La Paz

V!VA User‘s Description

Set in a narrow basin just 5km wide, and guarded by sharp Andean peaks, La Paz is one of the most striking capital cities in the world. Nothing can prepare you for your first sight of the city, especially at night when millions of lights fill the canyon and crawl up the sides of the mountains. By day the city is a bustling mishmash of colourful Indian markets, suited businessmen, honking cars and wide-eyed tourists. You could spend days wandering around taking it all in, but when it gets too much, escape to the cool, quiet interiors of some of the city’s numerous museums and art galleries for a taste of Bolivian culture.

La Paz is well geared to tourists, with services such as banks, travel agencies, good restaurants and comfortable hotels (which are lacking in many parts of the country). If you want to stay close to these home comforts, you can easily use the city as a base for your stay, taking short trips out to nearby visitor spots such as Lake Titicaca, Coroico in the Yungas, the Cordillera highlands and the ruins of Tiahuanaco.

At 3,660m, La Paz can get very cold, particularly at night when temperatures can drop to below freezing, so warm clothes are essential. However, during the day the sun is still very strong year round, so it’s important wear sunscreen, even if you don’t feel hot!

Although La Paz can be visited year round, April to October is the best time to visit, with mainly cool, crisp, clear days. From November to March it is a bit warmer but heavy rain falls most days and low cloud dominates the valley.

Getting around the city is easy, with only one main road which stretches the length of the valley at its lowest point. Most other (smaller) roads veer steeply up the sides of the canyon so, if you get lost, just walk down.

Most of city’s interesting sights are located in what is known as the ‘Centro’, radiating out from Plaza Murillo, home to the 19th-century cathedral, the Presidential Palace and the Congress building. In this area, you will find several museums, including the Museo de la Coca, which presents the chequered history of this illicit plant, and the Museo Nacional de Arqueología. There is a cluster of five or six small but interesting museums on the Calle Jaén nearby – one of the few streets to have retained most of its colonial buildings. For shopping, head to the calle Sagárnaga, a small street lined with interesting handicraft shops, which stretches up from the Plaza San Francisco.  Further up, and worth the climb, don’t miss the noisy Rodríguez Market, packed with locals busily exchanging food and household goods and a fascinating insight into the area.

To the southeast of the centre, the main road leads to Plaza de Estudiante, where most, businesses, government offices, banks, travel agencies and some restaurants and hotels can be found. Further east still the Avenida 6 de Agosto leads to Sopocachi, where Bolivianos and tourists alike come to eat out and dance the night away at the city’s best bars and clubs.