Bolivia · Local picks
100+ Places to Visit in Bolivia
These are our picks across Bolivia, from cable cars and witches' markets to salt hotels, Inca islands and colonial rooftops. Opening hours and tour routes change with the seasons and local events, so check before you go.
Places to Visit in La Paz
Things to Do
- Mi Teleférico (City wide)
Ride the urban cable car lines for sweeping views over the canyon, El Alto and the peaks. - Cholita Wrestling (El Alto)
Loud, theatrical Sunday wrestling shows featuring women fighters in traditional dress. - Tiwanaku (Altiplano)
The ruins and museums of a great pre Inca civilisation, an easy day trip from the city. - Yungas Road mountain biking (Yungas)
A thrilling downhill ride from high Andes to subtropical forest with a specialist operator.
Shopping and Markets
- Witches' Market (Rosario)
Stalls of herbs, charms and llama foetuses used in Aymara offerings, right in the old town. - 16 de Julio Market (El Alto)
One of the largest open air markets in South America, held on Thursdays and Sundays. - Mercado Rodríguez (San Pedro)
A sprawling local food market for fruit, cheese, bread and Andean produce. - Calle Sagárnaga (Rosario)
Alpaca knitwear, textiles and souvenirs in a steep street of shops.
Arts and Culture
- Calle Jaén (Centro)
The best preserved colonial street in the city, lined with small museums and painted doorways. - San Francisco Church (Centro)
A baroque mestizo church whose rooftop tour gives a view over the busy plaza below. - MUSEF National Museum of Ethnography and Folklore (Centro)
Superb displays of festival masks, textiles and feathers from across Bolivia. - Plaza Murillo (Centro)
The main square with the cathedral, presidential palace and parliament, full of pigeons and families. - Museo Nacional de Arte (Centro)
Colonial and Bolivian art in a baroque palace on Plaza Murillo. - Museo de la Coca (Rosario)
A small museum explaining the history and uses of the coca leaf.
Nature and Outdoors
- Valle de la Luna (Mallasa)
A short walk through eroded clay spires on the southern edge of the city. - Mirador Killi Killi (Villa Pabón)
A hilltop viewpoint for one of the best sunsets over the city and Illimani. - Chacaltaya (Cordillera Real)
A former ski slope above 5,000 metres with views of Huayna Potosí and Titicaca.
Restaurants
- Mercado Lanza (Centro)
Cheap juices and set lunches in a busy multi storey market near San Francisco. - Gustu (Calacoto)
The restaurant that put modern Bolivian cooking on the world map, using only native ingredients. - Ali Pacha (Centro)
Inventive plant based tasting menus built on Andean grains, tubers and herbs. - Paceña La Salteña (Sopocachi)
A long running favourite for the city's beloved juicy mid morning pastry. - Popular Cocina Boliviana (Centro)
A small lunch spot reimagining traditional Bolivian dishes as set menus.
Cafés
- Typica Café (Sopocachi)
A local specialty coffee chain serving beans grown in the Yungas.
Bars and Nightlife
- Peña Huari (Rosario)
A folk music dinner show with dancers from different Bolivian regions.
Events
- Gran Poder (Centro)
A huge folkloric parade of dancers and bands held each year in late May or June. - Alasitas Fair (Centro)
A January fair of miniatures where people buy tiny versions of what they wish for.
Stays
- Atix Hotel (Calacoto)
A design hotel filled with Bolivian art in the lower southern zone. - Hotel Rosario (Rosario)
A colonial style hotel in the old town, close to the markets. - Wild Rover La Paz (Centro)
A lively hostel popular with backpackers.
Places to Visit in Uyuni
Things to Do
- Salar de Uyuni (Salar)
The world's largest salt flat, famous for its mirror effect and perspective photos. - Train Cemetery (Edge of town)
Rusting steam locomotives left in the desert, a classic first stop. - Colchani (Salar)
A salt processing village where families cut and pack salt by hand. - Salar stargazing tour (Salar)
Night tours to see the Milky Way reflected on the salt.
Nature and Outdoors
- Isla Incahuasi (Salar)
A rocky island of giant cacti in the middle of the salt flat. - Laguna Colorada (Eduardo Avaroa Reserve)
A red lagoon dotted with flamingos high in the Lípez region. - Laguna Verde (Eduardo Avaroa Reserve)
A green mineral lake below the cone of Licancabur volcano. - Sol de Mañana (Eduardo Avaroa Reserve)
A steaming geyser field and bubbling mud pools close to 5,000 metres. - Polques Hot Springs (Eduardo Avaroa Reserve)
Natural thermal pools for a warm soak at dawn on the three day tour. - Salvador Dalí Desert (Eduardo Avaroa Reserve)
Surreal rocks scattered on colourful sand, named for the painter. - Árbol de Piedra (Siloli Desert)
A wind carved rock shaped like a tree in the high desert. - Tunupa Volcano (Coquesa)
A colourful volcano on the northern edge of the salt with mummy caves at its foot.
