Places to go out in Caacupé: where to eat and what to do

Going out in Caacupé mostly means going out to eat and stroll: an all-you-can-eat dinner at Churrasquería Brasil on Route PY02, something quieter at De las Sierras Resto in the Alta Gracia Hotel or at Restaurant Asunción, and a walk around the Basilica and square at dusk. The big night of the year is 7–8 December, with the serenade to the Virgin; the rest of the year Caacupé is a quiet provincial town.

Where to have dinner

These places appear in SENATUR's food directory:

• Churrasquería Brasil – on Route PY02. All-you-can-eat grilled meat and sides at lunch and dinner, every day from 10:30 to 22:30. Takes reservations and cards, with air conditioning, parking and cocktails (SENATUR⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠). Tip: the easiest choice if you are passing through on the highway.
• De las Sierras Resto – inside the Alta Gracia Hotel. Paraguayan and international cooking, desserts and cocktails in a calmer setting (SENATUR⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠). Tip: good for a couple's dinner or a get-together.
• Restaurant Asunción – Juan E. O'Leary street. Traditional dishes, plus breakfast, cocktails, reservations and card payment (SENATUR⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠). Tip: central, handy if you are already near the Basilica.

What to do at dusk in the centre

• Caacupé Basilica. The shrine of the Virgin of Miracles is one of Paraguay's largest churches (SENATUR⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠). Next to it are the old chapel and the Virgin's Well, and the Basilica has a museum with chairs used by John Paul II and Francis (Wikipedia⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠). Tip: the esplanade is the town's meeting point; everything else is walkable from there.
• Tupãsy Ykua. A historic spring of clear water, also recommended by SENATUR (SENATUR⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠).
• Calle Boquerón. A few blocks from the Basilica, between Presbítero Ayala Solís and Dr. Venancio Pino, festival days bring a food court of grills and food trucks; the area by the Teatro Municipal and the old market also fills with stalls outside bars and restaurants (ABC Color, 2017⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠).
• Chipa with butifarra and cocido. Caacupé's classic snack; during festivals vendors set up behind the Basilica and along the pedestrian walk beside it (Última Hora, 2015⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠).

The night of 7–8 December

The biggest outing of the year. In 2022 the Basilica scheduled Mass at 19:00 on 7 December, the midnight serenade to the Virgin with songs, dancing and drums, early Masses at 1:00 and 3:00 and the main Mass at 6:00 on the 8th (La Nación, 2022⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠). That week the town does not sleep: food on Calle Boquerón and rides at fairgrounds such as Itall Park, as ABC Color reported in 2017 (ABC Color⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠).

Tips: arrive early and park away from the centre; bring water and cash in guaraníes. Times change each year, so check the Basilica's programme.

By day: hills and crafts

If you stay the weekend, add a daytime plan before going out:

• Cerro Kavajú. A protected area since 2014, with three stone terraces, a cave on the Yvyty Kavajú trail and space to camp (Wikipedia⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠).
• Cerro Cristo Rey. A trail climbs to the hilltop oratory; the hills look out over Lake Ypacaraí (Wikipedia⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠). Tip: go early or mid-afternoon, never at midday in summer.
• Barrio Loma. Workshops making pyrographed pictures on leather and wood, a craft passed down for generations (Wikipedia⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠).
• Caacupé carnival. A tradition that draws groups from all over the country (Wikipedia⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠); check each season's dates.

Getting there and back

Caacupé is 54 km from Asunción on Route PY02 (Wikipedia⁠⁠ (opens in a new tab)⁠). If you drive out for dinner from Greater Asunción, plan the night drive back and decide who is driving. In December the highway and centre fill with pilgrims, so leave plenty of time or stay overnight.