Asunción between Riverside, Art and History

Asunción can be explored through a range of very different places: the public riverside area of the Costanera, an art collection featuring Paraguayan and international works, a pantheon with a long construction history, and a botanical garden with a zoo. These themes offer different starting points for planning your trip. You can consider whether riverside spaces, art, history or wildlife should be your main focus, and tailor your search for a holiday apartment to your own interests.

Riverside and Urban Space

The Costanera de Asunción is a public space along the banks of the Río Paraguay. Its defining feature is its riverside location within the city. If you are interested in this public space, you can consider it alongside the cultural and historical sites, rather than treating all the destinations as the same kind of attraction. This makes the Costanera a distinct way to experience Asunción: the focus here is on the riverside, while other places are associated with works of art, architectural history or wildlife.

Art and History in Asunción

The Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes preserves a valuable collection of Paraguayan and international works of art from different periods and styles. The connection between these two artistic traditions makes the collection a distinct cultural highlight. Art enthusiasts can explore the Paraguayan works and the international collection together. The different periods and styles also offer more than one historical or artistic perspective. This provides a different perspective for choosing your cultural interests than focusing on a single historic building.

The Panteón Nacional de los Héroes is located in the centre of Asunción and offers a distinctive historical focus. Construction began in 1863 on the initiative of then-president Francisco Solano López. The building was initially intended to be a temple dedicated to the Virgen de la Asunción. The consequences of the War of the Triple Alliance delayed its completion until 1936. More than seven decades separate the start of construction from its completion; the two dates mark clearly different phases in the building’s history.

The people laid to rest there also give the Panteón a specific historical significance. They include Mariscal Francisco Solano López, President Carlos Antonio López, Mariscal José Félix Estigarribia and his wife Julia Miranda Cueto, the Niños Mártires de Acosta Ñu, and two unknown soldiers. The names and groups range from political and military figures to the explicitly unidentified soldiers. In this way, the long construction history is linked to a diverse perspective on remembrance. If you are weighing up art and historic sites, the museum’s collection and the Panteón offer two distinct cultural highlights.

Garden, Wildlife and Country House

The Jardín Botánico y Zoológico is located in the barrio Trinidad. The zoo is home to around 70 species of wild animals, including birds, mammals and reptiles. The approximate number of species and the different animal groups make the complex a distinct focus for travellers interested in wildlife.

The grounds also include the country house of former president Carlos Antonio López. It is of significant heritage value and forms part of the walk through the garden. This brings a zoo and a historic building together on the same grounds. The country house offers a different historical point of reference from the Panteón: it is part of the garden walk, while the Panteón is distinguished by its long construction history and the people laid to rest there.

Location Considerations for Your Accommodation Search

The Costanera lies on the banks of the Río Paraguay, the Panteón is in the centre of Asunción, and the Jardín Botánico y Zoológico is in the barrio Trinidad. If art and the historic site in the centre are important to you, this focus can shape your search for a holiday apartment. If you are more interested in the garden complex with its zoo and country house, barrio Trinidad offers another named point of reference. The riverside area of the Costanera adds another theme to consider. First decide what you would like to focus on in Asunción; this will help you choose a location based on your interests without turning the sites into a fixed itinerary.

For an overview of the wider trip: Paraguay.