Often confused as the capital of Bolivia, La Paz is a chaotic city located in a canyon between 3,600 m and 4,000 masl. The steep hills which surround the city offer an amazing backdrop and, in some places, an incredible viewpoint over the town and the surrounding snow-capped peaks.
For most travellers, La Paz will generally be visited several times while exploring everything Bolivia has to offer. It may be your first stop after crossing from Peru, a quick visit before jetting off to the jungle or a base for experiencing the famous death road. But one thing is sure, before heading to these incredible experiences, you will need to acclimatise to the altitude and nothing is better than to visit this buzzing town.
Here is a complete guide to all the things to do in La Paz. We hope you enjoy it!
Travelling around in La Paz
For us, we came in and out of the city 4 times. Some visits lasted several days and others only a night or two. To the surprise of many, La Paz is one of our favourite South American cities. There is something about the messy chaos that offers an authentic experience that is hard to find elsewhere. Although, before visiting La Paz, you will need to understand how to travel around the city. With its high altitude and steep hills, you will more than likely depend on public transport which can be chaotic. Here are our best tips to help you navigate the city.
Walking around La Paz
If there is one thing you will learn in La Paz is that things work differently. No one is in a rush, yet everyone is going somewhere. While locals make their way from a to b, traversing the broken sideways, bus fumes and strenuous hills, we struggled to walk from our hostel to the main avenue. The altitude means that you will more than likely need time to adjust and the hills will surely push you to grab a bus or a cable car.
Also, walking in La Paz requires a lot of attention as the cars won’t stop for you, even if the little man is green; pedestrians seem to have no priority. As Paceños would say “the traffic lights are like Christmas decorations. Just bright green and red lights“. For this reason, you might end up finding Zebras in the street that will help you to cross.
The “Zebra” crossing
The “Zebras” are volunteers dressed in zebra costumes found in the streets of Bolivia’s major cities. Inspired by the “zebra crossing” and a similar initiative in Bogota, Colombia, the Bolivian government established a program to regulate traffic. The “cebritas”, as they are known in the country, act like civilian police, high-fiving adolescents, hugging tourists and helping elderly people, while also using humour against the law-breaking drivers.
They also help against littering in the streets by installing cameras and painting messages on the walls as well as through educational programs on themes such as recycling, water conservation and bullying.
Since the implementation of the Zebra initiative in 2001, other cities like Sucre and Tarija have recruited zebras to reduce incivility and car-related accidents in the city centres during rush hours. On the 15th birthday of the Zebras, the program received the Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation which can be easily replicated across the world while Unesco on its side declared them an Intangible Cultural Asset.
Taking the Teleferico or Cable Car
Operating at 4,000 m, the cable car of La Paz is the world’s highest commuting network which revolutionized transportation between the different parts of La Paz. Built across numerous hills, the city can be a nightmare to cross either by walking or by car.
Upon his election, Evo Morales introduced the cable car linking “El Alto”, the highest peak of town to the lowest “Zona Zur”, within only 11 stops. With an average commute of 1 hour, the cable car decreased journeys to just 10 minutes, a significant improvement for the locals and the tourists.
But the time saving is only the tip of the numerous beneficial impacts Mi Teleferico has offered to the Paceños. Entirely run with electric power, La Paz took a step towards reducing air pollution. Built within only 2 years, the cable car hired more than 1,000 full-time workers and the initial 3 lines have now increased to 9 lines and will probably reach 16 by 2030.
As a tourist attraction, the cable car offers exceptional panoramic views and connects the major touristic areas such as Sopacachi, Zona Sur, El Alto, and the city centre. Don’t hesitate to give it a go during your visit, it’s worth the 3 Bs (€0.40).
Understand the Bus system in a La Paz
The bus system is quite reliable in La Paz. There is always a collectivo (mini-van), or a Dodge truck that will go in your direction. Flag it on the side of the road and ask “bajar” whenever you are ready to hop off. You will often hear locals saying “la esquina por favor“. This means that you wish to be dropped off at the next intersection (esquina = corner). The buses are an incredibly cheap way to travel around if you don’t go too far. To cross the town from south to north, take the cable car!
