San Bernardino and Lake Ypacarai

Lake Ypacarai is Asuncion's weekend water, and San Bernardino on its eastern shore is where the capital summers - a town founded by German colonists in the 1880s whose old hotels and villas still shade the lanes, now joined by cafes, lake-front promenades and a lively December-to-February season. The lake itself was immortalised by the guarania song Recuerdos de Ypacarai, which every Paraguayan can hum. Boats and pedalos work the shore, Aregua across the water adds a ceramics-town excursion, and the sunsets over the lake are the postcard.

What you actually see

• The lakefront promenade - the season's evening stroll.
• German colonial architecture - the old hotels and villas of the founding era.
• Aregua ceramics town - the pottery centre across the lake.
• Summer season nightlife - the capital decamping December to February.

When to go

The summer season from December to February is when San Bernardino comes alive, at the price of crowds and peak prices; October-November and March are pleasant and calmer. Winter is quiet with many venues shut on weekdays.

Honest expectations

The lake has a long-standing algae and pollution problem, and swimming is often inadvisable - treat it as scenery and boating water, checking current conditions locally before getting in. The town is seasonal: out of season it can feel closed. Weekend traffic from Asuncion is heavy in summer.

Nearby

Aregua, the craft towns of the Central circuit and Asuncion.