Six exciting things to do in Asuncion. We made a trip to a seldom-visited city in the heart of South America. We flew to the interior of South America landing at the not-so-often visited country of Paraguay and its capital Asuncion.
I enjoyed visiting Asuncion founded in 1537 and is one of the oldest capitals in South America. The population of the city is not too large, numbering about 525,000 with a strategic location up the Paraguay River which made it a good spot to be. The country was not blessed with good leaders. The worse was Francisco Solano Lopez (1862-1870) who thought it was good to fight both Argentina and Brazil as well as Uruguay at the same time with catastrophic results that caused an estimated 2/3rds of the population to lose their lives.
Paraguay today is much improved ( I guess nowhere to go but up.), having been helped by easy tax policies. One of the issues in Paraguay is inflation. Their currency is the Paraguayan Guarani (PYG ) which is about 7,1866.22 to 1 USD. That means that $100 USD would get you 714,642 PYG. For only $1500 USD you could be a Paraguayan billionaire
Rooftop Pool at the Asuncion Sheraton
For our stay, the high temperatures averaged about 100 degrees/ Fahrenheit. Our hotel ( Asuncion Sheraton ) had a nice rooftop pool and bar which gave us great comfort from the heat. Please visit Booking.com as I do to address your hotel and other travel needs. Save, save, and save.
Asuncion City Tour
Asuncion Highlights
I thought that Asuncion looked like a good place for a city tour. We found Daniel, our guide, who was recommended by our hotel concierge to be quite good. Our first stop was the National Pantheon of the Heroes (1936) which contains the remains of important figures in Paraguayan history. The next stop was the Palacio de Lopez (1867). This is the workplace and seat of the government of Paraguay. The central area of Asuncion is very compact. We shortly came across the Metropolitan Cathedral (1845). Nearby is the Casa de la Independencia (1772) where the revolutionaries plotted independence for Paraguay. These are some of the six exciting things to do and see in Asuncion. One morning and we got a good view of Paraguayan history. Daniel had lots of colorful stories about Paraguay. It seems like the country is quite a bazaar for stolen cars from Brazil and Argentina.
Palacio de los Lopez, the workplace for the President of Paraguay
Asuncion After Dark
Asuncion after dark is not too exciting. Our hotel the Sheraton borders two large shopping malls which were quite busy. The Paseo La Galleria appeared to be the larger one https://paseolagaleria.com.py/over the nearby Shopping Del Sol. These malls are great for people-watching which I enjoy. I hope that you will enjoy the six exciting things to do in Asuncion.
