What to do in La Paz

La Paz is one of the highest cities in the world when it comes to altitude. Make sure to drink a lot of water when you are on your way up to more than 3.500 metres above sea level. Especially when arriving by plane from much lower altitudes it might be helpful to give yourself a day to acclimatize. Once in La Paz you get a surprising high amount of activity possibilities.

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Join a Free walker tour

This “free walker tour” is the only one (compared to all other places in the world), which is not entirely free. Reason is that the state banned any cost-free tourist guiding activities. However, the couple of Euros are very well spent. You get a lot of insight in the cities historical (and current) challenges.

My personal key takeaway of the tour: In the middle of the city centre of La Paz is a prison, which is entirely run by its more than (official) 2.000 prisoners. There are no guards or police men inside of the building. This leaves the prisoners to organize their living within the prison walls all by themselves. They live in there with their families, pay rent for the”cells” and run businesses, restaurants and shops to keep their isolated eco-system going. I guess you can imagine what kind of business this also includes. Up til today the prison turned into small city within the city, which has been closed for tourist tours due to some cruel incidents in the past.

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Take a ride with the Teleferico / cable car

The Teleferico is a key element of La Paz’s landmark and major public transportation at the same time. It was funny to go on one of the gondolas, which I have only known from skiing holidays before. Especially as the cable cars in La Paz are built by the Austrian company Doppelmayr, the gondolas look exactly the same way like the ones in Austria’s skiing areas. However, it is an efficient and fast way to move within the different neighbourhoods of La Paz. There is no extra fee for tourists, so you just pay the regular ticket price of less than 0,50 EUR. It is especially nice to take a ride in the evening within a sea of endless lights. It also opens your eyes to the massive size of the city. Besides, the cable cars have a significant meaning and value for the economy and environment of the inhabitants of La Paz.

The alternative and most common public transport system consists of buses or collectivos. Both pick up waving passengers from the sidewalks and drop them off at any desired point along the route. Traffic in La Paz is crazy though and you should always bring some extra time when using public transport. Sometimes you are even faster by walking eg. 45 minutes distances than to catch a bus / collectivo.

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Go vegan and relax

In the middle of the city centre, just next to the well-known San Francisco square, you find an oasis for relaxation and delicious food. Take a break from the vibrant city life, tiring sight-seeing and souvenir shopping and enjoy an excellent (all vegan) meal or coffee at Cafe Vida.

Culinary hint: Overall La Paz has an excellent offer regarding international restaurants. For the gourmets among my readers the restaurant “Gustu” is a must. It ranks among the best restaurants of the world and holds a Michelin star. A 3-4 course meal with drinks costs about 100 EUR. I’d assumethis is an unbeatable price on an international scale.

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Be a “Death Road” survivor

One of the most famous activities in La Paz is biking down the so-called Death Road. It used to be a major connection to and out of the city. Due to its narrow roadway, lack of security measures and its way along a steep, hundreds of metres high cliff, it recorded in 200-300 deadly accidents per year. In 2007 a new road was built. Ever sinde the Death Road has become a tourist attraction for downhill mountain biking instead.

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Visit the markets of La Paz

Drink and eat at the Mercado Lanza

The market is right next to the San Francisco square and offers a huge variety of local food and delicious fruit juices. The avocado sandwich is to die for!

Here are 2 rules if you are worried about hygienic issues: (1) Watch out for the booths, where local business ladies and men are having lunch. (2) You will get a bad tummy in any case in Bolivia – whereever and whatever you eat.

Visit the Witches’ market

The so-called witches’ market (El Mercado de las Brujas) can be found in the middle of market stalls right next to San Francisco square. It is THE place to shop for ingredients for any (of Bolivia’s) spiritual rituals. Besides you can purchase medical plants and potions for whatever desired reason: wealth, revenge, potency, good luck etc. Strangest item of the market, which you probably won’t be let through Austrian’s toll, were dried llama fetuses. Here is a good article if you want to know more about the Witches’ market.

Go food shopping at market Rodriguez

The food market Rodriguez has an excellent offering of fresh fruits, vegetables, salads, cheese, pasta, bread, nuts, seeds, herbs and so much more. In fact you get everything needed for a nice meal. All products are regional and sold by locals and without any unnecessary packaging. Who wants to buy spaghetti in a plastic package anyways? Even if you prefer going out for dinner rather than cooking yourself (which is totally reasonable given the low prices) the market is worth a visit.

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All in all, La Paz was a outperforming our expectations and totally worth a visit. In contrast to other large cities, La Paz managed to maintain a very authentic cultural flair while meeting international tourist needs when it comes to activities, good restaurants and ho(s)tels.