Asunción
Paraguay’s capital, founded as a fort on the Paraguay River in 1537, where a riverside park now joins the presidential palace to the cathedral.
- Arrival
- Silvio Pettirossi International · ASU
- To the city
- About 10 km to downtown
- Private jets
- Two FBOs listed at ASU
- Best time
- June to September
The city
The mother of cities, on its bay.
Juan de Salazar de Espinosa built a fort here on 15 August 1537. Few cities in South America are older, and Asunción still goes by the name of mother of cities. The old town sits on the east bank of the river. Since 2011 the Costanera, a park of some thirteen hectares, has run along the water from the Palacio de los López to the Cabildo and the cathedral.
Independence was plotted in a house a few streets back, where the rebels met in May 1811 before the Spanish governor gave in; it is a museum now. The city proper has about 460,000 people and the metropolitan area more than 2.3 million. Summer is hard work, with afternoons of 33 or 34 °C and heavy rain, so June to September, dry and in the low to mid twenties, is the time to come.
- Panteón Nacional de los Héroes A smaller cousin of the Invalides in Paris, where many of Paraguay’s national heroes are entombed.
- Manzana de la Rivera Nine houses of different periods on a single block; the oldest, Casa Viola, went up between 1750 and 1758.
- Casa de la Independencia The house of Juana María de Lara, where the conspirators of 1811 met in secret, kept as a museum.
Arriving
Luque, ten kilometres out.
Silvio Pettirossi International lies in Luque, about 10 km from downtown Asunción, with a single runway of 3,353 metres and customs for arrivals from abroad.
- Buenos Aires 1 h 40
- Rio de Janeiro 2 h 15
- Santiago 2 h 20
- Lima 3 h 35
- Cape Town 9 h 40 long-range jet
When to go
June to September.
Asunción has a long, wet summer: from October to April more than 130 mm of rain falls most months and January peaks at 34 °C. Winter is the dry season. June and July bring about 23 °C and between 50 and 71 mm, and September warms again before the rains return.
- 34° J 147
- 33° F 135
- 31° M 130
- 28° A 145
- 25° M 114
- 23° J 71
- 23° J 50
- 25° A 50
- 27° S 77
- 29° O 131
- 31° N 151
- 33° D 144
Where to stay
By the airport, and in the shopping district.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
Where to dine
Where to book in town.
No MICHELIN Guide covers Paraguay. Tierra Colorada was the first Paraguayan restaurant on Latin America’s 50 Best list and is among the best rated in the city on Tripadvisor.
- Tierra Colorada Gastro Rated 4.7 on Tripadvisor Paraguayan, French influences $$$$ Avenida Santísima Trinidad
Flying to Asunción?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.