Must-see
Luque · Central
Museo del Fútbol Sudamericano (Museo CONMEBOL)
The home of South American football: trophies, championship jerseys and interactive exhibits, with free entry.
14 km2-3 hours
Regions · Central · Cordillera
Greater Asunción and Lake Ypacaraí
Less than an hour from Asunción, the Central department is where Paraguay is still made by hand: the pottery of Areguá and Itá, the ñandutí lace of Itauguá and the silver filigree of Luque. Around Lake Ypacaraí, immortalized in a guarania (Paraguay's slow, wistful song form), you'll find colonial towns, hills of prismatic sandstone found nowhere else on the continent, and the German colony of San Bernardino, the country's summer capital. It's the best gateway to Paraguayan culture: open workshops, patron-saint festivals, seasonal fairs and home cooking, all within easy day-trip distance.
What to see 19
Must-see
Areguá · Central
Areguá
Capital of pottery and strawberries, with historic mansions stepping down from the church to the lake.
29 km1 day
Must-see
Areguá, San Bernardino e Ypacaraí · Central y Cordillera
Lago Ypacaraí
The lake behind Paraguay's most famous guarania: sunsets, sailboats and historic towns along its shores.
29 kmHalf a day
Must-see
Areguá · Central
Monumento Natural Cerros Kõi y Chororĩ
Five- and six-sided sandstone columns: a geological rarity with few equals anywhere in the world.
30 km2-3 hours
Must-see
Itauguá · Central
Itauguá
The capital of ñandutí: handmade 'spiderweb' lace, sold right along Route PY02.
34 km2-3 hours
Must-see
Itá · Central
Itá
One of the oldest towns in the country and a capital of pottery, with a clay tradition recognized by UNESCO.
37 kmHalf a day
Must-see
San Bernardino · Cordillera
San Bernardino
An 1881 German colony on the shores of Ypacaraí and Paraguay's summer capital: lakeside promenade, bars and long nights.
53 km2-3 days
Lambaré · Central
Lambaré
Asunción's neighbor at the foot of Cerro Lambaré, home to the legend of a Guarani chief and the much-loved burreritas.
10 km2-3 hours
Luque · Central
Parque Ñu Guasu
The big green lung between Asunción and the airport, with a 5 km loop for walking and running.
11 km2-3 hours
Fernando de la Mora · Central
Kamba Kua (comunidad afroparaguaya)
Descendants of Artigas's lancers have kept the drums and the feast of San Baltasar alive since 1820.
14 km2-3 hours
Mariano Roque Alonso · Central
Expo Mariano Roque Alonso (predio de la Asociación Rural del Paraguay)
Every July, the country's biggest fair: show cattle, Paraguayan industry, food and entertainment.
14 kmHalf a day
Luque · Central
Luque
Capital of gold and silver filigree and birthplace of guitar and harp makers, minutes from the airport.
16 kmHalf a day
Capiatá · Central
Capiatá
A colonial-era church dedicated to Our Lady of Candelaria and a museum of Guarani myths, right on Route PY02.
23 km2-3 hours
Capiatá · Central
Museo Mitológico Ramón Elías
The Pombero, the Kurupi and the Luisõ turned into sculpture: Guarani mythology as imagined by Ramón Elías.
23 km2-3 hours
Limpio · Central
Limpio
Karanda'y palm hats, a church with colonial roots and lagoons of giant water lilies beside the Paraguay River.
23 kmHalf a day
Ypané · Central
Ypané
A former Franciscan mission town on the Paraguay River, with the great monument to the Battle of Ytororó.
29 km2-3 hours
Guarambaré · Central
Guarambaré
A sugarcane town with 19th-century mansions and a mill that exports organic sugar.
33 km2-3 hours
Villeta · Central
Villeta
A colonial port on the Paraguay River, scene of the December 1868 campaign, with a brand-new riverside promenade.
36 kmHalf a day
Ypacaraí · Central
Ypacaraí
The town that gave the lake its name and home of the Lake Festival, Paraguay's great showcase of folk culture.
41 km2-3 hours
Getting there
Route PY02 (Mcal. Estigarribia) leaves Asunción and runs through Fernando de la Mora, San Lorenzo, Capiatá, Itauguá and Ypacaraí, where you turn north for San Bernardino; Areguá is reached via Luque or Capiatá. Route PY01 heads to Ypané, Guarambaré and Itá (with the turnoff to Villeta around km 30), PY03 goes to Mariano Roque Alonso and Limpio, and the highway to Silvio Pettirossi Airport, which skirts Ñu Guasu park, takes you to Luque. City and intercity buses leave from downtown and from Asunción's bus terminal (Terminal de Ómnibus). By car with no traffic: Areguá ≈ 45 min, San Bernardino ≈ 1 h 10 min; at rush hour, allow a lot longer.
Best season
You can visit year-round. From April to October the weather is mild and comfortable for walking; from July to September Areguá is full of strawberries, and in July the Expo takes over Mariano Roque Alonso. December to February is high season in San Bernardino, with fierce heat (highs of 35 °C are common).
Cities
Festivals
Jan
Feast of Saint Balthazar in Kamba Kua
Drums, candombe and dances from the Afro-Paraguayan community of Kamba Kua in honor of Saint Balthazar, its patron saint.
