Anyone been to Asuncion, Paraguay in past decade: Thoughts about things to see & do in old city (not suburbs)

[MEFIowa]

Going to be spending some nights in Asuncion, Paraguay in late April. Staying at the Palmaroga Hotel (Palma 853, between Montevideo & Juan de Ayolas), east central part of the historic old downtown. Has anyone been there in the past decade? What did you see and do? Any issues?

 

- Loma San Jeronimo

- Plaza de la Independencia

- Various museums (e.g., Museo de las Memorias, Archivo de Terror, etc.) and historic buildings (e.g., Panteon, Palacio de Lopez, Congreso Nacional, Teatro Municipal, etc.)

- La Recoleta Cemetery

[GottaKnowWhen]

On 2/3/2022 at 1:36 PM, MEFIowa said:

Going to be spending some nights in Asuncion, Paraguay in late April. Staying at the Palmaroga Hotel (Palma 853, between Montevideo & Juan de Ayolas), east central part of the historic old downtown. Has anyone been there in the past decade? What did you see and do? Any issues?

 

- Loma San Jeronimo

- Plaza de la Independencia

- Various museums (e.g., Museo de las Memorias, Archivo de Terror, etc.) and historic buildings (e.g., Panteon, Palacio de Lopez, Congreso Nacional, Teatro Municipal, etc.)

- La Recoleta Cemetery

I lived in Asuncion 1953-57. When I went back for a visit in March 2019 (on the front end of a BA-to-Santiago-to-San Diego cruise), we stayed at the Gran Hotel del Paraguay as my family had for several weeks in 1953. On our way out of the airport a guy approached with an offer to rent us a car. I hadn't planned to do any driving, we negotiated, he agreed to be our driver. Took us to the hotel, we took a day on our own just walking in the neighborhood and then downtown, the next day Ramon gave us a driving tour around the outskirts: San Lorenzo, Itagua, Caacupe, Aregua... The following day we again took a cab downtown and walked about with an occasional coffee stop. One attraction for us was the extensive street art (murals). Unfortunately the photos I have posted Asuncion photos don't include those artworks - I'll try to fix that gap in the next day or two.

We then had a day of leisure at the hotel, including a Harp concert, time by the pool, etc. Following day our guy Ramon picked us up, onward to airport and Iguazu. [No direct connection to Iguazu, we flew down to BA and then back north.]

 

So, to directly address your questions, we didn't do any museums, the one attempt was in San Lorenzo and that was closed the day we tried to visit. My impression of downtown is that it had been mostly abandoned, it seemed that many offices and shops had moved to more modern facilities outside of the old city center. 

 

Stan

 

 

[MEFIowa]

17 minutes ago, GottaKnowWhen said:

I lived in Asuncion 1953-57. When I went back for a visit in March 2019 (on the front end of a BA-to-Santiago-to-San Diego cruise), we stayed at the Gran Hotel del Paraguay as my family had for several weeks in 1953. ... Stan

THANKS! The Gran Hotel is on the outside edge of the City Centre to the East. My Hotel is near the western edge, so a long way away from each other. The Gran was at one time the home of the infamous Madame Lynch, the mistress of the dictator Fransisco Solano Lopez who destroyed Paraguay in the 1860s's war. First an Italian bought it after that war and then named the Gran after a German bought it in 1921. Plan to at least stop by and see it while there.

[MEFIowa]

Stan, you missed Hunter S. Thompson in Asuncion, Paraguay in early 1963, writing for the new National Observer newspaper. His piece on the election that year is available on-line along with all the other stories from that year travelling from Columbia to Rio by way of Ecudor, Peru, Bolivia, and Paraguay.

[GottaKnowWhen]

On 3/19/2022 at 12:57 PM, MEFIowa said:

THANKS! The Gran Hotel is on the outside edge of the City Centre to the East. My Hotel is near the western edge, so a long way away from each other. The Gran was at one time the home of the infamous Madame Lynch, the mistress of the dictator Fransisco Solano Lopez who destroyed Paraguay in the 1860s's war. First an Italian bought it after that war and then named the Gran after a German bought it in 1921. Plan to at least stop by and see it while there.

Here is a link to some images from our trip there - some of the hotel and grounds, some of the city itself...

Paraguay 2019

 

Edited March 22, 2022 by GottaKnowWhen

[MEFIowa]

5 minutes ago, GottaKnowWhen said:

Here is a link to some images from our trip there - some of the hotel and grounds, some of the city itself...

Thanks! Good to get a glimpse first. Only 28 more days. Paraguay all abuzz with the visit by Megan Fox and her boyfriend. They arrived Asuncion Monday for the music festival Tues-Wed. So newspapers like La Nacion can't get enough. So few Americans ever make it there.

[MEFIowa]

The Fox Reporting from Asuncion today:

 

La Nación / Megan Fox y su novio, blanco de memes tras su recorrido por Asunción (lanacion.com.py)

[GottaKnowWhen]

20 minutes ago, MEFIowa said:

Thanks! Good to get a glimpse first. Only 28 more days. Paraguay all abuzz with the visit by Megan Fox and her boyfriend. They arrived Asuncion Monday for the music festival Tues-Wed. So newspapers like La Nacion can't get enough. So few Americans ever make it there.

Who or what is Megan fox? Nevermind, I don't really need to know.

[MEFIowa]

Spent 14 amazing days in Paraguay from 4/19-5/3, 2022! And 7 nights in Asuncion. Had an absolutely amazing time both driving around the city and walking all over the historic old downtown section, including a 0500 walk 13 blocks from my Hotel Palmaroga (fantastic!) to Plaza Italia. Loved walking Palma and Estrella streets that were right off my hotel. Estrella takes you to the Ko'ape Bar Mirador in Loma San Jeronima. I sat at the same table and chair as Ms Fox did talking with the co-owers of the bar! So much to see and do in this Mother of Cities that turns 500 in a few years.