BO
La Paz
The World's Highest Seat of Government
The World's Highest Seat of Government
The Witches Market (Mercado de las Brujas; Calle Linares and Sagarnaga; free to walk through; open daily 9am–7pm; the market stalls between the San Francisco Church and the Rosario neighbourhood) is the most distinctive market in South America — stalls selling dried llama foetuses (used in Aymara offerings to Pachamama, the earth goddess; the most potent Aymara ritual object), coca leaves, aphrodisiacs, amulets, herbal medicines, and ritual paraphernalia alongside tourist crafts. The market is functioning: the Aymara medicine women (yatiris) who staff the stalls practice genuine traditional medicine and are consulted by local people daily.
💡 Walk the Witches Market in the morning (9–11am; the stallholders are setting up; the market atmosphere is most genuine; fewer tour groups). Do not photograph stallholders without asking — many prefer not to be photographed. Ask to hold a dried llama foetus (the stallholders are usually happy to explain the ritual significance). The adjoining Artesanias market (Calle Sagarnaga; the widest selection of Bolivian crafts in La Paz; alpaca textiles, silver jewellery, cholita fashion, and Tiwanaku-style carvings) is the finest craft shopping in Bolivia.
The Mi Teleférico cable car network (10 lines; BOB 3 per ride; runs daily 6am–11pm; the world’s highest urban aerial cable car; the largest urban cable car network in the world; connecting La Paz at 3,640m to El Alto at 4,150m) provides the finest panoramic view of La Paz from any perspective: the city canyon below, the Illimani volcano visible on clear days, the El Alto plateau above, and the extraordinary topographic drama of a city built into the Andes visible in every direction. The Roja (Red) line from Sopocachi to El Alto and the Azul (Blue) line to Miraflores are the most spectacular routes.
💡 Take the cable car from the Plaza del Estudiante Roja (Red) line terminal (central La Paz; 10 minutes walk from Plaza Murillo) to El Alto (15 mins; BOB 3; the full ascent from canyon to plateau; the city below visible in extraordinary detail). In El Alto, visit the Thursday and Sunday El Alto market (the largest outdoor market in South America; millions of items including new, used, and smuggled goods; free to wander; the most intense market experience in Bolivia). Return by cable car for sunset over La Paz.
Plaza Murillo (the main civic square of La Paz; free; always accessible; the Presidential Palace — the Palacio de Gobierno; the neoclassical Legislative Palace; the Metropolitan Cathedral; and the statue of Pedro Domingo Murillo — the 19th-century independence hero hanged in the square in 1810 — at the centre) is the most historically charged public space in Bolivia. The cathedral interior (free; open daily; the finest colonial baroque interior in La Paz; the gold-leaf altarpiece) and the changing of the guard at the Presidential Palace (daily at noon; the most theatrical military ceremony in Bolivia) are the two essential stops.
💡 Visit Plaza Murillo at noon for the changing of the guard (the guards in Bolivian military dress uniform; the most colourful ceremony in La Paz; 15 minutes; free from the square perimeter). The MUSEF (Museo Nacional de Etnografía y Folklore; Calle Ingavi 916; €3; the finest ethnographic museum in Bolivia; the cholita fashion collection and the carnival mask collection are the two most extraordinary exhibits) is 5 minutes from the plaza.
The Valle de la Luna (Valley of the Moon; 10km south of central La Paz by taxi BOB 30–40 one-way; BOB 20 entry; a clay and sand badlands canyon landscape formed by erosion of the altiplano; the pointed clay formations are genuinely lunar in appearance; 1.5h walk through the two circuits) is the most accessible natural landscape day trip from La Paz. The Cholita Wrestling (Lucha Libre con Cholitas; the Luna Park venue in El Alto; Sunday afternoons from 4pm; BOB 100–150; the indigenous Aymara women who wrestle in traditional pollera skirts and bowler hats against masked male wrestlers in theatrical but energetic bouts) is the most distinctive cultural entertainment in Bolivia.