Arts and Culture
- Dakar Monument (Salar)
A salt sculpture marking the rally's passage through Bolivia, next to the flags. - Pulacayo (Near Uyuni)
A ghost mining town with old trains and a turbulent history.
Stays
- Palacio de Sal (Salar edge)
A hotel built of salt blocks on the edge of the flat. - Luna Salada (Salar edge)
A salt hotel with big windows looking across the Salar.
Restaurants
- Minuteman Pizza (Centro)
Wood fired pizza and hearty breakfasts, a long standing traveller favourite. - Uyuni Central Market (Centro)
Cheap soups and set meals with locals before an early tour start.
Places to Visit in Copacabana
Arts and Culture
- Basilica of Our Lady of Copacabana (Centro)
A white Moorish style basilica, home of Bolivia's patron saint. - Inca Stairway (Yumani, Isla del Sol)
Ancient stone steps rising from the jetty past a sacred spring. - Pilko Kaina (Isla del Sol)
Inca ruins on the southern tip of the island with lake views. - Isla de la Luna (Lake Titicaca)
A small island with the ruins of the Temple of the Virgins of the Sun.
Events
- Blessing of the cars (Basilica)
Families decorate new cars with flowers to be blessed outside the basilica. - Fiesta de la Virgen de la Candelaria (Copacabana)
The town's biggest festival in early February with dancing and processions.
Nature and Outdoors
- Cerro Calvario (Copacabana)
A Stations of the Cross hill with a superb sunset over the lake. - Isla del Sol (Lake Titicaca)
A car free island of Inca ruins, terraces and walking paths. - Horca del Inca (Copacabana)
A small Inca astronomical site on a hill south of town.
Restaurants
- Trout stalls on the waterfront (Lakeshore)
Simple kiosks serving fresh fried lake trout. - La Cúpula (Copacabana)
A hillside hotel restaurant with lake views and vegetarian dishes.
Stays
- Hotel La Cúpula (Copacabana)
A quirky hotel with domes, gardens and views over the bay. - Hotel Rosario del Lago (Copacabana)
A comfortable colonial style hotel near the shore.
Things to Do
- Pedal boats on the bay (Lakeshore)
Paddle out on swan shaped boats for a fun hour on the water. - Chincana ruins (Isla del Sol north)
A labyrinth of Inca stone rooms near the sacred rock of the creation myth.
Shopping and Markets
- Copacabana Market (Centro)
A small covered market for fruit, bread and juices.
Places to Visit in Sucre
Arts and Culture
- Casa de la Libertad (Centro)
The hall where Bolivia's declaration of independence was signed in 1825. - Plaza 25 de Mayo (Centro)
The leafy main square, the heart of daily life in the white city. - Museo de Arte Indígena ASUR (Centro)
Exquisite Jalq'a and Tarabuco weavings with live weaving demonstrations. - San Felipe Neri rooftop (Centro)
Walk the white rooftops of a convent for some of the best city views. - Cementerio General (Centro)
A tranquil tree lined cemetery of grand mausoleums. - Glorieta Castle (Outskirts)
An eccentric mixed style palace built for a Bolivian prince and princess.
Nature and Outdoors
- Mirador de la Recoleta (Recoleta)
A colonnaded viewpoint for golden hour over red tiled roofs. - Maragua Crater (Cordillera de los Frailes)
A red and purple bowl of folded rock reached on a guided trek.
Things to Do
- Parque Cretácico (Cal Orck'o)
A wall of thousands of dinosaur footprints plus life size models.
Shopping and Markets
- Mercado Central (Centro)
Fresh juices, fruit salads and simple lunches in the central market. - Tarabuco Sunday Market (Tarabuco)
A big village market where communities trade in traditional dress. - Para Ti Chocolates (Centro)
A well known Sucre chocolatier with shops near the plaza.
Events
- Pujllay Festival (Tarabuco)
A colourful March festival of music and dance marking a historic victory.
Restaurants
- El Huerto (Centro)
A garden restaurant known for traditional Chuquisaca dishes. - Condor Café (Centro)
A community minded café restaurant that also runs trekking trips. - El Patio Salteñería (Centro)
A busy spot for morning salteñas fresh from the oven.
Cafés
- Café Mirador (Recoleta)
A terrace café with deckchairs looking over the city.
Bars and Nightlife
- Florín (Centro)
A popular bar restaurant with a long wooden bar and live sport.
Stays
- Parador Santa María la Real (Centro)
A restored colonial mansion hotel with courtyards and tunnels.
