In this guide
Filadelfia is 467 km from Asunción, about 7 hours' drive up the Transchaco (Wikivoyage (opens in a new tab)), so a there-and-back in one day does not work. A one-day visit makes sense if you sleep there or arrive on the overnight bus: the Jakob Unger museum and the Gran Chaco Interpretation Centre in the morning, lunch on Avenida Hindenburg, a Chaco War fort in the afternoon and a stroll through the centre at sunset.
How to fit a full day into Filadelfia
- By bus: in February 2023 NASA-Golondrina ran five daily departures from Asunción (7:15, 13:00, 14:30, 21:00 and 22:00), taking about 7 hours and ending at its office on Calle Chaco Boreal; some drop off at hotels on Hindenburg (Wikivoyage (opens in a new tab)). The overnight bus gets you there at dawn with the whole day ahead, but book a bed to rest before or after.
- By car: the town is 15 km off the Transchaco (Wikivoyage (opens in a new tab)). If you drive, make Fortín Boquerón your stop on the way up (see below) and sleep in Filadelfia.
- Best days: Wednesday to Saturday. The Interpretation Centre is closed Monday and Tuesday, and almost every shop shuts on Saturday afternoon and Sunday (La Nación, 2025 (opens in a new tab); Wikivoyage (opens in a new tab)).
- Getting around: there is no public transport and only a few taxis, with one rank near the bus terminal; the centre is flat and walkable (Wikivoyage (opens in a new tab)). For the forts you need a car or a hotel tour.
7:00–9:00: Jakob Unger Museum and the tourist office
Start early, before the heat.
- Jakob Unger Museum: the most complete museum of the Fernheim colony, with stuffed Chaco wildlife, fossils and pre-Columbian objects (InfoNegocios (opens in a new tab)). It is the only museum with regular hours: Monday to Saturday 7:00–11:30 and Monday to Friday 14:00–16:00, free (Wikivoyage (opens in a new tab)). The colony's first monument, from 1955, stands in its park.
- Fernheim Cooperative tourist office: at Hindenburg 131-S (Wikivoyage (opens in a new tab)). It runs the museum circuit (La Nación, 2025 (opens in a new tab)); ask there to have the Knelsen-Haus, the School Museum or the Industrial Museum opened, since they only take booked visits.
9:00–12:00: Gran Chaco Interpretation Centre
At the entrance to town, it explains the Chaco's indigenous peoples, wildlife, plants and the Chaco War (InfoNegocios (opens in a new tab)). It opens Wednesday to Sunday, 9:00–17:00, with free entry (La Nación, 2025 (opens in a new tab)). Seeing it before a fort visit makes the afternoon much more meaningful.
12:00–14:00: lunch and siesta
Most businesses close between 12:00 and 14:00 (Wikivoyage (opens in a new tab)), so this is your lunch slot:
- Hotel Florida restaurant, Hindenburg 165-S: open daily (Wikivoyage (opens in a new tab)), run by the cooperative, with a buffet and an à la carte menu (InfoNegocios (opens in a new tab); Hotel Florida (opens in a new tab)).
- Cash: few shops take cards. There are two banks on Hindenburg and, according to Wikivoyage, an Itaú ATM that accepts international cards (Wikivoyage (opens in a new tab)).
14:00–18:00: one Chaco War fort
Pick one; two in the same hot afternoon is too much.
- Fortín Boquerón: 435 km from Asunción, so before Filadelfia if you come up the Transchaco (ABC Color, 2022 (opens in a new tab)). It has a museum of weapons and war photos, dugouts, trenches and a soldiers' cemetery, and offers guided visits; ABC listed (0971) 336-788 to arrange one (ABC Color, 2022 (opens in a new tab); La Nación, 2021 (opens in a new tab)). If you are driving, do it on the way up.
- Fortín Toledo and the peccary centre: about 30 km west of Filadelfia (Wikivoyage (opens in a new tab)). Its trenches and dugouts are almost intact (ABC Color, 2022 (opens in a new tab)), and next door the Chaco Conservation and Research Centre breeds the Chacoan peccary (taguá) and gives talks to visitors (La Nación, 2026 (opens in a new tab)). In 2017 the access road was dirt, 4x4 only and close to impassable after rain (Última Hora, 2017 (opens in a new tab)), so check conditions at the tourist office.
- Nature option: if you would rather see birds, Filadelfia hotels sell trips to Laguna Capitán, with flamingos and coscoroba swans (InfoNegocios (opens in a new tab)); June is the best month (La Nación, 2025 (opens in a new tab)).
At sunset: Avenida Hindenburg
Walk the main street again and the Parque de las Memorias with its settlers' monument (Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)). If you are taking a night bus back, have an unhurried dinner; if you are staying, Loma Plata is just 21 km away for the next day (Wikivoyage (opens in a new tab)).
Heat and dates to plan around
- Summer goes above 40 °C and is the rainy season (Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)). On 35–40 °C days, Paraguay's Ministry of Health advises exercising between 6:00 and 10:00 or 18:00 and 22:00 (La Nación, 2022 (opens in a new tab)), which is why this plan keeps museums in the morning and the fort for late afternoon.
- The Expo Rodeo Trébol in Loma Plata runs in mid-August and fills hotels across the area (Wikivoyage (opens in a new tab); La Nación, 2025 (opens in a new tab)).
FAQ
Can I visit Filadelfia and return to Asunción the same day?
No: it is 467 km and about 7 hours' drive each way. A one-day visit works if you arrive on the overnight bus or sleep in Filadelfia.
What can I see in Filadelfia in one day?
The Jakob Unger Museum and the Gran Chaco Interpretation Centre in the morning, then a fort such as Boquerón or Toledo in the afternoon, with lunch on Avenida Hindenburg.
Which days are best?
Wednesday to Saturday. The Interpretation Centre opens Wednesday to Sunday, and almost all shops close on Sunday.
Do Filadelfia's museums need booking?
The Jakob Unger Museum has regular hours; the others open by appointment through the Fernheim Cooperative tourist office on Avenida Hindenburg.
