Did you ever play that game as a kid where you’d spin a globe, stop it with your finger, and imagine living in whatever place you landed on?
Well, that’s exactly how I first found out about Paraguay 20-something years ago.
Paraguay was always one of those “so random I saw it on a globe” places that I wanted to visit someday, even though I had no idea what was actually there. So when the chance came up while I was in South America, I figured what the hell, and booked a flight.
Here’s what I saw spending 72 hours in Asunción, Paraguay (that’s the capital).
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First off, Paraguay is one of the least-visited countries in South America. Some random website says it’s the fourth least visited. It’s basically smack dab in the middle of the continent, completely landlocked, and I definitely got a few “Where the hell are you?” messages from people who have my location.
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Likewise, that makes the capital, Asunción, one of the least visited capital cities on the continent. That might be changing, though! In 2025, Paraguay had the highest tourism growth rate in South America.
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Paraguay has its own airline, Paranair (though it is not a government-owned national carrier). I have a special place in my heart for airlines named after a country, so I was excited for this. It made for a good dramatic departing-the-plane picture.
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The first thing I noticed was how Asunción is very, very green. Like, there are tons and tons of trees.
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Paraguay was, full stop, the hottest place I’ve ever been. I went in January, which is the middle of their summer, so I should have known. But Jesus Christ, every day felt like 100 degrees by 10 a.m. I felt like I was in a real-life air fryer.
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Tereré is the quintessential Paraguayan drink made with yerba mate and ice-cold water that eveeeeeryone drinks. I’m telling you, everyone, and at all times of the day.
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I’m not joking, people carry their own personal water coolers for their tereré. Keys, wallet, phone, and big-ass jug. It’s an essential Paraguayan accessory.
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As for the taste, I’d say EXTREMELY refreshing and almost a little minty. I also let it steep for slightly too long, so I was BUZZZIN.
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Paraguay is a bilingual country where both Spanish and Guaraní are official languages, and most people, indigenous or not, actually speak both. It’s one of the only countries in the world where the majority of the population speaks an indigenous language.
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There are mangoes everywhere in Asunción. Like, literally falling from the trees, on the ground, EVERYWHERE.
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Mall culture is THRIVING in Paraguay, and was definitely a reliably air-conditioned place of refuge. It was on this trip that I finally understood the appeal of mall-walking.
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RadioShack still exists here.
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I found this “American Store” in the mall, and they were selling this shirt:
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Now, let’s talk about Paraguayan food because that’s my shit.
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The two most famous restaurants in Asunción are Bolsi and Lido Bar. Both are looong-standing institutions known for their traditional Paraguayan dishes.
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My personal favorite was Lido Bar. I could have eaten here every day. The food, the service, the vibe. I was living. Now, let’s get into particulars. It instantly, and I’m not exaggerating, became one of my favorite restaurants in the world!!
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Lido Bar has been open since 1953, and after decades just moved into a new spot. The restaurant itself is very much diner vibes, where you grab a seat at the counter and watch the waiters divvy out all those sweet, sweet (and also savory) Paraguayan treats.
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Food-wise, I have to shout out the OG Paraguayan staple: sopa paraguaya. Yes, it’s technically translated to “Paraguayan soup,” but it’s not soup at all. It’s like a thick cornbread.
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As someone who absolutely loves cornbread, this was the food I was most excited to try in Paraguay. It turned out to be delicious. The portion was also huge, and now that I think about it, every meal I had in Paraguay was yuge.
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Another must-try is a soup called Bori Bori. I know, soup in summer is chaotic, but you gotta try this one. The soup had catfish in it because of the Paraguay River. I never had *river fish* before (TBF I never even knew ‘river fish’ was a thing), but no complaints. A solid 9/10.
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My absolute favorite thing at Lido Bar were the empanadas. Those were TOP TOP TOP tier. 100/10.
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Something I completely didn’t expect, since it almost never happens outside the US, was that in Paraguay, I was served water with ice. Yes, actual ice.
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The main *it* attraction, like the building you see in pictures when you search “Asunción,” is the pink house.
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The other main thing in Asunción is the Paraguay River (fifth largest river in South America!). There’s a boardwalk called the Costanera de Asunción stretching along the riverbank, and I could only make it down here in the evening because, like I said, it was hot as all hell.
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I’d also like to give a shoutout to some of the parks. My favorite thing to do in a new city is to check out the green spaces, and there were some pretty nice ones.
Here is an interesting garbage receptacle I found:
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The downtown area of Asunción has a bunch of historic buildings and colonial architecture, but it also has some abandoned ones that give the area a very The Last of Us vibe. I know that might sound unappealing to some of you, but the juxtaposition was something.
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The main street in downtown Asunción is Calle Palma. That’s where I found this thing.
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One thing to keep in mind in Asunción is that the sidewalks are basically an obstacle course. Step wrong and it’s game over, so PAY ATTENTION.
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Another thing I kept on seeing in Asunción were these people/things/creatures. I have no idea who or what these things are…but I’m sure someone in the comments will tell me lol.
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Now, let’s talk beverages. There’s nothing more I love than a good convenience store beverage section in a different country, and let me tell you: Paraguay does not disappoint in this department. Guaraná drinks are very popular here, and they have some excellent sugar-free varieties.
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Another interesting bev I saw everywhere was tonic water. As someone with a strange affinity for raw tonic water (no gin), I loved to see it.
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Shoutout to the surprisingly new Biggie convenience stores. It’s like their CVS.
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I know this might sound weird, but I love a cemetery. Asunción has a really *neat* one right in the middle of the city. The Recoleta Cemetery feels like a (literal) city of the dead.
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Unfortunately, some of it is in disrepair. That’s a human skull.
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Paraguay is pretty flat and stuck right in the middle of South America (duh, I told you this), so people like to joke that it’s the Kansas of the continent. Obviously, there aren’t dramatic mountains or coastlines, but there’s something really cool about all of that wide open space. I wanted to check out more than just the capital, so we rented a car for the day to check it out.
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I love a hike, and I found one on a “hill” about an hour from Asunción at a place called Cerro Hu. That scrappy hike really gave me a sense for *just how big and vast* this place is.
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I was also the sweatiest I’ve ever been in my life. Drenched! But I did see a gigantic lizard I named Suzie Toot.
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Another town we visited was Areguá, a *charming* little place known for its artsy vibe, colorful (and weird) pottery, and lake views.
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The pottery…was…something…lol.
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Now, let’s talk about Ypacaraí Lake. Yeah, it’s polluted, but honestly, still gorgeous. We saw it in San Bernardino, which I’m pretty sure is Asunción’s version of the Hamptons.
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Lastly, and this might be the most random thing, it just made me laugh. These Christmas tree cloth decorations were everywhere. I’m guessing it’s one of those “Christmas in warm places” things. A real trade-off when you’re celebrating Christmas in the summer.
And that, folks, was my trip to Paraguay, a true bucket list destination I was pleasantly surprised by (especially the food). Even though it was just a few days, I came away with way more than I expected: colorful towns, lake getaways, surprise ice cubes in my water, and sidewalks that quite literally kept me on my toes. And yes, I’ll be dreaming of sopa paraguaya for a long time to come. <3
Thank you for reading another edition of “Fave Stops with Matt” (that’s what this is lol). It’s a series about my favorite places in the world. Last week, I wrote about the Faroe Islands, the week before that the Upper Peninsula, and next week I’ll be writing about Mars. Thank you for your time. XO.
