Getting Around Paraguay

There is no passenger rail network to speak of, domestic flights are limited, and the country is small enough that almost everything is a bus journey. The good news is that the long distance buses are comfortable and frequent. The bad news is everything to do with city buses.

Long distance buses

Asuncion's Terminal de Omnibus is the hub, and services run from it to Encarnacion, Ciudad del Este, Concepcion, Filadelfia and across the borders to Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo and Santiago. Several classes are usually offered on the same route, from a stopping service to a direct one with reclining seats, and the price difference is worth paying on a long overnight run.

Book ahead around Caacupe in December, Semana Santa and Independence in May. The rest of the year you can usually turn up.

⚠ Crossing to Brazil at Ciudad del Este

This is the one journey on which something can go genuinely wrong, and it is a procedural problem rather than a safety one. On the crossing between Ciudad del Este and Foz do Iguacu the cited advice records that long distance bus drivers sometimes tell foreign nationals they can complete immigration formalities in Asuncion. That is not true, and a traveler without an entry stamp is fined on the way out of the country.

Get off at the border post, present your passport, watch the stamp go in, and do not let a bus that appears to be leaving hurry you. If it leaves, another one is along shortly and a fine is more expensive than a wait. The entry requirements guide has the full picture.

City buses

Asuncion's colectivos are private, numerous and how most of the city moves. Routes are marked on boards behind the windscreen, they are not always obvious to somebody who does not already know the city, and you pay as you board. Fares are posted on the bus, and this page does not print one because a printed fare is out of date before you read it.

Two things worth knowing. The cited safety advice records that bag snatching and pickpocketing are a problem on public transport, and that many foreigners choose taxis over buses for that reason. And in the summer a bus without air conditioning at two in the afternoon is an experience you will only want once.

Taxis and apps

Ride hailing apps operate in Asuncion and are the easiest option for a visitor. For a conventional taxi, the cited advice is specific: call a licensed taxi from a landline or from your hotel rather than hailing one in the street. Agree the fare before you set off if the meter is not running.

Driving

• Main routes between the cities are paved and in reasonable condition. Away from them, unpaved is the norm, and unpaved after heavy rain can be impassable.
• The Chaco is a different proposition: long distances, few settlements, limited fuel and little phone signal. Do not attempt it in an unsuitable vehicle or without water.
• Avoid driving at night outside the cities. Livestock, unlit vehicles and unmarked surfaces are the reason.
• Blockades close main roads with little warning, as described in the travel safety guide. Do not try to cross one. Turn round.

River

The Paraguay and the Parana carry freight and some passenger traffic, and a boat up the Paraguay toward Concepcion is a slow and memorable way to travel. Schedules are informal. Ask locally rather than planning a connection around one.

Sources

• UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Paraguay safety and security: the record that groups may set up blockades along the main roads and in downtown Asuncion near government buildings, that bag snatching and pickpocketing are a problem on public transport, the advice to use cash machines inside buildings and to call a licensed taxi from a landline or a hotel rather than hailing one in the street, the note that photo identification may be asked for when paying by credit card, and the assessment that although there is no recent history of terrorism in Paraguay attacks cannot be ruled out. Accessed 17 September 2026.
• UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Paraguay entry requirements: a passport valid for the duration of the stay, 90 days of permission granted on arrival with a further 90 available from the Paraguayan Immigration Department, the instruction to make sure an immigration official stamps, dates and signs the passport on arrival, the fine levied on departure where there is no entry stamp, the note that long-distance bus drivers sometimes tell foreign nationals they can complete immigration formalities in Asuncion and that this is not true, the Permiso del Menor required of under 18s resident in Paraguay, the declaration required for cash or traveler's checks worth 10,000 US dollars or more, and the warning that false banknotes are common when changing money with people on the street or on arrival at the airport. Accessed 17 September 2026.
• UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Paraguay travel advice: the index to the entry, safety, regional and health pages this cluster draws on, and the standing guidance that no travel can be guaranteed safe. Accessed 17 September 2026.