South America - Asuncion, Paraguay

Will be going with my wife for a week in Aug. Any suggestions as what to do/see.
Thinking of spliting hotels Sheraton and Asuncion Palace, am I making a mistake?
Any comments suggestions appreciated

Seriously, there is very little to see or do in Asuncion despite it being one of the oldest European cities in the Americas.

I had a nice time in Asuncion last year. You can easily explore the few historical sites in an afternoon -- the Cathedral, Cabildo, Palacio de los Lopez, theater, old train station, independence house museum, pantheon (which was closed when I was there), etc. Everyone was very friendly and curious to know why I was in their city, which is a nice change from other more visited destinations. I then took a minibus to Encarnacion (about 4-5 hours) and visited two of the nearby Jesuit missions before crossing the international bridge into Argentina and taking a cheap domestic flight on AR from Posadas to AEP.

I would certainly suggest a visit to Paraguay -- especially if you've already visited the "obvious choices" in South America.

I've been to Paraguay several times, all work-related trips. I really like the place, but its attractions are far from obvious. Miguel mentions them above. I'm sure the front desk of your hotel can fix you up with a tour operator to take you on a tour to a couple of the Jesuit missions if you don't want a do-it-yourself trip.

Paraguay is known for its ñandutí (intricate lacework) and ao p'oí (fine embroidery). I think I've spelled those right.

If you're a U.S. citizen, you need a visa to visit Paraguay. The cost is $100.

www.embaparusa.gov.py

I rather liked Paraguay when I was there a few years ago. It's a very non-traditional tourist destination, but there's certainly some stuff to see there.

As mentioned before, Asunción isn't the most sight-intensive capital city in the world, but it's pleasant enough to hang out in for a few days. I stayed at the Hotel Chaco downtown - I found it to be a lovely, 4-star hotel that had some traditional, quirky charm. It's by no means an international chain business hotel, but the location right in the city center was great, and I found it quite comfortable.

Do you speak Spanish (or Guaraní :p)? For me, the best part of Paraguay was just relaxing, wandering around on my own with no other tourists to be seen, and interacting with the locals.

The main traditional tourist highlight would be the Jesuit ruins in eastern Paraguay, which have been mentioned. I took public transit from Encarnación to the two most known reducciones - Trinidad and Jesús. At Trinidad I had a guided tour all to myself - I think there were maybe two other tourists at the site the entire time I was there.

I was only in Paraguay for about five days, so I don't know it all that well, but it was definitely enjoyable.

I lived in Asuncion for about 6 weeks the summer of '06. It was before I was really travel curious and well before FT. So I didn't go see many places or do any kind of tourist activities. But I thought the city as a whole had a very nice feel to it.

Spent a weekend working a youth camp at the Kendall Country Club on Ypacarai Lake. It's fairly close to Asuncion. We saw several people out on boats and a few brave souls kiteboarding.

Over one long weekend, a group of us went down to a horse ranch in Pilar. The weather was great and the landscape was not at all what I was expecting. It reminded me of Texas, but with wetlands. Took a half day horse ride (my first) through mostly wetlands with occasional stops in tree groves to see groups of wild monkeys jumping between trees. Very memorable.

Another weekend trip was to see Iguazu Falls. Not too many words to describe how great this place is.

Another weekend trip was to see Iguazu Falls. Not too many words to describe how great this place is.

Don't know much about Asunción but flights from there to Iguazu must be short (336km), you should consider this. ^

Don't know much about Asunción but flights from there to Iguazu must be short (336km), you should consider this. ^

We hired a guide/driver. I think it was like $300 or $400 for him to drive us half a day there, half a day to see Iguazu Falls and Itaipu Dam, overnight drive back.

Don't know much about Asunción but flights from there to Iguazu must be short (336km), you should consider this. ^
I don't think there are flights between Asunción and Iguazú. The only access is via land, or connecting flights in Buenos Aires. If you're a U.S. citizen, you'd run into needing a visa for Brazil, so you'd want to access the falls by land via Argentina.

Try Ciudad del este on your search.
I think there are flights from Asuncion by Tam.

Ciudad del este is near the 3 borderlines, with Argentina and Brasil, not far from the falls

Try Ciudad del este on your search.
I think there are flights from Asuncion by Tam.