Where to Stay In La Paz
- We stayed in Sopacachi at the Pirwa hostel. It was a bit cold at night, with no real atmosphere but they have a great breakfast buffet and a kitchen which is not common in Bolivia.
- Before and after our trip to Rurrenabaque we chose to stay at The Wild Rover Hostel not for the party but for the hot shower, a rarity in Bolivia. Breakfast is very limited to bread, butter and jam and there is no kitchen. They have a pub, and restaurant cooking Irish and continental food. If you want an Irish fry, it’s the place to go, but be careful you might get stuck there and do nothing else than partying, sleeping and eating in. This type of hostel is made to keep you in… But if you are looking for a party this is where everyone goes. The same goes for the Loki hostel.
Where to eat or drink locally in La Paz?
To take a break from the chaos, stop and try some of the food La Paz has to offer.
- For the best Tucuman in all of Bolivia “El Prado” is a must. Located on the main avenue, you will need to get there early because as soon as they are sold out they are done for the day. They are pretty popular so usually, El Prado closes at lunchtime. They don’t look like much, but they are fantastic.
- For sandwich lovers, try some of the famous pork buns for a more primitive version of a pulled pork sandwich. Our favourite was “Las Cholas” in Zona Sur. A little out of the way, but if you plan to take a ride on the Teleferico this restaurant area is pretty close to the final stop.
- If you are more of a fan of avocados, pop into the market off of San Francisco square for a cheap avocado sandwich while grabbing a fresh smoothie to wash it down.
- To help adjust to the altitude we swear by Coca. Chew it or brew up a coca tea and you’ll feel much better.
- For a caffeine fix, head to HB Bronze in the city or, our favourite, Typica in Zona Sur. Both offer high-quality speciality coffee with a relaxed atmosphere. Typica’s decoration and location are a little more “natural” than the very studied design of HB Bronze.
WHAT TO DO IN LA PAZ BOLIVIA –
THE COMPLETE CITY GUIDE
1. Valle de la Luna
Only a short bus ride from the city centre is the foreign landscape of Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley). It is rumoured to have gotten its name after a visit by Buzz Aldrin who was heard saying that it looked like the moon. Whether that is true or not, the rock formation is truly unique.
We spent about an hour walking through the valley taking photos, watching the tours do some sort of weird Shamanic ritual and trying to guess if the loud noise we kept hearing was a gunshot! It turned out to be a clay pigeon shooting range nearby. We also learned afterwards that Moon Valley was once used in a scene of a Star Wars movie.
How to get to the Valle de la Luna in La Paz?
There are two ways to visit, either by tour or by public transport. There is no real need to take a tour as it is incredibly easy to get there on your own.
Take the bus from outside the San Francisco Church in the direction of Mallasa. It should cost 2.50 BS (€0.30) each way, per person.
Tell the driver you want to stop at the park entrance (“A la entrada de la Valle de la Luna, por favor”). The journey takes about 45 minutes. To return just wait across the street from where you got off and wait for the bus back to town.
The entrance of the site costs 15 Bs (€2.00)
2. El Alto: Market, Cable car and New Andean architecture
On top of the hills that surround the city is El Alto. The town is often mistaken to be part of La Paz, however, it is technically its own city. The two cities have both expanded so much that they seem to be part of one another.
Located on the Bolivian Altiplano, at around 4,100 m, El Alto established itself as a home for poorer Bolivians who left the countryside in seek of work in the big city. Due to costs or lack of opportunities, many ended up in El Alto, separated from the masses. Because of this, El Alto has grown independently. It is home to a sort of lawless society where manikins hang from street poles to ward off troublemakers.
Protests regularly shut down the international airport (the only road from La Paz to the airport passes through El Alto and is, therefore, a strategic place for protests as it easily shuts down the city’s major roads). It is not advised to visit El Alto after dark but it is an excellent place to experience the traditions of Bolivia during the day, especially at the market.