TraditionFernando de la Mora, CentralFeatured3FebSan Blas · Itá
One of the most deeply rooted Saint Blaise festivals in the country, held in the city of ceramics and clay water jugs.
Patron saintItá, CentralFeaturedMarAsunciónico
Paraguay’s mega music festival: three days of rock, pop and electronic music with international stars and Paraguayan bands.
MusicLuque (Parque Olímpico, Gran Asunción), CentralFeaturedMar→ JunInternational Sailing Week on Lake Ypacaraí
Optimist, ILCA and catamaran regattas with Paraguayan and Argentine clubs off the shore of San Bernardino.
SportSan Bernardino, CordilleraJul→ SepAreguá Strawberry Fair
Three months of basket-fresh strawberries, smoothies, cakes and liqueurs on the main avenue of Paraguay’s ceramics town.
FairAreguá, CentralFeaturedJulExpo Paraguay (Mariano Roque Alonso Expo)
The country’s biggest showcase: show cattle, industry, trade, concerts and a food court during the winter school holidays.
ExpoMariano Roque Alonso, CentralFeatured10AugSan Lorenzo mártir · San Lorenzo
A double patronal and founding festival in the «University City», with a procession, civic ceremonies and festivities around the cathedral.
Patron saintSan Lorenzo, CentralFeatured15AugNuestra Señora de la Asunción · San Bernardino
A boat procession on Lake Ypacaraí, from the Club Náutico to the Rotonda beach, after the main Mass.
Patron saintSan Bernardino, CordilleraFeaturedSep→ OctLake Ypacaraí Festival
The country’s most iconic cultural festival: folk music, dance, theater, poetry, jazz and rock in the lake town.
FestivalYpacaraí, CentralFeaturedOct→ NovNational Ñandutí Festival
Folk music, dance and ñandutí lace in the town of weavers: two nights of competition for the Golden Ñandutí.
MusicItauguá, CentralFeaturedRoutes
3 days
Asunción, the capital · Greater Asunción and Lake Ypacaraí · Cordillera and Paraguarí: hills, waterfalls and villages
Essential Paraguay in 3 Days
Historic center, faith, craftwork, and Lake Ypacaraí in one long weekend
14 days
Asunción, the capital · Greater Asunción and Lake Ypacaraí · Cordillera and Paraguarí: hills, waterfalls and villages · Guairá and Caazapá: hills, colonies and legends · The Jesuit Missions and the South · The East: water, energy and borderlands · The Chaco and the Pantanal
The Grand Paraguay in 14 Days
From the lake to Guairá, the missions, Itaipú, and the Mennonite Chaco
2 days
Greater Asunción and Lake Ypacaraí · Cordillera and Paraguarí: hills, waterfalls and villages
The Circuito de Oro in 2 Days
Colonial towns, hills, streams, and the Virgin of Caacupé near Asunción
2 days
Greater Asunción and Lake Ypacaraí · Cordillera and Paraguarí: hills, waterfalls and villages
A Getaway to Lake Ypacaraí
Pottery, strawberries, sandstone hills, and sunsets over the lake
3 days
Greater Asunción and Lake Ypacaraí · Cordillera and Paraguarí: hills, waterfalls and villages · Asunción, the capital
Artisan Paraguay: Ñandutí Lace, Filigree, Pottery, and Poncho
Three days of living workshops in the towns around Asunción
4 days
Asunción, the capital · Greater Asunción and Lake Ypacaraí · Cordillera and Paraguarí: hills, waterfalls and villages
Paraguay for Families
Zoo, trains, soccer, Guaraní myths, zip lines, and streams in four days
3 days
Greater Asunción and Lake Ypacaraí · The Jesuit Missions and the South
Ñeembucú and the Great War: Pilar, Humaitá, and Curupayty
The ruins of a shelled church, wartime trenches, and wetlands along the southern Río Paraguay
Where to stay
Boutique · San Bernardino
Hotel del Lago
One of the oldest hotels in the country: founded in 1888 by immigrant Guillermo Weiler facing Lake Ypacaraí, it is now a boutique hotel with period décor.
₲₲₲
Hotel · San Bernardino
Hotel Los Alpes San Bernardino
A family hotel with pools and grounds, about 2 km from La Rotonda beach; very popular in summer and on long weekends.
₲₲₲
Guesthouse · San Bernardino
La Posta
A SENATUR-registered bed & breakfast on Avenida Naumann, a few blocks from the lake and the center of San Ber.
₲₲₲
Cabins · San Bernardino
Cabañas Los Árboles
Cabins among the trees in the Ciervo Kuá area, in the hills of San Bernardino; a good choice for getaways by car.
₲₲₲
Boutique · Areguá
La Candelaria Hotel Boutique
A boutique hotel in Areguá's historic center, among old summer houses, ceramics workshops and the road down to the lake.
₲₲₲
Guesthouse · Areguá
Posada Mi Refugio
A family home in SENATUR's Posadas Turísticas program, in the Estanzuela area between Areguá and the lake.
₲₲₲
Resort · Lambaré
Yacht & Golf Club Paraguayo
A five-star resort on the banks of the Paraguay River, with a beach, golf and spa, about 20-30 minutes from downtown Asunción depending on traffic.
₲₲₲
Resort · Capiatá
Los Lagos Resort Hotel
A complex with a hotel, cabins and campsite set among lagoons and green spaces in Capiatá, right off Route PY01, about 20 km from Asunción.
₲₲₲