Museums in Asunción: Which Are Open Today and Which Are Free
Most museums in Asunción are free, and the main thing to plan around is the calendar: several close on Sundays, on Mondays or on both. Of the twelve museums on this page, nine are free to enter, one is free on Fridays and Saturdays, and two charge a small fee. The table below shows which ones open on each day of the week. After it you will find what each museum is, where it is and how to get there.
Which museums are open today?
Find today's column in the table. "Check" means sources disagree or a day is not listed, so confirm before you go.
Free museums in Asunción
These museums are free to enter:
- Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes
- Centro Cultural de España Juan de Salazar (exhibitions)
- Casa de la Independencia
- El Cabildo (Centro Cultural de la República)
- Manzana de la Rivera and the Museo Memoria de la Ciudad
- Panteón Nacional de los Héroes
- Museo Etnográfico Andrés Barbero
- Museo de las Memorias
- Museo CONMEBOL, in Luque
- Museo del Barro, on Fridays and Saturdays only
For free walks, parks and the riverside, see our guide to free and low-cost things to do in the city.
Art
Museo del Barro
The Museo del Barro (Centro de Artes Visuales) is at Grabadores del Cabichuí 2716, on the Ycuá Satí / Villa Morra side of town, a 5 to 10 minute walk from Ycuá Satí. It is free on Fridays and Saturdays and charges a fee from Tuesday to Thursday. It is closed on Sundays and Mondays and opens in the afternoon. On the first Saturday of each month there is a free guided visit. We also feature it in An afternoon with art, part of our Explore page. Map
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes
The Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de Asunción is the national fine arts museum, at Eligio Ayala 1345. Its permanent collection of European and Paraguayan works traces Paraguayan art from the 19th century to today, from history paintings to sculpture, and it also hosts temporary shows. Entry is free. The museum lists opening days from Tuesday to Saturday. Sunday and Monday are not listed, so treat them as closed and check before visiting. From the Ycuá Satí / Villa Morra side it is about 12 to 20 minutes by ride app. Map
Centro Cultural de España Juan de Salazar
The Centro Cultural de España Juan de Salazar (CCE) is Spain's cultural center in the city, at Herrera 834. Its exhibitions are free, and other activities vary. Exhibitions and the library open from Tuesday to Saturday, and the center is closed on Sundays and Mondays, according to its official site. The CCE also hosts events; see Find a performance for dated listings. From the Ycuá Satí / Villa Morra side it is about 15 to 25 minutes by ride app. Map
History in the center
Casa de la Independencia
The Museo Casa de la Independencia, on the corner of 14 de Mayo and Presidente Franco, is a 1772 colonial house where Paraguay's patriots secretly planned independence from Spain. Five rooms and a large hall around a patio hold colonial furniture, documents, household objects, weapons and portraits of the independence leaders, including Fulgencio Yegros's sword. Entry is free. It opens Monday to Saturday and is closed on Sunday. The official page lists evening hours on Saturdays, but special days differ, so check before a late Saturday visit. Map
El Cabildo
The Cabildo de Asunción, on the Plaza de Armas, is the city's old Cabildo and now the Congress's cultural center, the Centro Cultural de la República. Inside are rooms of sacred, Indigenous and popular art, temporary exhibitions, the former Senate chamber upstairs and a Museum of Immigrants. Entry and guides are free. It opens every day, Sundays included. Map
Manzana de la Rivera and Museo Memoria de la Ciudad
Manzana de la Rivera, at Ayolas 129, is home to the Museo Memoria de la Ciudad, the city's history museum, in the Casa Viola. It is free and opens every day, including Sundays, which makes it an easy downtown museum to fit into a weekend. Manzana de la Rivera also hosts events, so check Find a performance before you go. Map
Panteón Nacional de los Héroes
The Panteón Nacional de los Héroes is on Plaza de los Héroes, and entry is free. The official tourism site says it opens early every day and closes early on Sundays, when there is also a morning mass. Some listings say it is closed on Mondays, so check before a Monday visit. Two short moments are worth timing: the flag lowering every afternoon and the changing of the guard on Saturday mornings. A guided service runs on Monday to Saturday mornings. Times are in the box above. Map
Indigenous cultures: Museo Etnográfico Andrés Barbero
Weekdays only. The Museo Etnográfico Andrés Barbero, at España 217, is Paraguay's ethnographic and archaeological museum, in its own building since 1956 and run by the Fundación La Piedad. Its objects, photographs and field notes come partly from study expeditions by Max Schmidt and Branislava Susnik. It opens Monday to Friday and is closed on Saturdays and Sundays. Entry is free.
