Discover Asunción : Neighborhoods of Asunción

The capital of Paraguay, Asunción had a population of 462,000 in 2022 (latest census to date), and 2.3 million including the Gran Asunción metropolitan area. The city covers an area of 117 km² and, like Rome, was built on seven hills. The historic center runs alongside the Río Paraguay and the Bay of Asunción, separated from the river by a narrow peninsula called Banco San Miguel. The city is divided into 70 neighborhoods(barrios). The main sites of interest are concentrated in the historic center, in Villa Morra, and in the modern commercial and financial area known as Nuevo Centro. Other points of interest - museums, hotels, restaurants, etc. - are scattered throughout the rest of the city. - are scattered throughout the rest of the city. This guide presents them in two sections, "Quartiers Ouest" and "Quartiers Est", whose dividing axis is Avenida General Máximo Santos. It's easy to find your way around, and getting around is a breeze outside rush hour.

Historical center

The historic center comprises (in this guide) the old quarters - Brasil, San Roque, Catedral and Encarnación - located in a rectangle between Colón, Brasil, the bay and Avenida Ygatimi/Dr Francia. This is the city's most interesting heritage zone, with large plazas, the port and the Avenida Costanera José Asunción Flores beach. Here you'll find hotels, restaurants, museums and monuments. Everything can be done on foot, and the area is quite safe, except for certain zones such as the Chacarita district, a semi-bidonville with winding streets, very close to tourist sites, where it is formally inadvisable to enter unaccompanied (the police are on the lookout). The streets in the center are one-way, and change name at Independencia Nacional. Thus, Calle Mariscal Estigarribia becomes Palma, 25 de Mayo becomes Estrella, Cerro Corá becomes Oliva... If you arrive on a Sunday, you may be surprised: the city center is completely deserted, except on the Costanera side.

Western neighborhoods

Apart from the historic center (treated separately), there are few tourist attractions in these very diverse neighborhoods, located west of General Santos Avenue. In some of the older barrios, such as Sajonia, on the banks of the Río Paraguay, life is more streetwise, with neighbors getting to know each other. These can be pleasant places to stroll during the day. Other districts are very commercial, like Silvio Pettirossi, home to the famous Mercado 4. Still others are very poor, like Bañado Sur, which is obviously not a tourist attraction.

Nuevo Centro

Recoleta, Villa Morra, Santo Domingo, Las Lomas and Manorá are all residential neighborhoods that are home to a wide range of shops and services. Here you'll find modern shopping malls, chic restaurants, trendy clubs and large hotels catering mainly to business travellers. The area is well served, between the historic center (15 minutes by car) and the airport (25 minutes). Away from the main avenues, you soon find yourself in stone-paved streets, with beautiful houses surrounded by tree-lined gardens.

Eastern neighbourhoods

This denomination for this guide includes all neighborhoods east of Avenida Gal. Máximo Santos, with the exception of the "Villa Morra - Nuevo Centro Zone", which is dealt with in a separate section, but is of course part of the eastern districts. These are mostly residential areas, very quiet as soon as you stray from the main avenues. Stone-paved streets, majestic mango trees, lots of birds - it's almost like being in the countryside!

Orientation

To locate the capital's main thoroughfares, simply place your left hand on a map of Asunción, with your palm over the historic center: your fingers will naturally rest on the city's 5 main avenues. These avenues are, from north to south:

Avenida Artigas, which leads from the center to the Botanical Gardens, then on to Ruta Transchaco and Ruta 3.

Avenida España, the most beautiful, with its mansions and embassies. After crossing Avenida San Martín, it changes name to Aviadores del Chaco, then Autopista. It passes Paseo Carmelitas, Shopping del Sol and Paseo La Galería. The avenue leads to the airport and Luque, past the Ñu Guazú park.

Avenida Mariscal López passes La Recoleta cemetery, Shopping Villa Morra, Fernando de la Mora and San Lorenzo (junction of routes 1 and 2).

Avenida Eusébio Ayala runs from Mercado 4 past car dealerships, mechanical workshops and Shopping Multiplaza. It takes the name Ruta Mariscal Estigarribia when it reaches Fernando de la Mora. The road then continues to San Lorenzo and Ruta 2, which leads to Ciudad del Este.

Avenida Fernando de la Mora, which also starts at Mercado 4, runs past the bus terminal to the southern suburbs (Villa Elisa, Ñemby). The route is called "Acceso Sur", and rejoins Ruta 1 after Itá.

These 5 axes are crossed by other major avenues that change name from north to south: Peru; Uruguay/Gal Santos/Perón; Brasilia/Kubitschek/Guggiari; Sacramento/Chóferes del Chaco/Médicos del Chaco; Julio Correa/San Martín/Republic of Argentina; Madame Lynch/Defensores del Chaco or "Calle Última" (it marks the border between Asunción and neighboring towns: Luque, San Lorenzo, Fernando de la Mora, Villa Elisa.

Finally, the recently opened Avenida José Asunción Flores, better known as Costanera, runs along Asunción Bay to the north of the city and links up with the new Héroes del Chaco bridge.

Reading addresses

The colonial checkerboard pattern of cuadras (100-150 m linear) and manzanas (rectangular blocks) makes orientation very simple. In this guide, we've kept the local alphabet for addresses. Glossary :

c/: means casi ("quasi", "almost", not Calle "street" as in Spain).

esq: esquina ("at the corner")

y: replaces esq.

e/... y...: between street... and street..

Avda or Av: Avenida ("avenue").

Ruta PY01, km 123: the address is on route^no. 1 at km 123 (km 0 is in front of the Pantheon, in the center of Asunción.

Examples: Cerro Corá 851 c/Tacuary. Meaning "Cerro Corá street^no. 851, near Tacuary street" (which is perpendicular to it). Tacuary 745 e/Herrera y Moreno: "at^no. 745 Tacuary street, between Herrera and Moreno streets"