Originally Posted by
M60_to_LGA
July will be the middle of the winter. It won't be insanely hot.
I've only been once, and that was about 20 years ago, but I found it to be a quite pleasant city. There were a couple of interesting museums, including the house where they declared independence. I remember the national pantheon was fun to check out for maybe 15 minutes. I went to the botanic garden and wandered around for a few hours, which was enjoyable. There were some old historic restaurants downtown - the kind that look like diners, with lots of chrome and waiters in fancy uniforms serving things like milanesas. It was a very comfortable place to spend a few days.
If you don't speak Spanish (or Guaraní, I guess), you might find it somewhat boring. I remember stumbling across the Alliance Française and going to a lecture series on the history of film that they were offering. I don't recall there being a lot of nightlife or other activity, at least in the downtown area where I was, but I also wasn't looking for it. I'm sure you can find it if you want it, though.
This is a very accurate description of Asunción. The city has improved over the past decade - there’s a promenade by the river and the area around Villa Morra/Recoleta has some good restaurants and rooftop bars, and several shopping malls. On the downside, traffic has gotten worse and there’s still no effective public transportation.
There is still not much to do other than what M60 mentioned - not a particularly interesting tourist attraction. Asunción is mostly a shopping destination for neighbouring Argentinians and Brazilians thanks to a fairly flexible customs regime.
Lake Ypacaraí is quite close and pretty - not wow, but as the Michelin guide would say, it’s “worth a detour” if you’re in the area. There are two cities by the shore. San Bernardino is where rich Paraguayans have their weekend homes and Areguá is more colonial.