Asunción is the the capital of Paraguay and by far the biggest city. It is located at the the east bank of the rio Paraguay at the Bay of Asuncion.
The city is an appealing mix of old and new (or: less old), of poor and rich, of city and countryside. There are many beautiful colonial buildings, and just old buildings in general, which are either in great shape or completly detoriated (often just next to each other). You´ll see lots of highrise buildings, which are mostly quite simple, but entertaining in a way. There is the great presidential palace, with at the back side the navy (one ship), and just a couple of meters away the first slumps. A great place to buy just about anything from sweet potatoes to weddingdresses to hardware and software is the Mercado Quatro, a whole neighborhood of marketspace. Don´t skip the harbour, where antique cranes are still functioning.
The nightlife consists of karaokebars, the cosmopolitan Cafe Literario and small hubs of culture that are hard to tap into (talk to the locals for help).
In the city you will find colonial buildings and nice parks next to a growing number of modern buildings. You can visit the colonial building and museum Casa Viola or stroll around in the Botanical Garden (jardin botanico), former home of the famous Lopez family. There is a good view of the city from the Parque Carlos Antonio Lopez high above Asunción. In Asuncion you can also find a golf-course and a zoo. It is no surprise that the capital is also the travel hub of the country. You can book tours to the Iguazú Falls (which are actually on the border between Argentina and Brazil, but they are verry close to Ciudad del Este) and all other major places of interest throughout the country.
