Paraná is the capital of Entre Ríos province, sitting on a bluff above the river that shares its name. Across the water, connected by the Subfluvial Tunnel, lies the much larger city of Santa Fe. Paraná is the quieter, greener counterpart — a pleasant provincial capital with a long riverside promenade (the Costanera), parks, and a relaxed pace of life.
The city centre has some fine 19th-century architecture, including the cathedral on the main Plaza 1° de Mayo and the old provincial government building. Parque Urquiza stretches along the riverfront with good views and shade. Paraná was briefly the capital of Argentina in the 1850s, a fact the city is proud of but that most visitors do not know.
It is not a major tourist destination, but if you are travelling through the Argentine Litoral — the riverside region between Buenos Aires and the north — Paraná is a comfortable stop with good river fish restaurants and a genuine local character.