In this guide
In Filadelfia, choosing a local business well comes down mostly to timing: nearly everything is on or near Avenida Hindenburg, but most shops close from 12:00 to 14:00 on weekdays, on Saturday afternoons and on Sundays (Wikivoyage (opens in a new tab)). Do your errands in the morning, carry cash, and use the Cooperativa Fernheim supermarket as your base for the big shop.
Where are the shops in Filadelfia?
The centre is flat and walkable: Avenida Hindenburg is the main street (Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)), and the shops, banks, the best-known hotel and the museums are on it or a few blocks away (Wikivoyage (opens in a new tab)). The bus terminal and the town's only taxi stand are in the same area, so if you arrive by bus you can do everything on foot.
Filadelfia is the centre of the Fernheim colony, and the cooperative is still the main economic engine, with a dairy, a peanut and sesame plant and a meat-packing plant (Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)). You will notice it on the shelves.
When should you go shopping?
The colony keeps its own rhythm. According to Wikivoyage (opens in a new tab):
- Monday to Friday: most businesses close from 12:00 to 14:00. Run errands mid-morning or after 14:00.
- Saturday: get everything done before noon; almost everything is closed in the afternoon.
- Sunday: the centre is closed. The Hotel Florida restaurant on Avenida Hindenburg opens every day, including holidays, and may be the only place to eat in the centre that day.
If you are arriving on a Sunday, buy what you need on Saturday morning or on the road.
How do you pay in Filadelfia?
Carry cash in guaraníes. Outside hotels, large restaurants and the cooperative supermarket, few shops take credit cards (Wikivoyage (opens in a new tab)). There are banks with ATMs on Avenida Hindenburg.
Across Paraguay, QR is now the most used electronic method: 68.1% of the electronic payments Bancard processed in April 2026 (ABC Color (opens in a new tab)). In Filadelfia, do not assume every counter has it; ask before you order. Always ask for a receipt (factura).
What is worth buying at the cooperative supermarket?
The Cooperativa Fernheim supermarket is the showcase for what the colony produces (Wikivoyage (opens in a new tab)). In 2018 it opened a new building in the centre, with a 3,500 m² main hall, a food court and larger parking (ABC Color, 2018 (opens in a new tab)), and in 2023 ABC described it as a modern supermarket that also sells artisan food made by local residents (ABC Color, 2023 (opens in a new tab)).
- To take home: dairy, peanut products and other cooperative goods. Ask which days fresh stock arrives.
- In the heat: summers in Filadelfia go above 40 °C and the record is 44.8 °C (Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)). Bring a cool box and leave chilled items for last.
How can you combine errands with a visit to the centre?
If you are passing through, one morning is enough to shop and see the town:
- Centro de Interpretación del Gran Chaco, at the town entrance: open Wednesday to Sunday, 9:00 to 17:00, free entry (La Nación, 2025 (opens in a new tab)). One of the few things open on Sunday.
- Cooperativa Fernheim tourist office, which runs the museum circuit (La Nación (opens in a new tab)). It opens mornings, plus afternoons on weekdays, and is closed on Sunday (Wikivoyage (opens in a new tab)).
- Museo Científico Jakob Unger, with Chaco wildlife and fossils, and the Knelsen-Haus, a 1948 house showing how the first settlers lived (Infonegocios (opens in a new tab)).
- Parque de las Memorias, in the town centre (Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)).
- Lunch at Hotel Florida, owned by the Cooperativa Fernheim, with buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner (Infonegocios (opens in a new tab)).
- Supermarket last, before 12:00 or after 14:00, so chilled food does not ride around in the car for hours.
What should you stock up on before heading into the Chaco?
Filadelfia is the last place to stock up properly before going deeper into the Chaco (Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)). If you are heading to a ranch or the war forts:
- Plenty of water: groundwater is too salty to drink and drinking water comes from rain-fed cisterns (Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)).
- Food that survives the heat, ice and cash, in case there is no ATM further on.
- A nearby backup: Loma Plata is 25 km away (Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)); check there before ordering something from Asunción, about 470 km away.
During the Expo Rodeo Trébol, held in neighbouring Loma Plata district (La Nación, 2025 (opens in a new tab)), the town still fills up (La Nación (opens in a new tab)): do your big shop beforehand and book accommodation early.
FAQ
What time do shops close in Filadelfia?
Most close from 12:00 to 14:00 Monday to Friday, on Saturday afternoon and on Sunday. Run errands in the morning.
Can you pay by card in Filadelfia?
At hotels, large restaurants and the cooperative supermarket, yes; elsewhere few shops accept cards. Carry cash in guaraníes and ask about QR.
What is open on Sunday in Filadelfia?
Very little. The Hotel Florida restaurant opens every day, and the Centro de Interpretación del Gran Chaco opens Wednesday to Sunday, 9:00 to 17:00.
Where can you buy Mennonite colony products?
At the Cooperativa Fernheim supermarket in the centre, which sells what the colony produces plus local artisan food.
