assumption (in Spanish Assumption) is the capital and the most important city in the Paraguay. Unlike other capitals of the South American Cone, such as Buenos Aires, Chile Santiago or Montevideo, Asunción is not part of the main tourist routes in South America because it lacks major attractions that can attract visitors. However, those who visit it discover an authentic Latin American city that has managed to maintain a calm and provincial atmosphere, while preserving interesting monuments of its rich history and colonial past. Asunción is, on the other hand, a prosperous city, with an important commercial activity, a cultural offer that offers interesting museums, theaters and art galleries, an active nightlife, as well as excellent hotels and restaurants.
Understand
The metropolitan area of Asunción (Gran Asunción) It is home to some 2.2 million of Paraguay's 6.9 million inhabitants. It is a cosmopolitan and demographically young city, with 65% of its inhabitants under 30 years old.
Numerous monuments and historic sites in the city have regained their former splendor thanks to the celebrations for the bicentennial of Paraguay's independence, which took place in 2011 and required a large amount of restoration work throughout the city. In 2012, the new tour known as la Costanera, along the bay of Asuncion, and added a new space that was long awaited by Ancestors to run, walk and have fun as a family. Around the city there are tree-lined avenues, small parks and squares with abundant vegetation that break the rigid system of downtown Asunción. During the months of July and August, the entire city is filled with color with the pink and yellow flowering of the trees of lapacho, which grow everywhere.
History
Asunción was founded in 1537 by the Spaniard Juan de Salazar e Espinosa, member of the expedition of Don Pedro de Mendoza, first Adelantado (conqueror) sent by the Crown of Spain to colonize the Rio de la Plata. The foundation day was August 15th, the day of the celebration of the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, that's why it was named Our Lady Santa Maria da Assunção. It is the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in the entire Rio de la Plata and in colonial times it was known as the Mother of Cities, because since then numerous expeditions have set out to found other settlements such as Currents, Santa Fe, Buenos Aires and Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Asunción was established on the left bank of the Paraguay River, beside a tranquil bay, which made it a good observation post. In the year 1541 the first cabildo (Municipal Council), which transformed Assunção from a military fort into a civilian village and became a local authority.
The first president after Paraguay's independence in 1811, José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia, who governed the country from 1814 to 1840, began to put some order in the city's urban layout with the establishment of streets and blocks of houses. During the government of his successor, Carlos Antonio López, the railroad was inaugurated and some of the beautiful buildings of the 19th century were built. The next president, Marshal Francisco Solano López, in the short period he spent in Asuncion before embarking on his catastrophic War of the Triple Alliance, built the largest of the city's buildings, his own residence, now known as the Palace of Lopez. Asuncion's city center is a testament to 19th-century historical ideals, with names that reflect local heroes and battles.
During the Chaco War of 1932-35, many public buildings became hospitals and military barracks. Thereafter, Asunción continued to expand in size and population, to become a large continuous city that includes several surrounding municipalities such as Lambaré, Fernando de la Mora, San Lorenzo, luque, to name just a few that make up the metropolitan area known as the Great Assumption.
Gift
Today Asunción is a busy and chaotic city with around 600,000 inhabitants at the municipal boundary and some 2.5 million in its metropolitan area. However, behind the new tall, glass-enclosed buildings of corporate headquarters and shopping malls, Asunción maintains a relaxed and tranquil atmosphere. When visiting the city, a mixture of three different architectural styles will be present: the colonial style (present in the oldest houses and buildings in the city center); the Italianization of public buildings and the first mansions (with beautiful gardens) and the modern architecture of Latin America (with large shopping malls alongside residential houses).
Tourism has lately become a very important business for Asunción and is especially visible in the corporate axis of Avenida Aviadores del Chaco and the Villa Morra neighborhood, where the economic growth of recent years has produced a multitude of new hotels and shops, as well as new bars and innovative restaurants. Most visitors are businessmen from neighboring Latin American countries and tourist buyers from Argentina. They come to take advantage of low prices on virtually every item on sale, from restaurant meals to electronics and even car tires.
When to go
Asuncion is just south of the Tropic of Capricorn, so the climate is warm subtropical. This means hot weather, especially in northern summer (when it's winter in the northern hemisphere). Between November and March, the temperature can continually rise to over 38°C and the humidity can be high and uncomfortable. However, the weather changes frequently from week to week. When the sun shines and it can be very dry when the rain doesn't come for a few weeks. In winter, rains can be heavy and cause the temperature to drop abruptly from one day to the next to around 5°C.
To speak
The city, like the entire country, is officially bilingual, with 79% of people speaking Spanish as their first language, and 20% have Guarani as their first language. Portuguese is understood due to its proximity to Brazil, but without some basic Spanish phrases it can be difficult to understand. Public transport and all road signs are in Spanish. Most restaurants have menus only in Spanish and waiters rarely speak a language other than Spanish or Guarani.
