The fascinating city of La Paz will leave you spellbound with its piquant beauty and dizzying altitude of 3,660m. Travellers enter the city via the flat plains and sprawling shanty towns of El Alto which hide the spectacular valley below. Your first breathtaking glimpse of La Paz will show you the city's buildings and La Paz hotels perched precariously on the sides of the canyon and spilling downwards in a dizzy fashion. When the skies are clear, the imposing silhouette of the snow covered Mt. Illimani looms behind La Paz.
La Paz is an excellent city to explore. You can roam through the colonial style plazas, marvel at the bronze statues of Spanish rulers and military leaders, get lost in the alleyways and gaze at the grand architecture that is part of every street.
After acclimatizing to the altitude, you must explore the numerous sights and sounds of La Paz to savour the city's diversity. Experience the city by taking a leisurely stroll through the twisting alleys, visit the bustling markets and museums with their interesting artefacts, converse with the local people in a comedor or small La Paz restaurant, and relax over coffee at a modern café. Use our La Paz map to get your bearings and to also help you choose your hotel in La Paz based on its location.
La Paz is a good place for first time visitors to begin a tour of Bolivia. The city is located in the highlands of eastern Bolivia and walking through the city will give you ample idea about why the city has grown so much in importance. It is the largest city in Bolivia and the designated governmental capital. It is also Bolivia's centre for commerce, finance and industry. El Alto, once a suburb of urban La Paz, attracts a continuous surge of immigrants, mainly looking for work, and this has helped it become one of South America's fastest growing cities. It was considered to be the capital of the world by the ethnic Aymará community.
La Paz offers spectacular views of the magnificent 21,000-ft mountain peaks that tower over it. A day's hike or tour from La Paz will bring you to the eastern side of the Andes. Mountain climbers as well as most visitors to Bolivia usually spend a few days in La Paz to enjoy life amidst this fascinating community perched atop a plateau. There are also a wide range of guesthouses and hotels in La Paz run by friendly and welcoming locals. Being one of the cheapest countries to visit in South America, accommodation in La Paz is extremely affordable and great value.
Oruro, a less well known but flourishing village, can be reached in a three-hour drive from La Paz. Closer to La Paz is the fascinating Valle De La Luna, or the Valley of the Moon, which has a fantastic, almost mythical landscape. You can walk across the narrow ridge through the park and marvel at the natural wonders all around.
The San Francisco Church was built in 1549 and is very well preserved. It functions even today. The exterior of the church has been bleached by the sun and this hides the detail on the façade. As you move closer though, intricate carvings emerge from the shadows and you can see strange faces in the stonework.
The famous Witches Market is a fascinating place. Here you will see freeze-dried llama foetuses that are bought by worshippers to make religious offerings. Bolivians are mainly Catholic, but their religion is heavily intertwined with native folklore and beliefs.
Bolivia is the least developed country in South America and many people make a living using traditional skills such as weaving and farming. Up to 70% of the people use traditional methods of farming. Like their Incan ancestors, many families are farmers even though the grasslands of the Altiplano or plateau are dry and do not offer the best conditions for farming.
It helps to speak Spanish in Bolivia, as in the rest of South America but most vendors, especially in La Paz, speak English. The vendors offer a fine assortment of Indian weaves, with vibrant colours and intricate patterns. There are fine examples of handmade silver, which is easily available, not too expensive and of excellent quality. As you explore the highlights of La Paz, you can ask questions about a piece of woven cloth to gain an idea of the time spent creating the beautiful fabric. You can hold the heavy cloth in your hand and admire the craftsmanship that has gone into it - from spinning and dying the yarn, to weaving the final product. Long after you return home, the cloth will remind you of its Andean birthplace each time you gaze upon it.
You may need to adjust to the altitude of La Paz before you can really enjoy it, especially if you arrive from lower altitudes. Don't do too much on the first day. Drinking coca tea or chewing coca pieces will help you acclimatise sooner. Sorochi pills for altitude sickness may also help. Once you do adjust you will find that La Paz has wonderful sights to see, numerous La Paz hotels to stay in, some great La Paz tours, and extremely friendly locals to show you around.
