Shopping trip to Encarnación

Encarnación is the Paraguayan city facing Posadas across the Paraná river, and people from Posadas and the surrounding Argentine provinces have long crossed the bridge to shop there. The shopping area is a short distance from the Paraguayan end of the bridge. With a driver you cross seated and your bags come back in the boot.

With a driver or on your own

There are cheaper ways across: the international local bus and, when it is running, the train over the bridge. They work if you are alone and buy little. A private transfer is worth it when:

• several people share one vehicle;
• children or older travellers are in the group, and standing in a queue is hard for them;
• you expect to return with parcels you would not want on a crowded bus;
• you start from a hotel or from Posadas airport.

How we organise it

Your driver collects you at the address you give in Posadas. After the Argentine exit control and the Paraguayan entry control, you are dropped in the shopping area and we agree where and when the driver returns. If you wish, add some time on the riverside promenade before going back. The crossing itself is explained under Posadas – Encarnación.

If you can, avoid Saturdays and public holidays, when the queue is longest. We do not promise a crossing time, and availability of the service is confirmed at booking.

What you buy

Your purchases enter the country you return to under that country’s customs rules. Check the current allowance yourself before you go and keep the receipts. For a sense of the area and the kinds of shops, read our guide to shopping in Encarnación. Each passenger crosses with their own document; which one is accepted depends on nationality.