Electricity
The electrical current in Asunción is 220V and 50Hz, and the sockets and two-pin plugs, it is possible to buy transformers for 110V for the price of US$5.
tourist information
- 1 (National Tourism Office), Palm 468, ☎ 595 21 441530, fax: 595 21 491230. The main information post also called tourist begs (tourist house). It has a visitor service center and a showroom for the exhibition and sale of handicrafts and books. In addition, it has an information post at Silvio Pettirossi airport.
- 2 , Costanera Avenue. Asunción City Hall information center located on Avenida Costanera.
To arrive
By airplane
- In São Paulo, there are regular flights from TAM, and of the Goal(with a stopover in Curitiba). From Buenos Aires daily direct flights from TAM, Goal and Argentine Airlines (the last two with promotional fares, round-trip from US$130.00 including departure tax). O Silvio Pettirossi International Airport it is approximately 12 kilometers from the city centre.
- A taxi is a good option to go from the airport to the city center, it costs around G$50,000 (approximately R$25.00) counted at the taxi meter, it is also possible to negotiate a ride with a fixed value, there is a service desk of the taxi driver's cooperative inside the airport.
- The remittance service costs around G$80,000 and can be paid in local currency or dollars.
Of boat
By train/train
By bus/bus
There are regular daily lines from São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Curitiba
The companies responsible for the transport are:Crucero del Norte;Pluma;Expreso Guarani (formerly Brujula);Sol del Paraguay andRapido Iguazu.
It is also connected to cities in the interior of the country and other Mercosur capitals, especially Buenos Aires in Argentina, with at least fifteen daily departures.
All depart/arrive via the Asuncion Omnibus Terminal.
By car
Circular
By train/train
There is no longer any train service on the country's only railway line connecting Asunción with Encarnación. The tourist train that connected Areguá on Sundays from the Jardím Botânico Station closed in 2010. The beautiful 19th century building. located next to Plaza Uruguaia, which was once the country's main train station is now a museum and venue for cultural events.
Of boat
By car
By bus
It is very easy to get around the city and its surroundings with shuttle buses. In general, by asking on the street, most people know the lines well, and information is not difficult to obtain. The ticket price is only 2300G$ (approximately US$0.5 or R$0.90 on 01/2010) being possible for example to go to the municipalities of Capiatá, San Lorenzo, Luque or Fernando de la Mora with just one ticket.
Look
- Palácio de Lopez, government house - Av. Mariscal Francisco Solano López e/ Ayolas e Oleary
- cultural Center Manzana de la Rivera (A group of colonial houses connected through the backyard that is common to all, which house galleries, theater, library, museums, etc.) - Ayolas 129 corner Benjamin Constant and Mariscal Francisco Solano López.
- Casa de la Independencia - 14 de Mayo and President Franco.
- El Cabildo Museum, Centro Cultural de la República, Av. República and Alberdi.
- La Catedral, Independencia Nacional and Mariscal Francisco Solano Lopez.
- National Museum of Bellas Artes, Mariscal Estigarribia and Iturbe.
- Central Railway Station Carlos Antonio Lopez (First train station in South America), Eligio Ayala and Mexico.
- Dr. Andrés Barbero Ethnographic Museum, España 217 and Mompox.
- Visual Arts Center (Muséu do Barro), Engravers del Cabichui left/ Emeterio Miranda and Cañada.
- San Francisco de Asis Church.
- Panteón Nacional de los Heroes (A replica of the Panteon de Paris, it is the place where the remains of the main heroes of all the wars fought by Paraguay are located) - Plaza de los Heroes, Palma left/ Chile.
Knife
Events
Activities
- A walk along Calle Palma, and a walk through the microcentre, there are many colonial buildings worth seeing.
- Visit the market in the Plaza de la Democracy, in front of the Hotel Guarani (work by Oscar Niemayer)
- Don't miss a tour of the train from the lake sightseeing tour to the city of Ypacarai, including a folklore show and theater on board, every Saturday and Sunday, leaving from the Botanico station in Asunción.
Learn
Work
Buy
With the
Economic
If you go by bus to Asunción from Brazil, don't miss the opportunity to buy the traditional "Chipa Barrero". When the bus arrives in the vicinity of Eusebio Ayala (formerly Barrero Grande, which gave rise to the name of the food), chiperas will board the bus selling homemade chipas straight from the oven, worth a try, at a cost of just G$2000 per unit (R$0.76).
Medium
It is not possible to pass through Paraguay without tasting some typical foods, such as Sopa de Surubi (Pintado) or the traditional meat, cheese, corn or ham and cheese empanadas. Some places, not so economical, but with indistinguishable quality and tradition are:
- Lido Bar - Located opposite the Panteón Nacional de los Heroes, on Calle Palma, it is without doubt the most traditional fast food spot in Asunción. It's not strange to find it crowded.
Some approximate prices: - Empanadas G$7000 (R$2.70); - Surubi Soup G$30000 (R$11.50).
- Bolsi - Located on the corner of Calle Estrella and 14 de Mayo, it has high quality and great atmosphere,
Some approximate prices: - Empanadas from G$5000 (R$2.17); - Surubi soup G$20000 (R$7.70).
waste
drink and go out
sleep
Economic
Medium
waste
Stay in touch
Safety
Health
Daily
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