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Voykit pocket guide · Bolivia
La Paz
La Paz is a slow-start city: land at 4,050 m, rest on day 1, keep walks short and downhill, use radio taxis and cable cars for the slopes, and carry cash in small notes.
La Paz sits in a canyon at about 3,600 m, and its airport in El Alto is higher, at about 4,050 m. Altitude, steep streets and cold nights decide the trip more than distance does. Trips break on a hard first day, on unofficial taxis, and on road blockades and strikes that can close the airport road for hours or days. Four clusters cover a first visit; the cable cars link the slopes; Lake Titicaca and Uyuni are trips from a kept bed.
- Country
- Bolivia
- Best months
- Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct
- Time zone
- America/La_Paz
- Stay
- 2 days: Plaza Murillo and the Witches' Market, then El Prado
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- BOB
- Money
- Cash for markets, taxis, cafés and street food; cards in hotels and larger restaurants, sometimes with a fee. Carry Bs10, 20 and 50 notes: small shops cannot change Bs200.
- Daily spend
- Budget Bs150–300 excl. bed · Mid Bs300–700 excl. bed · High Bs700+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Buy a prepaid SIM from Entel, Tigo or Viva at the airport or a shop (passport needed), or use a foreign eSIM if your phone supports it.
- Emergency
- Police 110 · Ambulance 118 · Fire 119
- Plugs
- 230 V; types A and C sockets. Bring an adapter.
- Tipping
- About 10% in restaurants if service is not on the bill; round up for taxis and guides.
- Water
- Do not drink tap water; use bottled or filtered water. Avoid ice in unknown places.
- Toilets
- Cafés, malls, museums and hotels; carry small coins and tissues.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Salteña | Bs7–12 |
| Set lunch (almuerzo) | Bs20–35 |
| Coffee | Bs12–25 |
| Radio taxi across the centre | Bs10–25 |
| Cable-car ride | Bs3 or more (check) |
| Bottle of water | Bs3–6 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- El Alto International Airport (LPB)
- LPB to La Paz: one radio taxi, 30–60 minutes down from 4,050 m — the risk is not the ride but the altitude on arrival and a road closed by a blockade.
By rail and road
| Station | Serves | To the centre |
|---|---|---|
| La Paz bus terminal (Terminal de Buses de La Paz) | Oruro, Cochabamba, Sucre, Uyuni and Peru | Radio taxi 10 min, Bs10–20 |
| Copacabana buses (Terminal de buses Copacabana) | Lake Titicaca and Peru border | Walk or taxi |
| Border crossing (Peru) (Desaguadero / Copacabana–Kasani) | Peru | Bus and taxi |
Typical fares
- El Alto airport to the centre, radio taxi
- Bs60–90, 30–50 min (2026 estimate)
- Mi Teleférico, one ride
- Bs3 or more (check the fare)
Show 8 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Eat, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Walk short downhill legs, use the cable cars for the slopes and a radio taxi for everything else.
| How | Fare | Use for |
|---|---|---|
| Walking | Free | Inside a cluster, downhill |
| Radio taxi | Bs10–25 across the centre | Between clusters, night, airport |
| Mi Teleférico | Bs3 or more (check) | Slopes, views and El Alto |
| Minibus and trufi | Bs2–4 | Local routes |
Fares are estimates; check before you ride.
- Passes
- No pass. Radio taxis inside the centre are cheap; agree or see the fare before you ride, and avoid unmarked cars.
- Late at night
- No rail. Cable cars run to a fixed evening hour (check the operator); take a radio taxi late.
See and do
01Plaza Murillo
The cathedral and the government palaces on a flat plaza.
Hours: best Morning · Price: Free · Time: 30 min
02Witches' MarketMercado de las Brujas
Herbs, charms and offerings.
Hours: best Late morning · Price: Free · Time: 45 min
03San Francisco BasilicaBasílica de San Francisco
Colonial art and a roof view.
Hours: best Morning · Price: Bs20–40 · Time: 45 min · -16.4966, -68.1375
04MUSEFMuseo Nacional de Etnografía y Folklore
Textiles, masks and festival dress.
Hours: best Mid-morning · Price: Bs10–30 · Time: 1–1.5 h · -16.4950, -68.1370
05Mi Teleférico ride
The canyon from above.
Hours: best Clear morning · Price: Bs3 or more · Time: 1 h
06Plaza Abaroa and Sopocachi
Cafés and quiet streets.
Hours: best Late afternoon · Price: Free · Time: 1 h
07El PradoEl Prado
The flat main avenue.
Hours: best Early morning · Price: Free · Time: 30 min
08A salteñaSalteñería
The local mid-morning snack.
Hours: best 09:30–11:30 · Price: Bs7–12 · Time: 30 minHours: best 9:30 AM–11:30 AM · Price: Bs7–12 · Time: 30 min · -16.5005, -68.1330
09A set lunchAlmuerzo
Soup and a main at local prices.
Hours: best 12:30–14:30 · Price: Bs20–35 · Time: 1 hHours: best 12:30 PM–2:30 PM · Price: Bs20–35 · Time: 1 h · -16.5062, -68.1258
10Valle de la Luna
Eroded clay formations on the south edge.
