Paraguay Travel Report: Asunción, Jesuit Ruins & Tips

Contents of this post6 chapters

• 1Stopover in Paraguay
• 2The Bus Ride
• 3Arrived in Asunción
• 4Next stop: Lima – Peru
• 5Paraguay travel: Entry, stay and yellow fever
• 6Frequently Asked Questions

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Stopover in Paraguay

The Bus Ride

What we'll probably remember most is the bus ride from the airport toward the capital, Asunción. At every bus stop, people came onto the bus one after another to sell something. Some carried a large woven basket on their shoulder, covered with a white cloth. Underneath were either sandwiches, empanadas, or drinks. Others proudly dangled their electronics or jewelry in front of our faces. Next came the raffle seller, and last but not least, you could buy socks or a new pair of underwear. The fact is: you don't need to go to a store. The stores come to you! We had to giggle a bit when we saw how suddenly all the vendors in this extremely narrow aisle of the bus were standing and struggling to get out again.

For the locals, this seems to be perfectly normal, because they happily shopped away. When you looked out the window, you could see more vendors waving frantically to seize the chance to get rid of their goods.

As we drove on, we saw old vehicles loaded to the brim with groceries. In front of almost every house there were often cows, dogs, and chickens. The background was a vivid green thanks to all the plants. The palm trees were especially beautiful!

Arrived in Asunción

Asunción itself doesn't have many tourist attractions, so a few days are perfectly sufficient. The city center is dominated by high-rise buildings, and everything is very close together. Here and there you'll find a small park.

Unfortunately, these are also full of tents here (as in São Paulo), where homeless people live… When strolling through the city, you have to watch out that you don't fall into some shaft or trip over wooden pallets.

What we found most beautiful here in Asunción were the sunsets with a view of the whole city.

At restaurants and the like, we always had quite a hard time finding something halfway healthy, since the food here is often fried, contains an extreme amount of sugar, is very meat-heavy, or the restaurants' opening hours didn't match our ravenous hunger :D. Overall, there isn't really much going on here. So we were firmly determined to move on. We booked a flight to Chile, since Max has a very good friend from Germany there who is currently working as a mountain guide. The rough plan was set. We wanted to join tours together, celebrate Christmas with the Chilean family, and explore the beautiful regions. Easier said than done. It took 1,000 steps just to be able to book the flight. You need a current PCR test, have to register, sign a sworn statement, fill out the health form, have your international health insurance translated into English with a high coverage amount, and last but not least, have your vaccination validated. After a huge amount of time, we finally had everything ready. Or so we thought. When we were standing at check-in with our packed backpacks, cheerful and unsuspecting, we were told the following: "The validation (recognition) of your vaccination is still pending. Without complete validation, no flight." Welp. That was that. We phoned until our fingers were sore to still get permission for the flight as quickly as possible. No such luck. No chance. A validation can take up to 45 days. Too bad that wasn't clearly stated on the website! And so our plane took off, along with the 300 euros each of us had paid. Bye bye! In a bad mood, angry, and frustrated, we spent the whole day trying to somehow get our money refunded. That meant hours on the phone and what felt like years in the customer office. But thank God! Once again, persistence pays off. ((We actually had a tariff in which cancellation was excluded)! A new flight was booked for us with only a small price difference. ''hopefully'' Yay! This time, we're "hopefully" going to PERU! The COVID measures there aren't quite as strict. We don't even need a PCR test.

PS:

"As a traveler, you can't plan anything. Everything always turns out differently than you think!"

Good to know:

For Paraguay, you need a yellow fever vaccination if you're entering from Brazil (costs about 90 euros)and an antigen test enters from Brazil (cost approx. 90 euros) and an antigen test (cost approx. 20 euros)!

Next stop: Lima – Peru

Paraguay travel: Entry, stay and yellow fever

Paraguay is rarely on the travel itinerary, but entry is easy for Germans. The following information comes from the Travel and safety advice from the Federal Foreign Office (As of October 15, 2026). Legally binding information can be obtained from the Paraguayan embassies and consulates.

Paraguay Visa and Entry

• German citizens do not need a visa for tourist stays of up to 90 days. This stay can be extended once for another 90 days with the approval of the migration authority, Migraciones.
• Entry is possible with a passport, temporary passport, or child's passport, not with a national identity card. The documents must be valid for the duration of the stay.
• Cash up to US$10,000 may be imported.
• Good to know: Those entering by land should ensure their passport receives an entry stamp.

Yellow fever vaccination for Paraguay

A yellow fever vaccination is mandatory for entry from countries including Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela for travelers aged 1 to 59. It must be administered at least ten days before arrival, and the international vaccination certificate will be required at passport control. Those arriving directly from Germany do not need to provide proof of vaccination.

For tourism boards that want to present Paraguay, Asunción, and the Jesuit ruins with well-grounded content, information about productions can be found on the page for collaboration.