💡 For the Valle de la Luna: taxi from central La Paz (BOB 30–40 one-way; 20 mins; negotiate before getting in; ask the driver to wait 1.5h for BOB 50–80 extra). For Cholita Wrestling: minibus from central La Paz to El Alto (BOB 2; 30 mins) and walk to Luna Park (the venue is well-known; ask locals). Book Cholita Wrestling through any La Paz tour agency for group transport (USD 20–30 including transport and entry).
La Paz has an excellent food scene centred on the Sopocachi neighbourhood. Gustu (the finest restaurant in Bolivia; Calle 10 de Calacoto; USD 60–100 for a tasting menu; Claus Meyer’s social enterprise training the next generation of Bolivian chefs; tasting menus using uniquely Bolivian ingredients: quinoa, cacao, camu camu, and Amazonian fish) is internationally celebrated. Ali Pacha (the finest vegetarian/vegan restaurant in South America; Calle Fernando Guachalla 440; USD 30–50; plant-based Bolivian tasting menu) is extraordinary. The Mercado Lanza (the central covered market; the finest budget lunch in La Paz; the salteña counters — the empanada-like pastry with broth inside; BOB 5–8 per piece; the standard La Paz breakfast from 9–11am only — available nowhere after noon) is the essential morning food stop.
Acclimatise for 24–48 hours in La Paz (3,640m) before any strenuous activity. Drink water constantly, avoid alcohol on the first night, eat light meals, and sleep as much as possible on arrival day.
Flying directly to El Alto airport (JFK–GRU–VVI–LPB; or via Lima, Santiago, or São Paulo) means arriving at altitude without the gradual land ascent.
Salteñas (the oval pastry filled with slow-cooked broth, meat, and olive; BOB 5–10; sold from 8–11am only at any street corner or market; eaten standing up; never at dinner) is Bolivia’s most beloved breakfast food.
Uber operates throughout La Paz and El Alto at local prices (USD 1–3 for most city journeys) and is the safest taxi option for tourists (the driver is registered and the route is tracked).
The Death Road (64km from La Cumbre Pass at 4,650m to Coroico at 1,200m; USD 35–60 including shuttle back; 3–4 hours of descending on gravel; gravity biking companies operate daily) is a serious cycling activity.
Coca tea (mate de coca; the dried coca leaf in hot water; legal throughout Bolivia; served free at every hotel check-in in La Paz) genuinely reduces altitude sickness symptoms. Drink 3–4 cups on arrival day.
Arrival day: rest at hotel (2–4h; coca tea; no alcohol; light lunch). 2pm: Mercado Lanza salteñas (if still available; BOB 6 each). Witches Market walk (Calle Linares; free; 1h). San Francisco Church interior (free; 30 mins). Plaza Murillo (cathedral; noon changing of guard if on time; 30 mins). Cable car Roja line to El Alto (BOB 3; 15 mins; the La Paz panorama). Return. Early dinner at Ali Pacha (USD 30–45; plant-based Bolivian; book ahead). Early sleep.
8:30am: salteñas from Calle Loayza salteñería (BOB 12; 2 pieces). Death Road cycling tour (book previous day; USD 45–60; departs 6am; 64km descent; 4–6h; packed lunch included; most tours return to La Paz by 4pm). OR Valle de la Luna in the morning (taxi BOB 35; entry BOB 20; 2h). Sunday: Cholita Wrestling in El Alto (4pm; minibus BOB 2; BOB 120 entry; 2h spectacle). Gustu dinner (USD 60–80; tasting menu; book 1 week ahead).
The safest and most transparent taxi option in La Paz. Local prices (USD 1–3 per ride). Strongly preferred over street taxis for safety.
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Download La Paz offline. The cable car routes are mapped; transit integration works for major lines.
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Multi-currency BOB card. Use ATMs in Sopocachi; avoid ATMs in bus stations. USD also widely accepted.
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Crowd-sourced Bolivia travel tips including safe accommodation, road conditions, and ATM locations. Essential for Bolivia travel planning.
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From the world’s highest capital to the infinite salt flats, colonial silver cities, and ancient Andean ruins.