Even with all of the negative press, El Alto is definitely a place to spend time. The impressive cable car can whisk you up from 3,100 m to 4,000 m, in a matter of minutes. It’s worth it. The views of La Paz are amazing. Walk from one Teleferico site to another (Red to Yellow) along Avenida Panoramica on either Tuesdays or Sundays and you will be right in the middle of a massive open-air market where you can buy anything from shoes to food and get a cheap haircut or have a shaman curse that enemy of yours.
For lovers of architecture, residents of El Alto have developed a unique style to their buildings, a colourful style named “New Andean“. We are not sure how we feel about it, but it is highly regarded in these parts. For more on this check out the vice mini-documentary here.
Recommended reading to learn more about El Alto – “El Alto, Rebel City” by Sian Lazar
3. Watching the Cholitas wrestling without a tour
For most, visiting El Alto will be for a night trip to the famous Cholita Wrestling. Every Thursday and Sunday, Cholitas take to the ring, in what started as a show of Cholita Pride. They acrobatically jump from corner to corner, somersaulting and playing to the crowd of tourists.
Apparently many locals follow the flying Cholitas like many follow the WWE. We witnessed the Cholitas strut their stuff on a Thursday without a tour, but many hostels organise trips for more than we were willing to pay, so we hopped in a taxi from the cable car to the arena and bought our ticket on site.
Entrance fees for the wrestling
Normal price: 50 Bs (€6.40) – 100Bs (€12.80) with a tour.
The bus to the arena from the Cable Car is chartered by the Cholita wrestling company and not the tour operators. Hostels and agencies which organise tours will charge you double to simply walk part of the way to the shuttle.
We recommend visiting El Alto market, grabbing some food and then taking a taxi to the arena.
Make sure to check which is the correct arena for the day of your visit. There are 2 sites, one near the market (no taxi needed) and one further away into El Alto.
Sunday 4pm is the most animated and long show. The Thursday show is packed with gringo tours and only last 1 hour.
Here is the official website: www.cholitaswrestling.com
4. Shopping at the Witches Market and Gringo Alley
Within the centre of La Paz is the Witches Market. The stories of shops selling llama foetuses, love potions and voodoo dolls made this one of the first stops on our list. The “brujas” (witches in English), are important in the Aymara community as they are still used to bring good fortune or put someone under a spell. To be honest we walked straight through the market without noticing we had arrived.
The “market” is basically an extension of “Gringo Alley” where all of the tour agencies and tourist shops are located. It consists of a couple of stalls and shops, with items to use for ceremonies such as Llama foetuses and candles, or lotions to heal gastritis and other day-to-day illnesses.
We were a bit disappointed as it was nothing we had not seen elsewhere. Visit any market in Bolivia and you will find stalls selling the same. For a more authentic feel, explore the Rodriguez Market or El Alto where you will see shamans working and will be able to ask about any type of potion.
How to get to the Witches Market in La Paz?
The Witches Market (Mercado de las brujas) starts at the corner of Avenue Santa Cruz and Calle Melchor Jimenez, just off the main tourist streets
5. Learning about the Coca at the Coca Museum
If you want to learn more about this powerful plant, its history and its legal and non-legal uses, take a trip to the Coca Museum, on Linares 906. After the tour, you can sample everything made with coca, from teas to alcohol shots. But for those who want to buy coca leaf to chew or to drink as tea, hit the market or find a stall selling a bag for as little as 5 Bs.
To extract the cocaine from the coca leaf, it requires a large amount of leaf and chemicals. Chewing coca against altitude sickness, stomach pain or for cultural reasons has nothing to do with the white powder. It is not a drug and won’t get you high…
It wouldn’t cost 5 Bs for a 250g bag if it had the same effects…
6. Cycling the Death Road
One of the main, if not the main attraction for many in La Paz is taking time to cycle the world’s deadliest road. Before a new and modern road had been built through the mountains and jungle, the only road from La Paz to the Amazon was by way of a narrow trail, hugging the sides of cliffs.
