Asunción — Five-Day Local Itinerary

Locals buy cocido (hot mate with milk and sugar) and warm chipa from street stalls before work; 500–1,000 PYG cocido, 2,000–3,000 PYG chipa.

💡 Vendors around Colón/Palma and near Lido Bar; follow the thermos and the smell of chipa.

Government palace and postcard view; locals pass it daily. View from outside; interior access limited.

💡 Best light in morning; avoid midday sun.

National pantheon; locals visit for history and respect. Small, quick stop on the way to plaza life.

💡 Dress respectfully; it's a memorial site.

Historic complex with gardens and river views; free entry, AC, and calm. Locals escape here during siesta.

💡 Terrace with river views; good for reading and cooling off.

24-hour downtown institution; all of Asunción eats here—sopa paraguaya, vori vori, milanesa. Communal tables.

💡 Order sopa paraguaya + vori vori or milanesa; sit at communal table.

Central plaza where tereré circles form daily from 5 PM; locals sit on benches and share mate for hours.

💡 Join a tereré circle or sit with your own guampa; watch street life.

Riverside promenade; locals gather at dusk with tereré to watch the Paraguay River.

💡 Weekends = packed with families; weekdays = calmer.

Sandwich shops where locals eat lomito completo after parties and football; open late.

💡 Order lomito completo; stand at counter like locals.

Asunción's largest open-air bazaar; produce, chipa, ñandutí, hammocks. Locals shop 6–10 AM.

💡 Keep belongings secure; negotiate; go early.

Colorful hillside barrio with traditional architecture, cobblestones, artisan workshops; locals preserve it.

💡 Wear good shoes; steep and uneven streets.

Ñandutí lace and ao po'i embroidery sold directly from makers; higher quality than Mercado 4 stalls.

💡 Pay fair prices; watch artisans work.

Street food inside Mercado 4: chipa guasu, mbeju, mandi'o, hot plates; 8,000–15,000 PYG per item.

💡 Eat at a stall or take away; try chipa guasu or mbeju.

Indigenous and contemporary Paraguayan art, ceramics, crafts; locals bring families on free days.

💡 Check free days and opening hours.

Evening tereré and people-watching; same as Day 1 but worth repeating.

💡 Alternate with Manzana terrace if you want river view.

Large municipal park; locals jog, do yoga, picnic; free, green escape.

💡 Go early; weekend craft fairs and food vendors.

Riverside promenade; morning joggers and calm before weekend crowds.

💡 Shade and water; sun is strong.

Simple parrilla or snacks; families bring thermoses and chairs on weekends.

💡 Or bring snacks and buy tereré from vendors.

Locals walk, swim (check water quality), play volleyball; weekend = mass tereré picnic.

💡 Two calm spots: shaded benches and beach edge.

Locals sit with thermoses and guampas; strangers offer tereré—accept and pass the cup.

💡 Sunset here is classic; stay until dark if you can.

Botanical garden and zoo; locals walk early morning; 5,000–10,000 PYG entry.

💡 Combine with Ñu Guasu or do on Day 4 if preferred.

Lido Bar, lomitería, or local comedor; locals eat from 8 PM.

💡 Lido Bar open 24h; lomiterías open late.

Morning walk before heat; families and joggers; small fee, shaded paths.

💡 Bring water and hat.

Repeat calm spot; free, AC, terrace, river view. Good for siesta or light reading.

💡 Comfort break option.

Indigenous and contemporary art; locals visit on free days with families.

💡 Check free days and hours.

Comedor = simple local restaurant; or Lido Bar again. Vori vori, mbeju, or parrilla.

💡 Villa Morra = pricier; centro = cheaper and more local.

Recoleta = mix of old and new, small galleries and cafés; or any shaded plaza for tereré.

💡 Artisan shops and coffee; relaxed pace.

Mall where middle-class locals shop; AC escape, supermarket, food court.

💡 Optional; skip if you prefer barrio life.

Carmelitas = bars and nightlife Thu–Sat; or dinner in centro/Villa Morra.

💡 Young crowd; optional nightlife.

Wholesale market; locals and restaurant owners shop at dawn; fresher and less touristy than Mercado 4.

💡 Arrive by 6–7 AM; minimal English.

Final breakfast at Lido and tereré at Plaza de la Democracia if you skip Abasto.

💡 Comfort break / slow start.

Olimpia vs. Cerro Porteño or other match; locals treat it like religion. Check fixture; 20,000–80,000 PYG.

💡 Don't wear wrong team colors in wrong sector; buy tickets in advance.

Final big meal: sopa paraguaya, asado, or chipa guasu. Your choice.

💡 Lido Bar or a parrilla; leave time for airport if needed.

Last tereré by the river or stadium if you chose football.

💡 Skip if you're tired; packing and plaza is fine.

Final tereré and people-watch; say aguyje and ahata-ayu.

💡 Guaraní goodbyes: Aguyje (thank you), Ahata-ayu (I'll be back).

Light dinner or lomito completo; locals eat late.

💡 Lomito completo = lomitería classic.