One of South America's oldest cities, on the Paraguay River
Asunción was founded in 1537, making it one of the oldest cities in South America, and it sits on a bay of the Paraguay River. The Palacio de López, the pink presidential palace, faces the river, and the nearby Panteón Nacional de los Héroes is modelled on Les Invalides. Guaraní is spoken alongside Spanish, and the culture shows in the markets, such as the sprawling Mercado 4, and in food like chipa cheese bread and sopa paraguaya, a solid cornbread. Drink tereré, iced yerba mate, as locals do.