Walking Tours Further Afield
Start at Avenida Mariscal Lopez and Avenida Peru. To get there from downtown, take any bus with a Mariscal Lopez sign (Lineas 12, 26, 56, 30, 41, 44), and ask to be let off once the bus turns onto.
Mariscal Lopez. Depending on the bus, you may have to backtrack two to four blocks to get to Peru. While leaving downtown, be sure to take a look out the window to your left on Cerro Cora between Yegros and Iturbe (two blocks past the Plaza de la Democracia and Hotel Guarani) for a view of the now defunct Gran Hotel Hispania – one of Asuncion’s crumbling architectural gems. If starting from Villa Morra, take any bus headed downtown along Mariscal Lopez, and get off at the intersection with Avenida Peru.
Holiday in Lambare Photo Gallery
Walk down Avenida Peru and take a right on De las Residentas, and walk to the Gran Hotel del Paraguay at the intersection with Padre Pucheau. Now converted into a hotel, this grand colonial manor was once owned by the infamous Madame Lynch. Ask the reception to see the ballrooms featuring elegant florid murals commissioned by Madame Lynch herself. These periodically restored murals are in extraordinary condition and are a testament to the splendor that Madame Lynch craved and created in her new tropical home.
Exit the hotel, round the corner to the right, and walk along Saubatte to Mariscal Lopez. You will pass the Colegio Internacional where many of Asuncion’s wealthy families have sent their children for generations (the original building on the left of Saubatte is very interesting looking). If you are ready to eat, cross Mariscal Lopez and go two blocks up Republica Francesa to Chez Bong for excellent Korean food.
Take a left on Mariscal Lopez (if you stopped at Chez Bong take a right). This historic residential neighborhood was once home to Asuncion’s most influential families whose grand manors lined Avenida Mariscal Lopez. Many of these historic houses are still standing – some having been taken over and restored by private companies and foreign embassies. Looking at them, you can get a sense of the grandeur of years past.
Walk to the Ministerio Nacional de Defensa (Ministry of National Defense) on the corner of Mariscal Lopez and 22 de Septiembre. Out front is the “Monumento a la Defensa Nacional” (Monument to National Defense), an award winning sculpture by Gustavo Beckelmann. The artist was inspired by the lyrics of the song Patria Querida, “Seran alla nuestros pechos las murallas ” (there our chests will be the walls). Enter the Ministry of National Defense to visit the Museo Historico Militar (Mon-Fri 7am-1pm) which contains a large collection of paintings, photos, and other relics from Paraguay’s unfortunately war-torn history.
