There is nothing to see in Asuncion. There is nothing to do in Asuncion. There is nowhere to be in Asuncion. And that is the charm of Paraguay’s capital city. Unlike most other primary cities in South America, Asuncion is not a tourist destination. It’s a place where people just live their lives as they intermittently pour cold water from their termos into their yerba mate filled guampas and sip their terere mixture through their bombillas over the course of a day.
It is a place that just is what it is. The non-Paraguayans who come here are usually not tourists. They primarily come because of the easy residence requirements. Many make it their primary or secondary home as they avoid taxes in both their home countries and in Paraguay. It’s also an incredibly comfortable life for digital nomads who can generate Western income levels in a relaxed developing economy.
Terere
On my first day in Asuncion I spent a leisurely afternoon at a coffee shop reading and casually sipping my terere. My termos was a pitcher of cold water. My guampas was the cup filled with yerba mate and the bombilla was the metal straw. I’d pour the water into the cup, let the water settle for a few seconds, and then sip it up. It took me about 90 minutes to finish this. I had a nice, smooth buzz from the caffeine for the rest of day. You see people all over the place carrying their thermoses and stopping for a sip. Uruguayans and Argentinians do this as well, but they usually use hot water. Paraguay is a much hotter country, hence the iced water.
On the right of this mural series is someone sipping their terere.
El Centro
Asuncion’s old town (El Centro) features 16th-century colonial architecture, grand monuments, and vibrant pedestrian walkways. But it’s time is past, it can be pretty run down in sections, and no one really lives there anymore.
The Palacio de Gobierno
The Palacio de Gobierno serves as a workplace for the president of Paraguay and as the seat of the government of Paraguay. Construction of the neoclassical palace began in 1857 under the direction of the English architect Alonso Taylor and was substantially completed by 1867. It’s a beautiful building that is probably one of the most photographed buildings in Asuncion.
Across from the palace is La Manzana de la Rivera. It is an old city block in Asunción’s historic center transformed into a museum-library-theater-café complex.
A nice sculpture at the entrance.
Some of the paintings in the modest gallery section.
A view of the cafe from the front of the presidential palace.
The view of the palace from the cafe.
Cathedral
The Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption is the main Catholic church in Asunción. Like Asuncion itself, it is a modest cathedral inaugurated in 1845.
National Pantheon
The National Pantheon of the Heroes is the state mausoleum, where lie the remains of various figures of great significance in Paraguayan history. It is customary in Asunción that when something historic happens people flock with flags to the street fronting the Pantheon to celebrate the event. A ceremonial changing of the guard is also held several times a day.
Museum of Economics
Housed in the historic Palacio Alegre, which also serves as the headquarters for the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Museo de Economia offers an educational journey through Paraguay’s economic past and the role of public finance.
Paraguay is actually larger than Germany but it has only around 8 million people while Germany has over 80 million. The south eastern region of Paraguay, shown on the bottom of the map below, has 98% of the country’s population in about 40% of its land area. The much larger north western region includes the vast Chaco desert and broad swaths of livestock ranches.
This vast, unpopulated northern area also borders the large cocaine growing sections of Bolivia on one side and the vast market of Brazil on the other side. So smuggling is a large business there and contributes to the deep corruption in the Paraguayan government and some sections of its business elite. However, since Paraguay is a small market for drug consumption, this business has little affect on most of the Paraguayan population, making the country one of the safest in South America.
Paraguay River
The vast Paraguay River flows through the western part of Asuncion. There is a long walkway by the river called the Costanera de Asuncion.
A lone kite surfer plies the river on a windy weekday.
Parts of the walkway have nice wooded areas.
There is a small amusement park across the road from the river, near the old downtown area.
Also just across the river, below the Presidential Palace, was the ramp for the 2026 World Skate Games being held all over Asuncion while I was there. Despite the fact that the games lasted 3 weeks and included over 6,000 participants from over 100 countries, there was surprisingly little information available on it. The association’s website had very little information, there was no advertising around Asuncion, and no one I met was talking about it. If a skateboard falls in the forest and nobody’s around to hear it, did it actually happen?
I was watching the women’s warm-ups. I found out it would be about two hours until the actual competition started, so I left after this was over.
Neighborhood Streets
Here are some scenes of the relaxed residential neighborhoods near my apartment.
This coffee shop obviously has an Argentinean theme.
Asuncion is not known for its night life. There are literally 2 or 3 short streets where everything happens. Below some people are watching a friendly soccer match between Paraguay and Colombia on a Friday night.
Another section of this small street.
Malls and Meats
Asuncion does have some really nice malls.
This large mall’s entrance looks like a small tropical forest and creates a very nice vibe as you walk in.
Another mall across the street has a more traditional design.
Asuncion also has a ton of really nice grocery stores. Even their 24 hour convenience stores, called Biggie, have incredible delis and a strong meat selection. It actually puts the well stocked Asian 7-Eleven stores to shame.
I had dinner with a German friend of mine who has been living in Asuncion for 13 years. He and his family spend part of the year in Europe as well.
We of course had steak. With all the ranches in the north-west, the meat in Paraguay is amazing. The concept of factory meat production is completely unheard of here.
While my friend had the tomahawk cut, I at least had to get this picture after he finished it.
A pretty strong rainstorm started just after we sat down. We then heard really loud bangs on the roof. It turned out we were experiencing a pretty intense hail storm. It was the worst he’s seen in his 13 year here. Below is a video from Facebook someone posted.
One enterprising Asunción resident put the fallen hail to good use!
I also was able to spend time with another good friend of mine who had just moved down from Mexico City to Asuncion. The easy residence requirements and the inexpensive, high quality of life was a draw to many people living there now.
The really nice gated community where my German friend lives with his family. He loves the fact that his young daughter can play safely in the streets with her friends and not have to worry about traffic or her wandering too far away.
Lake Ypacarai
We took a drive out to nearby Lake Ypacarai. It’s a large, beautiful lake surrounded by low hills. Unfortunately it’s heavily polluted by some upriver factories. So no one can swim in it and there’s not much fishing. But there are some nice towns around it and the area gets very busy on summer weekends.
We stopped by a brewery owned by a German so my friend could restock his beer supplies.
We stopped for lunch at La Canelaria Hotel Boutique which was built about 20 years ago, with an architectural theme that harkened back to the late colonial style of the 19th century.
They were even growing orchids there, which is very difficult in Paraguay with its very hot summers.
Apartment
I stayed in a very comfortable one bedroom Airbnb apartment with a nice rooftop pool and a good view of the river.
On my way to Asuncion I had a 3 hour layover in Lima, Peru. Coca leaf products are legal in Peru, so of course I had to have a little “Coca Cola” with my meal there.
