colombia – not Paraguay!

Of course, yerba maté is extraordinarily popular in the South, and you’ll often find guys walking around with their maté cups. If you haven’t tried yerba maté but are into drinking tea, you should try it at least. I find it more earthy and grassy than green tea and way more grassy than black tea. However, if you prefer coffee, yerba maté is a different beast altogether, except for the caffeine content. But there are plenty of coffee shops in Asunción, especially Starbucks and Juan Valdez, to get your coffee fix.

Practicalities of Visiting Asunción

Besides food and shelter, there are several other things to consider when visiting Asunción, Paraguay. Here is a rundown of what to expect.

  • Currency: Paraguay uses guaraníes as their currency, almost always abbreviated Gs. (but if you want to be fancy, write ₲). At the time of this writing – July 2024 – it was around Gs. 7500 to one U.S. dollar. We took out around US$80 worth of guaraníes at the airport, but in six weeks of being here, we have only spent around US$20 in cash. Everyone takes credit cards – at least Visa and Mastercard – in Asunción except for street vendors and small mom-and-pop shops. Outside of Asunción, you’ll be forced to use more cash.
  • Public Transportation: There is no subway or train system anywhere in Paraguay, including Asunción, except for a short train segment between Encarnación and Posadas in the southern part of the country. Public transportation is limited to buses, and Asunción’s bus system is okay at best. Unlike other global cities, taxis are extremely hard to find.
Central Train Station in Asunción, Paraguay.
The neglected Central Train Station in Downtown Asunción is a depressing reminder that Paraguay had train service once upon a time.
  • Non-Public Transportation: So how do people get around? By car. If you don’t have a car, you can use Uber, although we had trouble getting an Uber from the airport (fortunately, there is a taxi stand at the airport). However, once in Asunción, we often used Uber without any issues. Bolt is also a local ridesharing company like Uber, and we saw many Bolt cars around Asunción.
  • Language: It’s no surprise that Spanish is the official language of Paraguay. Paraguayan Spanish uses vos instead of , but fortunately for me, it does not use the Ríoplatanese accent common in Argentina and Uruguay. I generally didn’t have problems understanding people. In Asunción, some people speak English at a somewhat fluent level, although most people can speak words in English if needed (many cashiers practiced speaking English to us, which meant saying English words in some manner).
    • Note that Guaraní – an indigenous language – is also an official language in Paraguay. In Asunción, everyone speaks Spanish, so don’t worry about learning anything in Guaraní. However, if you venture out to other parts of the country, you may need to speak some Guaraní, depending on how rural you get.
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  • Welcoming of Tourists: With so many European cities protesting against tourism, I feel like I now have to assess whether a city welcomes tourists. The people of Asunción are very warm and friendly and quite welcoming of foreigners. However, the City itself is not set up for tourists. There is little tourist infrastructure, except for the occasional sign describing some historical monument. As mentioned above, public transportation is limited and completely unhelpful for tourism.
  • Airport: If you are visiting Paraguay, you will probably arrive by air at Asunción’s international airport. The dark and depressing airport reminds me of a 1980s office building. There are also very few flights throughout the day, so most likely, you’ll be connecting in Lima, Santiago, São Paulo, or Buenos Aires. In fact, there is only one flight to Asunción from outside of South America: Air Europa to Madrid.
    • A taxi is around Gs. 100,000 (US $12-15) from the airport to Villa Morra and Shoppping Del Sol. We tried getting an Uber, but no one answered our request. The taxi stand is right outside the main doors after you pass through customs and immigration. The taxis are dark gray in color.
  • Power Outlets: Paraguay uses European-style Type C outlets with two round prongs. The voltage is 220v. If you come from North America, it is easy to get European power adaptors, and many heavy electronics can run on 120v or 220v electricity. However, small electronics may only run on 120v, in which case you’ll need to buy a voltage converter. Otherwise, you’ll fry your small electronics.
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  • Immigration: Speaking of immigration, it was easy to go through immigration at Asunción’s airport. There are two lines: one for Paraguyans and one for everyone else. The immigration officer asked simple questions such as where we were staying and for how long. I didn’t get the sense that he was asking to decide on entry. Instead, it seemed very much like he was asking just to fill out a form on the computer. As U.S. Citizens, Paraguay allows us 90 days of tourism visa-free.

Let me know in the comments your experiences in Asunción and Paraguay! Also, tell me why you are visiting Paraguay. 🙂

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1 Comment
  1. DA July 28, 2024

    This blog was so interesting!! All of your blogs are interesting, but this one was really fascinating, because I was surprised that Asuncion is boring!! I’ve never been there and will never be able to go there, but I was guessing this whole time that it was fun & touristy & had a lot of action going on. I guess going to the two big shopping malls are the excitement, yes? I’m glad they have CBTL there (I like CBTL better than Starbucks), and I was surprised about the Coke & Pepsi situation. When you mention the “yerba maté” tasting “grassy”, that reminded me of the Chai Tea at Starbucks that I bought one time and it tasted like I was drinking wet grass straight from a cow pasture after it rained. I’ll never order it again, but my sister loves it (that’s all she orders now from Starbucks). Love your blogs! 👍😊

    Reply

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