Places to Visit in Santa Cruz
Arts and Culture
- Plaza 24 de Septiembre (Centro)
The shaded main square where sloths have been seen in the trees. - Cathedral Basilica of San Lorenzo (Centro)
A brick cathedral with a bell tower view over the plaza. - San Javier Mission Church (Chiquitos)
A painted wooden Jesuit mission church in the UNESCO listed Chiquitos region. - Concepción Mission (Chiquitos)
A beautifully restored mission town with a busy music tradition. - Museo de Historia Natural Noel Kempff Mercado (Centro)
Exhibits on the wildlife of the Bolivian lowlands.
Things to Do
- Biocentro Güembé (Urubó)
A nature park with a butterfly dome, pools and orchid gardens.
Nature and Outdoors
- Lomas de Arena Regional Park (South of the city)
Pale sand dunes and lagoons hidden in the forest near the city. - El Fuerte de Samaipata (Samaipata)
A UNESCO listed carved sandstone ritual site above the village. - Amboró National Park (Samaipata)
Cloud forest with giant tree ferns and rich birdlife, best with a guide. - Las Cuevas waterfalls (Near Samaipata)
A series of swimmable waterfalls and pools outside Samaipata.
Shopping and Markets
- Mercado Los Pozos (Centro)
A lively market for tropical fruit, juices and lowland snacks. - Mercado 7 Calles (Centro)
A huge maze of stalls selling clothes, fabrics and household goods.
Bars and Nightlife
- Avenida San Martín bars (Equipetrol)
The city's nightlife strip of bars, lounges and clubs.
Restaurants
- Casa del Camba (Equipetrol)
A large traditional restaurant serving lowland dishes with live music.
Events
- Carnaval de Santa Cruz (City wide)
The city's huge pre Lent party of parades, music and water fights.
Stays
- Los Tajibos Hotel (Equipetrol)
A large garden hotel with pools, a long standing city landmark. - La Víspera (Samaipata)
A peaceful garden guesthouse and organic farm in Samaipata.
Places to Visit in Potosí
Arts and Culture
- Casa Nacional de Moneda (Centro)
The colonial royal mint, now one of Bolivia's finest museums. - Convento de Santa Teresa (Centro)
A former Carmelite convent museum with art and an orchard. - San Lorenzo de Carangas (Centro)
A church with a richly carved mestizo baroque stone facade. - Potosí Cathedral (Plaza 10 de Noviembre)
A neoclassical cathedral whose bell tower looks out over Cerro Rico.
Things to Do
- Cerro Rico mine tour (Cerro Rico)
Visit a working cooperative mine with a licensed guide to understand Potosí's silver history.
Nature and Outdoors
- Ojo del Inca (Tarapaya)
A warm crater lake for a swim outside the city.
Shopping and Markets
- Mercado Central Potosí (Centro)
A local market for soups, bread and Andean produce.
Events
- Fiesta de Chutillos (Potosí)
An August festival of folk dancing honouring San Bartolomé.
More to Explore
We are still checking these with fresh sources, so confirm opening times before you go.
- Café del Mundo (Sopocachi, La Paz)
A relaxed café known for big breakfasts and a friendly traveller crowd. - Hb Bronze Coffeebar (San Miguel, La Paz)
Specialty coffee bar that turns into a cosy spot for evening drinks. - Diesel Nacional (Sopocachi, La Paz)
A quirky industrial themed bar on the Avenida 20 de Octubre. - Parque Urbano Central (Centro, La Paz)
A long green park with playgrounds and city views, good for families. - Piedra Blanca Backpackers (Centro, Uyuni)
A simple, friendly hostel in town for tour departures. - Tika (Centro, Uyuni)
A restaurant serving Andean dishes like quinoa and llama in modern style. - Uyuni Street Market (Centro, Uyuni)
The weekly market along Avenida Potosí for warm hats, gloves and snacks. - Ecolodge La Estancia (Yumani, Isla del Sol, Copacabana)
Stone cottages with terraces facing the snowy Cordillera Real. - Pan America (Copacabana, Copacabana)
A relaxed café spot for coffee and cake on Avenida 6 de Agosto. - Joy Ride Café (Centro, Sucre)
A long running café bar for breakfasts, drinks and movie nights. - Hotel Mi Pueblo Samary (Centro, Sucre)
A boutique hotel with country style rooms and a sunny patio. - Kultur Berlin (Centro, Sucre)
A sociable guesthouse with a bar and Spanish classes nearby. - Empanadas de arroz stalls (Centro, Santa Cruz)
Breakfast rice and cheese pastries with coffee, the cruceño way. - Café Lorca (Centro, Santa Cruz)
A café and cultural space near the plaza with live music some nights. - Kalapurka stalls (Centro, Potosí)
Try kalapurka, a corn soup kept bubbling with a hot stone. - Hotel Coloso Potosí (Centro, Potosí)
A comfortable hotel near the main square.