Paraguay - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 690

Río
Paraguay

CENTRAL ASUNCIÓN

Puerto

E P U B

Palacio de
Gobierno

Centro Cultural
Manzana
de la Rivera

N

Bank Cabildo

P L A Z A D E
ARMAS

Casa de la
Independencia
Senatur

Catedral

Tourist
Police

Panteón de
los Héroes

MaxiCambios

Estación de
Ferrocarril

P L A Z A D E
LOS HÉROE S

Bank

Bank

P L A Z A
U R UGUAYA

TACPy

Museo de las
Memorias

Museo de
Arte Sacro

EATING
Bar San Roque
Café de Acá
Lido Bar
Nat Salud
Sukiyaki
Taberna Española
La Vienesa

7
6
1
10
11
2
3

8

ACCOMMODATION
Arandú Hostal
Black Cat Hostel
Hostel B&B Ñande Po'a
El Jardín Hostal
Palmas del Sol

3
1
5
4
2

DRINKING & NIGHTLIFE
Britannia Pub
Hollywood Dance
Kilkenny
Planta Alta

8
9
5
4

0 200

metres

attracts tourists, protesters and pedlars
alike. It is, in fact, made up of four
squares, each with its own name, but
generally referred to as a whole as the
Heroes' Square thanks to the redoubtable
Panteón de los Héroes (daily 8am-6pm;
free) in its northwestern corner. In a
country lacking in postcard-perfect
moments, it is Paraguay's most instantly
recognizable monument and it contains
the remains of former presidents Carlos
Antonio López, his son Francisco Solano
López and the dictator Dr Rodríguez de
Francia. The Panteón faces onto the busy
commercial and shopping street Palma ,
where you'll find plenty of artesanía stalls.

Paraguay where the squat, yet overblown,
Palacio de Gobierno will come as
something as a shock. Often referred to
as the Palacio de los López, the seat of
government was started in the 1850s by
the elder of the López dictators who
wanted to bring a touch of Europe to
Paraguay. He hired an English contractor
to whip up a palace with a touch of
Versailles, the White House and
Westminster, but for all its grand
pretensions, the resulting building is almost
friendly and, thanks to the lack of fencing,
you can walk almost right up to it.
A few blocks west of the Palace, down
El Paraguauo Independiente, brings you
to the puerto (port; at the corner with
Colón), where it is possible to catch boats
across the Paraguay (daily 6.30am-7pm;
Gs3500 one-way; 30min) to the small
town of Chaco'í from where you'll get
lovely views of Asunción, as well as

The waterfront
A right turn on Juan de Ayolas, a few
blocks up Palma from the Plaza de los
Héroes, will bring you down to the
waterfront on the banks of the Río