German houses
Wooden balconies.
Santiviago — Public domain · Cmasi — CC0 · Cmasi — CC0 · Cmasi — CC0
Paraguay's best-known summer resort, an elegant town on the east shore of Lake Ypacaraí, founded by German settlers in 1881, which kept old European-style houses and hotels with wooden balconies and gardens among trees and hills. Paraguayans call it «Sanber» and flock here in summer to escape the capital's heat, filling its cafés, restaurants and lakeside piers, with concerts and festivals. The rest of the year it becomes very quiet. The waterfront has a promenade, wooden piers and boat clubs, and its hills offer views over the wide lake. The town has historic hotels, one built in the nineteenth century, and craft and food shops. It is packed in January and February and quiet in winter. Paraguayan summers are very hot and humid from November to March, so carry water and a hat; winter is milder for sightseeing.
Wooden balconies.
On the lake.
19th century.
East shore of Lake Ypacaraí, about 50 km east of Asunción
Spring and autumn are pleasanter and calmer; January and February are crowded with holidaymakers from the capital.