Asuncion is the capital city of Paraguay. It is also one of the unexplored gems of South American travel. For some reason the city has not been discovered by mainstream tourists yet and it might even be hard to find destination guides for Paraguay at your local bookstore, and it’s even more difficult to find specialty resources such as a gay destination guide.
The location where Asuncion is situated today was most likely visited by the Spanish conqueror Juan de Ayolas n the 16th century. He disappeared without a trace and Juan de Salazar was sent to look for him. In August 1537 the latter stopped at a bay in the left bank of the Paraguay river and decided to establish fort there. He named it “Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion” (Our Lady of the Assumption).
A city soon developed around the fort from where explorers went on to found other cities in the region, including Buenos Aires, Santa Cruz (in Bolivia) and Santa Fe. Asuncion is therefore one of the oldest cities in Latin America and is also the area in the river Plate Basin that has been continually inhabited for a longer period than any other.
Asuncion is located next to the river Paraguay. The old part of the city, including the harbor, looks out over the Bay of Asuncion. A natural bay permits small vessels to come and go to their various destinations, one of which is Brazil.
For those who love charm and character – this part of the city offers it in abundance. It has an assortment of beautifully restored colonial buildings as well as some art nouveau architecture. A harbor city must also have some dilapidation and this is what gives the area it’s nuance. As you stroll past the many quaint artisan’s shops you start to feel it’s heartbeat and very quickly you will be intoxicated by the smells and sounds of Asuncion. Soon you will be offered chipa bread – which is famous in this part of the world. You will want to stop and explore the beautiful lace articles on display, like Nanduti spiderweb lace for which Paraguay is well known.
Staying at the atmospheric old Hotel Armele is an experience in itself. You will have a view across the harbor and the Bay of Asuncion from most rooms. The evergreen Chaco on the other side of the river stretches as far as the eye can see.
South Americans have a passion for music – and at night Asuncion comes alive with many music venues where you can listen to live music. Traditional Paraguayan music is very popular – as is modern English and Spanish rock. The city also has a large variety of restaurants to cater for every taste.
In the eastern part of Asuncion you will find Villa Morra – an upmarket neighborhood with fancy shopping malls and large Spanish villas. All the malls have food courts with a variety of local and international food available. Multi-screen cinemas are the order of the day. This is also where you will find the modern concert hall established by the Paraguayan National Bank with regular classical music concerts.
Asuncion has hotels in all price ranges. The cheaper ones tend to center around Plaza Uruguay. There are several five star hotels in the vicinity of Plaza de los Heroes.
Destination guides for Asuncion are difficult to find. We recommend that you print this page and keep it for reference purposes.