If the narrow roads and perilous drops of over 1000 m don’t scare you, then think that this road used to take two-way traffic! Now you can imagine why it has been called the death road. Many accidents happened here and unknown numbers of people were killed (unknown because most buses and transport trucks in Bolivia usually carry more people than they should). With the new road from La Paz to Corioco, this section is now clear of traffic which has allowed downhill bikers to take over.
It is easy to organise and sign up to cycle the death road, there are many agencies offering tours. It is worth knowing that different agencies offer varying levels of standards. Gravity and Baracuda are the two most highly rated agencies that regularly buy new bikes and service them to the highest standards. These two are also the most expensive.
>> Book your tour directly online with Gravity
Death Road: Surviving the Death Road, What to Expect?
7. The interesting sites of La Paz city centre
- San Francisco Plaza is the main square of the city. This is where everything happens. It is a great spot to hop on and off a bus in any direction in the city but also looking for a hostel to stay in or go shopping. The San Francisco church is worth the visit if it is open.
- Plaza Murillo is home to government buildings and Presidential Palace. Look up and you will notice something different and quite odd while looking at the clock. It runs backwards. Called the Clock of the South, the numbers have been inverted. It is a symbol for the Aymara and Quechua communities who see the past in front of them and the future behind them. The clock is supposed to remind the people of Bolivia “to think differently” (than the rest of the western world) and “find their indigenous roots”. For those interested, it is possible to buy watches that work anti-clockwise too.
- San Pedro Prison is La Paz’s main prison. Popularly known for the tourist tours that used to be organised within and also for its self-management. In this prison, convicts can rent or buy a place to stay. They can have their own business and even live with their families. It is no longer allowed to enter but the prison and the square outside is the spot where the free walking tours meet.
Recommended reading about San Pedro Prison – “Marching Powder” by Rusty Young.
- Presidential Palace is where the government sits. Even if La Paz is not the constitutional capital, it is still the place where decisions are taken. When we visited, 9 Bolivians were released from Chile’s prison after an altercation at a border between officials. It is not uncommon that Bolivia and Chile to fight… It is mainly always about the same problem, the land accessing the sea that was lost by Bolivia to Chile at the end of the 19th century. The circumstances for the loss and the dispute are currently being reviewed by the UN courts.
- Calle Sagarnaga is also known as Gringo Alley. This is the place to go if you are looking for souvenirs and gifts. Keep in mind that it is made for tourists, with tourist prices, so you might need to negotiate the prices a bit. But always ask yourself how much it is in your currency, and how much is a fair price for both sides. Fighting over €1 is not always necessary.
We didn’t feel that in La Paz, or elsewhere in Bolivia, people were trying to screw us over. The prices are a bit higher than for locals, but not to an extent that they are openly lying to you and increasing the real price by 100% like in other South American countries. This is something we liked in Bolivia, in general, the prices are fair.
Now, be aware of the high probability of what you are buying is Made in Asia and that the beautiful alpaca shirt you saw, isn’t really alpaca… You can’t pay €5 for a jumper and expect Alpaca wool. If you are looking for high quality, you will find a few shops selling real alpaca jumpers in the area. The price will start at 450 Bs (about €50) but it can be dropped to 300 Bs.
- Sopacachi is a trendy neighbourhood. This was our first choice to stay for a week. We really liked the area that is a little more chill than the surroundings of San Francisco Plaza. It is a great place to find good restaurants while still being a 30-minute walk from the hustle and bustle. The yellow cable car heading to El Alto passes through Sopacachi and links with the green line to go to Zona Sur.
- The Miradors Killi Killi and Laikakota. La Paz is really hilly which gives a lot of opportunities to observe and photograph the city from above. The only issue is to get to the miradors. We walked both but really had to take our time as the altitude tired us easily. It is a good exercise to get acclimatised to the heights! Taking a taxi wouldn’t cost much if you prefer to avoid walking up the stairs.