Hours: best Morning · Price: Bs15–30 plus taxi · Time: 2 h
Hours and prices are desk estimates (checked 2026-09); anything marked (check) is not confirmed. Coordinates open in any map app.
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Tiwanaku | Tour bus or private car about 1.5–2 h each way | Full day |
| Valle de la Luna | Taxi or minibus about 30–40 min | Half day |
| Chacaltaya | Tour van about 1.5–2 h each way | Half day |
| Lake Titicaca (Copacabana) | Bus about 4 h each way | Overnight |
Eat
| Where | What · area | Price | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercado Lanza: api and pastel breakfast | Api and pastel · Casco viejo | Bs8–15 | Budget |
| Salteñería (mid-morning salteñas) | Salteña · El Prado | Bs7–12 | Budget |
| Almuerzo (set lunch) in Sopocachi | Set lunch · Sopocachi | Bs20–35 | Budget |
| Café Ciudad | Café lunch · El Prado | Bs40–80 | Mid-range |
| Sopocachi coffee bar (Yungas beans) | Coffee and cake · Sopocachi | Bs20–40 | Mid-range |
Per person, one dish or one meal, 2026 estimate. Addresses change; confirm locally.
Sleep
| Band | Price a night | Where | What |
|---|---|---|---|
| budget | Bs60–120 dorm bed · Bs150–300 double | Sagárnaga and San Francisco | Hostels, family guesthouses |
| mid | Bs350–800 | Plaza San Francisco and Sopocachi | 3–4 star hotels |
| high | Bs900–2,000 | El Prado and Zona Sur | 5-star hotels |
Per room per night in bolivianos, 2026 estimate; holidays cost more.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Holaoh-la |
| Good morning | Buenos díasbway-nos dee-as |
| Thank you | Graciasgrah-see-as |
| Please | Por favorpor fa-vor |
| How much is it? | ¿Cuánto cuesta?kwan-to kwes-ta |
| Please take me to this address | Lléveme a esta dirección, por favoryeh-veh-me a es-ta dee-rek-see-on por fa-vor |
| I feel dizzy from the altitude | Estoy mareado por la alturaes-toy ma-re-a-do por la al-too-ra |
| Yes / No | Sí / Nosee / no |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Altitude: Move slowly, drink water and skip alcohol for the first day.
- Greetings: Say buenos días or buenas tardes when you enter a shop or taxi.
- Photography: Ask before photographing people, especially women in traditional dress and market sellers.
- Coca leaf: Chewing or tea is normal in Bolivia; do not carry leaves out of the country.
- Churches: Cover shoulders and knees and speak quietly.
- Tipping: About 10% in restaurants if service is not added.
- Queuing: Wait your turn at cable-car stations and in shops; shoving is rude.
Red lines
- Ask before photographing people, especially cholitas at markets.
- Do not take coca leaf across borders.
- Do not walk uphill fast on day 1.
Scams and watch-outs
- Fake police who stop tourists, ask for their passport and cash: real police do not check money on the street; ask to go to a station.
- Unofficial taxis and express kidnapping: use a radio taxi or a booked car, do not share a cab.
- Distraction thefts in markets, bus stations and cable-car queues: spilled drinks, a stranger who points out a stain, or a fight nearby.
- Tour touts who promise a cheap price for a trip and then add fees: book through a hotel or a registered agency.
One and two days
1 day
A stopover before a flight to Uyuni or Sucre. Skip: Uphill walks and Valle de la Luna.
- 09:309:30 AMPlaza Murillo
- 11:0011:00 AMMUSEF
- 13:001:00 PMSet lunch
- 16:004:00 PMCable-car ride
2 days
A usual stay before Titicaca. Skip: Chacaltaya and long hikes.
Day 1: slow start
- 09:309:30 AMPlaza Murillo
- 11:0011:00 AMWitches' Market
- 12:3012:30 PMLunch
Day 2: lower district and cable car
- 10:0010:00 AMPlaza Abaroa
- 12:3012:30 PMCoffee and lunch
- 15:003:00 PMCable-car ride
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Bolivia migration authority (official): www.migracion.gob.bo/
- UK FCDO travel advice: Bolivia: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/bolivia
- Wikivoyage — La Paz: en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/La_Paz
- Wikitravel: La Paz: wikitravel.org/en/La_Paz
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
La Paz
Lléveme a esta dirección, por favor
Please take me to this address
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
Take me to
- Mercado de las BrujasMercado de las Brujas (Witches' Market)
- Basílica de San FranciscoSan Francisco Basilica and museum
- Museo Nacional de Etnografía y FolkloreMUSEF: National Museum of Ethnography and Folklore
- El PradoEl Prado and Plaza del Estudiante
- SalteñeríaSalteñería (mid-morning salteñas)
- AlmuerzoAlmuerzo (set lunch) in Sopocachi
Most embassies are in Zona Sur; check yours.
Show the address with the street and number; many taxis use landmarks.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/la-paz). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.