Ciudad del este is near the 3 borderlines, with Argentina and Brasil, not far from the falls

This is a good option. Ciudad del Este (which is a freaky s***hole, btw) is directly across the river from Foz do Iguaçu in Brazil. You can cross the border by cab or bus (or even on foot), and from there you're not far at all from downtown Foz, which has a nice collection of hotels, restaurants, shops, etc.

Ciudad del Este is like a rundown Tijuana brought back in time some 40-50 years. Yes, its that bad.

Folks in North America like to say that going from San Diego to Tijuana is like transiting from Heaven to Hell. I always tell them that they need to visit Ciudad del Este to realize that while Tijuana aint no Geneva, nothing is so bad it cant get worse. A visit to Ciudad del Este will remind you that Tijuana is only Purgatory....

Hell on Earth would be having to spend the night in a Ciudad del Este jail, hosted by the (in)famous Policia Nacional del Paraguay... :eek:

I spent about 4 weeks in ASU in 2010. An interesting city, but much of the city totally closes up after 10pm.

Had some nice 5k Pointbreak nights at the Crowne Plaza there, included breakfast too.

Flew GOL from EZE. I think Pluna flies there too. Getting the visa was a bit of a pain, but it is valid for 10 years, or when your passport expires, whichever comes first.

I spent about 4 weeks in ASU in 2010. An interesting city, but much of the city totally closes up after 10pm.

Had some nice 5k Pointbreak nights at the Crowne Plaza there, included breakfast too.

Flew GOL from EZE. I think Pluna flies there too. Getting the visa was a bit of a pain, but it is valid for 10 years, or when your passport expires, whichever comes first.

OK... so you have (had?) a Paraguayan GF, right....? :p :D

Four weeks means you got to really see the city..... if you care to elaborate on the interesting aspects, I would appreciate it. I have a number of clients up there that I perhaps should visit..... was thinking of flying in, doing business and jumping back on a plane, but perhaps I should reconsider....??

How did you judge the overall security/safety situation?

Thanks.

Old timers complain that things were safer during the years of the Stroessner dictatorship. (I guess you're not going to get your pocket picked [and worse] in a police state.) I find Asunción to be as safe as Buenos Aires, Santiago, and Montevideo. Much safer than, say, Rio, Sao Paulo, Caracas, Lima, ...

OK... so you have (had?) a Paraguayan GF, right....? :p :D

Four weeks means you got to really see the city..... if you care to elaborate on the interesting aspects, I would appreciate it. I have a number of clients up there that I perhaps should visit..... was thinking of flying in, doing business and jumping back on a plane, but perhaps I should reconsider....??

How did you judge the overall security/safety situation?

Thanks.

No problem with security. I'd judge it not quite as safe as EZE, but not much of a difference. No Parguayan GF. Actually I liked the ones I met in EZE more than the majority of the ones in ASU.

It's a semi-boring city, actually. I'm fairly boring myself, so it worked out okay. Food is not even close to EZE standards.

Asuncion introduced me to empanadas, so I love the place.

In May I arrive ASU around 10 pm at night and depart around 6 pm the next day, sounds like the day will be plenty to see everything.

On my return, I arrive around 4 pm on a Saturday and depart at 1 am - plan on going into town again - I hope they have a district with restaurants / cafes that I can hang for a few hours (imagine ASU airport is quiet / small)!

I will be transiting ASU airport from GRU to MVD. Will I need a transit visa or can I stay airside without a problem?

Try Ciudad del este on your search.
I think there are flights from Asuncion by Tam.

Ciudad del este is near the 3 borderlines, with Argentina and Brasil, not far from the falls

Flight leaves at 1530 - runs about $75 a/i o/w on TAM
Also, correct if I'm wrong, but Paraguay is one hour behind Brazil, so if you are seeing the falls on the Brazil side, you'll have a little more time to cross the border

I am flying into Asuncion just to get to Iguazu. I had miles etc. Staying at the Sheraton and then plan on going earlly next morning to the falls. Wanna see the country a bit en route so do not want to fly. What is the best way to do this? I am up for an adventure but speak minimal minimal ( can I say that again) spanish