The museum lists city bus lines 8, 12, 23, 24, 30 and 56 for getting there. By ride app it is about 12 to 20 minutes from the Ycuá Satí / Villa Morra side. Map
Recent history: Museo de las Memorias
The Museo de las Memorias: Dictadura y Derechos Humanos (Museum of Memories: Dictatorship and Human Rights) is at Chile 1066. It is free. Visits are on weekdays with a prior appointment, and it is closed on weekends. Book ahead by email at ma.stella.caceres@gmail.com or by phone. Two numbers are listed, +595 21 425 345 and +595 981 508 883; we could not confirm which one is current, so check before visiting. Allow unhurried time for the visit. Map
Trains and football
Museo Ferroviario
The Museo Ferroviario, the railway museum, is in the Estación Central del Ferrocarril on Plaza Uruguaya, and it is open as of July 2026. Fepasa plans to restore the station (its four façades and water leaks) once the works on Plaza Uruguaya finish. No source says whether the museum will close during the restoration. Visits are guided, and the current price and days are not confirmed, so check before visiting; Fepasa's number is +595 992 387 444. One GuruWalk walk in English, Stories of Asunción, starts at the museum's main entrance. From the Ycuá Satí / Villa Morra side it is about 15 to 25 minutes by ride app. Map
Museo CONMEBOL
The Museo CONMEBOL, the South American Football Museum, is in Luque, about 10 to 20 minutes by ride app from the Ycuá Satí / Villa Morra side. Entry is free. It opens from Tuesday to Sunday, including weekends, and is closed on Mondays. You can book a guided visit on the museum's website. Map
Near Asunción: Museo Mitológico Ramón Elías (Capiatá)
The Museo Mitológico Ramón Elías is a mythology museum at km 21 in Capiatá. Every visit is fully guided, and there is an entry fee for adults and children. It opens in the morning and afternoon from Monday to Saturday and on Sunday and holiday mornings, but one listing says it is closed on Mondays. Before a Monday visit, call or send a WhatsApp message to 0983 152428 (the number given by Asunción Times). From the Ycuá Satí / Villa Morra side it is about 25 to 40 minutes by ride app via Ruta PY02. Map
Noche de los Museos
Noche de los Museos is one evening each November when museums across the country open late and for free. The 2026 edition is on Saturday 7 November. The venue list and program have not been published yet; the 2025 edition had about 100 venues. Follow the official site for the program. Downtown venues are about 15 to 30 minutes by ride app from the Ycuá Satí / Villa Morra side.
Tips for planning your visit
Mondays and Sundays are the trap. On Mondays the Museo del Barro, the CCE and the Museo CONMEBOL are closed, and the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes lists no Monday hours. The Panteón opens every day according to the official tourism site, though some listings disagree. The Capiatá museum's Monday opening is not confirmed, and the Museo Ferroviario's days vary between listings. The safest Monday picks are the Casa de la Independencia, El Cabildo, Manzana de la Rivera, the Museo Etnográfico Andrés Barbero and the Museo de las Memorias (by appointment).
On Sundays the Casa de la Independencia, the Barbero, the Museo de las Memorias, the Museo del Barro and the CCE are closed, and the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes lists no Sunday hours. Manzana de la Rivera, El Cabildo, the Museo CONMEBOL, the Panteón (mornings only) and the Capiatá museum (mornings) are open. Our guide to what is open on a Sunday adds parks, the riverside and a boat ride.
Combine two or three downtown museums on foot. The Casa de la Independencia, El Cabildo, Manzana de la Rivera and the Panteón are all in the old center, so you can pair them in one outing.
Getting there. Downtown is about 15 to 30 minutes by ride app from the Ycuá Satí / Villa Morra side, depending on traffic. See booking a ride and how bus cards work.
FAQ
What museums are in Asunción?
The main museums in Asunción include the Museo del Barro, the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, the Centro Cultural de España Juan de Salazar, the Casa de la Independencia, El Cabildo, Manzana de la Rivera with the Museo Memoria de la Ciudad, the Panteón Nacional de los Héroes, the Museo Etnográfico Andrés Barbero, the Museo de las Memorias and the Museo Ferroviario. The Museo CONMEBOL in Luque and the Museo Mitológico Ramón Elías in Capiatá are close by.
Where is the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, and how much does it cost?
It is at Eligio Ayala 1345, and entry is free. It lists opening days from Tuesday to Saturday.
What is the Cabildo de Asunción, and when is it open?
It is the city's old Cabildo on the Plaza de Armas, now the Congress's cultural center (Centro Cultural de la República), with art rooms, temporary exhibitions, the former Senate chamber and a Museum of Immigrants. It opens every day, and entry and guides are free.
When is Noche de los Museos?
Once a year, on an evening in November. The 2026 edition is on Saturday 7 November.
Which museums in Asunción are free?
Nine of the twelve museums on this page are free every day they open, and the Museo del Barro is free on Fridays and Saturdays. See the free list.
Which museums open on Sundays?
Manzana de la Rivera and the Museo Memoria de la Ciudad, El Cabildo, the Museo CONMEBOL in Luque, the Panteón (mornings) and the Museo Mitológico Ramón Elías (mornings).
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