Visiting Paraguay: what to see, when to go and itinerary

Landlocked between Argentina, Brazil and Bolivia, Paraguay is a place to explore away from the crowds: the Jesuit ruins of Trinidad in low golden light, the riverfront of Asunción on the Paraguay River, the Monday Falls near Ciudad del Este and the red dirt tracks of the Chaco, where Mennonite colonies live to the rhythm of the savanna.

Why travel to Paraguay?

Paraguay brings together two Jesuit missions on the World Heritage list since 1993, a riverside capital, Asunción, and the Chaco, a vast and very sparsely populated semi-arid region. An officially bilingual country where most people speak Guaraní, it combines easily with the Iguazú Falls and the rest of South America.

What to discover in Paraguay?

Asunción, the capital on the river

Founded in 1537, Asunción is one of the oldest cities in South America. Its centre can be covered on foot in a day: the López Palace, the National Pantheon of Heroes, the Manzana de la Rivera and the colourful lanes of Loma San Jerónimo. Mercado 4 offers a glimpse of daily life, between tereré herbs and chipa sold by street vendors. Two nights are enough, and the heat makes early mornings the best time to explore from November to March, when temperatures often top 35 °C.

The Cordilleras circuit and Lake Ypacaraí

Less than an hour from the capital, this circuit links Areguá, a village of potters and strawberries above Lake Ypacaraí, San Bernardino, the summer retreat of Asunción families, and Caacupé, whose basilica hosts the country's largest pilgrimage every 8 December. Itauguá, on the same road, is the home of ñandutí, a lace shaped like a spider's web. One day by car or two by local bus covers the essentials of this loop.

Encarnación and the Jesuit south

About 370 km south-east of Asunción, five to six hours by bus, Encarnación faces Posadas in Argentina across the Paraná. Its riverside promenade and beaches come alive in summer, and its carnival runs in January and February. The town is above all a base for the missions of Trinidad and Jesús, around forty kilometres away. Allow a full day for both sites, and stay in Trinidad in the evening for the night tour.

Ciudad del Este and the triple frontier

Sitting on the border with Brazil and Argentina, Ciudad del Este is first and foremost a huge shopping zone. Visitors come for the binational Itaipú Dam, whose panoramic tour lasts about two hours, and for the Monday Falls, around ten kilometres to the south. The Iguazú Falls can be reached via Foz do Iguaçu in one to two hours depending on the wait at the Friendship Bridge, which makes the city a logical stop of two or three nights.

The Chaco and the Mennonite colonies

The Chaco covers more than half the country but holds only a tiny share of its population. Along the Transchaco highway, Filadelfia and Loma Plata lie about 450 km from Asunción, six to seven hours by road. Mennonite colonies settled from the late 1920s onwards have built orderly towns with museums and dairy cooperatives. Further north, Defensores del Chaco National Park requires a 4x4 and a guide. Avoid December to February, when temperatures regularly exceed 40 °C.

Cities to visit in Paraguay

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Not to miss in Paraguay

Seven stops that tell the country's story, from its Jesuit heritage to the great works on the Paraná.

Trinidad Mission

The largest Jesuit reduction in the country, with its red sandstone church, friezes of musician angels and an evening tour with the ruins lit up.

Jesús de Tavarangue

An unfinished church with Moorish-inspired trefoil arches, about ten kilometres from Trinidad, often visited with hardly another traveller around.

Itaipú Dam

A hydroelectric giant shared with Brazil on the Paraná, among the most powerful in the world, seen on a guided tour from Hernandarias.

Saltos del Monday

Wide, powerful falls on the edge of Ciudad del Este, reached through a landscaped park with viewpoints and walkways above the gorge.

López Palace

The neoclassical presidential palace facing the bay of Asunción, lit up at night and visible from the promenade along the river.

Caacupé Basilica

The country's most important Marian shrine, in the hills of the Cordilleras, where thousands of pilgrims arrive every 8 December.

Mercado 4

Asunción's big popular market selling medicinal herbs for tereré, fruit, clothes and chipa, ideal for feeling the pulse of the city.

Frequently asked questions

How much time should you allow for the Trinidad and Jesús missions?
A full day from Encarnación is enough for both sites, about ten kilometres apart. Ideally, visit Jesús in the morning and Trinidad in the afternoon, then stay nearby to join the evening tour when the ruins are lit up.
Can you see the Iguazú Falls from Paraguay?
Not directly: the falls lie between Brazil and Argentina. From Ciudad del Este, you cross the Friendship Bridge to Foz do Iguaçu, then continue to the Brazilian park. Allow extra time for the border crossing, which can be slow at peak hours.
What is tereré and where can you try it?
It is yerba mate served ice-cold, often with crushed medicinal herbs, sipped through a metal straw from a shared guampa cup. You will see it everywhere, in the streets and in offices. Mercado 4 in Asunción is the place to buy the herbs and watch it being prepared.
How do you get to the Mennonite colonies of the Chaco from Asunción?
Daily buses link Asunción with Filadelfia and Loma Plata along the Transchaco highway in roughly six to seven hours. Once there, a car or a local guide is useful, as distances between the colonies are long and public transport is scarce.
Can you reach Bolivia along the Transchaco highway?
Yes, the Transchaco crosses the whole Chaco to the border, and overnight buses link Asunción with Santa Cruz de la Sierra in Bolivia. The journey takes around twenty hours, with few services between the Mennonite colonies and the border post.
Is north-eastern Paraguay advised against for travellers?
The departments bordering Brazil, such as Amambay and parts of Concepción and San Pedro, are affected by drug trafficking and are subject to French foreign ministry warnings. Check the up-to-date advisory map before going and favour the south and the Mennonite Chaco.
When does the Caacupé pilgrimage take place?
The great pilgrimage is held every 8 December, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, and hundreds of thousands of faithful walk from Asunción in the days before. Roads are then congested and accommodation in the Cordilleras is fully booked, so plan ahead or avoid those dates.
Do you need to speak Guaraní to travel in Paraguay?
No, Spanish is enough everywhere, including in public offices and on transport. Guaraní does, however, dominate in the countryside and in everyday conversation. A few words such as mba'éichapa, meaning hello, are always warmly received.

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