9. Take a day tour to Tiwanaku, the lost civilisation of Bolivia
Have you ever heard of the “Tiwanaku”, an ancient civilisation which disappeared long before the Incas took over the region of La Paz? The discoveries made here by archaeologists are so unbelievable that, if confirmed, they might change the entire human history line as we currently know it… in fact, most of Tiwanaku’s stones defy scientific explanations.
Known for their incredible structures aligned with the stars and perfectly carved temples built without the wheel, the site of Tiwanaku (also spelt Tiahuanaco) is still an enigma for scientists.
The archeologic site located 50 km from La Paz, is the centre point of the most diverse theories: Are the Tiwanaku constructions proof of an extraterrestrial visit to Earth? Would Tiwanaku be what Platon described to be the lost Atlantis? Could a port built 20 km from Lake Titikaka be proof that a very advanced civilisation lived here more than 10,000 years ago?
Well, let’s be clear, visiting the site of Tiwanaku will not answer these questions… but if you are interested in archaeology or mythology, this is a really amazing place to visit – It is also the perfect excuse to get out of the city and see a bit of the countryside!
How to get to Tiwanaku from La Paz?
There is a collectivo near the cemetery of La Paz (Calle Baltazar or Jose aria Asin). It will bring you to more than 4,000 masl where the grass is so yellow you can barely see the vicuñas run free! To return to town, you will need to hop on a mini-van from Tiwanaku. You can go to the main road for a better chance to catch a ride faster than waiting at the museums.
It is a very nice one-day excursion from La Paz but it requires time and a bit of patience. There are also day tours from La Paz for those who don’t feel like taking the local transportation. You can check availability and prices here.
10. La Paz Free Walking Tour
In most major cities we try to take a free walking tour (for tips) to help find our way around, learn more about the history of the city and find some of the interesting landmarks. The tour of La Paz is quite good. Starting from the famous San Pedro Prison, the tour takes in the local markets, explains the Cholitas outfits and flirting stories, and visits San Francisco Plaza before ending near the Presidential Palace.
The tour is definitely worth doing if you are fresh to Bolivia or feel a little overwhelmed by the city. We chose the Red cap walking tour and would strongly recommend them. Here is their website.
Costs and useful information for La Paz
Exchange rate (avg. June-August 2017): €1 = 7.82 Bs
National transportation to/from La Paz:
Sucre: 120 – 200 Bs (€15 – €26) – night bus
Santa Cruz: 150 – 200 Bs (€19 – €26) – night bus
Copacabana: 25 Bs (€3.20)
Tiwanacu: 25 Bs (€3.20)
Flight La Paz to Rurrenabaque: 600 – 675 Bs (€76 – €86)
Transport in La Paz:
City bus: 2 Bs (€0.10)
Mini-van (collectivo): 3 Bs (€0.40)
Bus to Valle de la Luna: 2.5 Bs (€0.30)
Cable car: 3 Bs (€0.40)
2 Cable cars: 5 Bs (€0.50)
Accommodation:
Pirwa hostel (dorm): 48 – 70 Bs (€6 – €8)
Wild Rover hostel (dorm): 50 – 90 Bs (€6.50 – €11.50)
Leasure:
Valle de la Luna Entrance Fee: 15 Bs (€1.90)
Coca Museum : 15 Bs (€1.90)
Death Road Tour – Gravity Assisted Mountain Biking: 850 Bs (€110)
Cholita Wrestling: 50 Bs (€6.40)
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jen – Owner, writer & photographer – has lived for the past 10 years across Oceania and Ireland while also travelling long-term in Latin America, North America and Europe. She has visited more than 60 countries and set foot on every continent in the world!
>> Favourite countries: New Zealand, Bolivia, Iceland.
>> Wishlist: Svalbard, Japan, Botswana, Alaska.
>> Philosophy: “We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.
Jen is a coffee nerd, passionate about photography, wildlife and outdoor activities. Her organisation and curiosity make her a great travel companion always looking for DIY and off-the-grid adventures. For more info, check out the About page.
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