Concepción · Concepción
Navegación por el río Paraguay desde Concepción
Days of river, herons and fishing: the Paraguay upstream, bound for the Chaco and the Pantanal.
418 km2-3 days
Arcadiuš · CC BY 2.0Cities · Concepción · The North: river, hills and history
Concepción
Concepción is the north's main base and a city made for unhurried strolling. Its historic center preserves mansions from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, relics of the days when the port moved the riches of the Chaco. The Museo del Cuartel de la Villa Real, a former barracks from the time of Solano López, tells two centuries of regional history; the cathedral holds an altarpiece by Carlos Colombino, and the 24-meter monument to Mary Help of Christians towers over downtown. When the sun goes down, everyone heads to the Puerto Viejo (Old Port). From here, launches and riverboats set off, and roads fan out to Tagatiyá, Vallemí and Cerro Corá.
418 km from Asunción · ≈ 6 h 45
What to see
Concepción · Concepción
Museo del Cuartel de Villa Real
A barracks ordered by Francisco Solano López and inaugurated in 1864; today a free museum with period weapons and photographs.
418 km45 minutes
Concepción · Concepción
Iglesia Nuestra Señora de la Concepción
Concepción's main church, with an altar and painting by artist Carlos Colombino and a Virgin of Częstochowa gifted by John Paul II.
418 km30 minutes
Concepción · Concepción
Monumento a María Auxiliadora
A 24 m statue next to the Salesian school, described as the largest image in the country.
418 km20 minutes
Festivals
Aug→ Sep
Concepción Expo (formerly Expo Norte)
The north’s great livestock and trade fair, on the banks of the Paraguay River, relaunched in 2026 as Expo Concepción.
ExpoConcepción, Concepción8DecInmaculada Concepción · Concepción
A serenade to the Immaculate Conception, main Mass and a procession of vehicles through the neighborhoods of the «Pearl of the North».
Patron saintConcepción, ConcepciónFeatured