International Friendship Bridge — Attraction in Região Geográfica Imediata de Foz do Iguaçu

As a person that lives in the frontier and has passed this bridge countless times I will leave some tips for people that are visiting: (updated again!) The bridge is not unsafe (and the cities aren't also) but you still have to pay attention for pickpockets. Doesn't mean you will find one but better to be precautious like you would in any big city. I would also add that right after Paraguayan customs there are a lot of men trying to give people pamphlets or flyers about certain stores, I personally wouldn't take those nor pay attention to them, be safe and just ignore them and go to the store you wanted to go (see number 11 too). As pedestrians we do almost the same thing that cars do on the road. If leaving Paraguay by foot, you go from customs (Shopping del Este side) to the same side of the road until you get to customs of Brazil, if you are retourning to Paraguay you have to come back on the other side. When on the hallway of the bridge, we usually walk on the right so people that are in a rush can pass by the left. There's no need to go to either customs if you're just going to do some shopping in CDE and go back or viceversa with Foz (read Acuerdo entre Paraguay y Brasil sobre Localidades Fronterizas vinculadas (ciudades gemelas)). If you're travelling further in either country you need to go to both customs (Aduana) BY YOURSELF. If you want to take a good look at/take a picture of the bridge, it's even better on your way from cde to foz as they have an overlook to the bridge right after the bridge and on the way to brazilian customs (pay attention to your right after the end of the bridge, walk up some small steps and you'll find it). Bring a hat or something to cover your head from the sun because the roof doesn't cover much, you can still see the sky. The roof and the barricades (?) are anti-suicide protections that they put up a few years ago, but in terms of rain and sun it doesn't protect much. Use sunscreen, a hat and bring a bottle of water with you to drink. It can be too hot or too cold (if windy). If you pass to either side by bus or by car it can be fast sometimes but other times the road is too busy and you can be there for hours. Even though the problem is not in the bridge itself but the problem is the traffic before reaching the bridge from both sides. You can check that by searching "Ponte da Amizade camara" in google. If you pass by bus the price is 12 reais or 15.000 guaraníes, goes back and forth in both countries every now and then. In Paraguay you can get in the bus at the terminal de buses or wherever downtown, goes to Brazil until TTU (Terminal de Transporte Urbano) and Rodoviária. Doesn't stop in the Aduanas (Customs) in case you need to make your entry. There are also "paseros" that can make you get to the other side faster and for a little bit cheaper (some) but you have to ask until which part of both cities they go (probably not outside downtown side). There are places where fakes are sold in Ciudad del Este, but it's not just that. There are many official stores of International brands or where they are represented, for example: Shopping China, Monalisa, Nissei, Shopping Paris, SAX, Atacado Games, Mobile Zone, Mega Shopping Importados, Tokutokuya (Asian foods and goodies especially from Japan). Currency used the most is US Dollars but you can also use Reais or Guaraníes in stores, check if buying in dollars is the best option for you, it usually is. People Are going to try to drag you to theirstores, they will talk to you some sweet things to lure you to buy their products; if you don't want any of that just say Gracias and make a "yes" motion with your head at the same time, that's all. People in Ciudad del Este speak spanish, guaraní and portuguese (especially those that work downtown), if you speak english only it might be a little more difficult to find someone to speak with you but we are working on that! :P I will keep updating if I notice some other things are...

Absolute madness - thoroughly enjoyed, but not for the faint hearted. You walk (or bus) over this relatively poorly maintained bridge. You wander through a bizarrely lax border control, where you can get your passport stamped (although frankly I suspect you could just walk straight in if you fancied). Then, finally, you enter the mayhem - a ramshackle town, Paraguay’s answer to Las Vegas, filled with cheap counterfeit goods, street sellers trading anything you could imagine, and lots of people cooking meat kebabs. In the background, this town represents one of South America’s biggest criminal nexuses, with large quarries of drugs and other untaxed goods passing into Brazil and Argentina via this crossing area.

That said, it’s a wild experience - definitely recommend.

There was a man literally painting the floor of the bridge as we walked across - he didn’t...

I crossed this bridge in May 2021. I was excited as I had never walked into another country before. The walk was about 12 mins. I made two mistakes, first I forgot to fill in my online health form. The lady in the office kindly did this for me on her phone. Next when I went to receive my entry stamp, the officer said I need to return to Brazil as I forget to get my exit stamp ( too excited lol ) so I walked the 12 mins back. Got my exit stamp and then received my entry stamp. It was about 4.30pm. I was treated to a great view as the sun was low in the sky. I had also time travelled 3 times in those 40 mins. I experienced no hassles, no dangers. I came away thinking, this is how I like to cross all land borders in future. Beats the time wasted at airports and being shunted about...