La Paz
La Paz, officially Nuestra Señora de La Paz, is the seat of government of Bolivia.
With 755,732 residents as of 2024, it is the third-most populous city in Bolivia. Its metropolitan area, which includes the neighboring city of El Alto, and other smaller towns, is the second most populous urban area in Bolivia, with a population of 2.2 million, after Santa Cruz de la Sierra with a population of 2.3 million. The city is also the capital of the department of the same name.
Getting to La Paz
- 01El Alto International Airport
- 02La Paz Bus Station
The station has food, ATMs, and surprisingly fast free WiFi.
- 03Terminal Provincial Minasa Yungas
- 04Cementerio
Buses departing to, and arriving from, Lake Titicaca, like Copacabana, Sorata (Bs.
Things to do
Take it easy on your first day in La Paz if you arrive from low altitude. Even if you feel fine, resting and walking slowly will help. Try not to eat too much, at least the first day or so. And sleep as much as you can. Visit tourist information services at the Plaza Estudiantes or Prado, they will tell you a lot about what you can do in and around La Paz. The Self-guided Public Transport Tour.
Where to eat
For lunch try the little almuerzo-kitchens. You'll get a decent menu for under Bs. 10. Be careful with or avoid salads the first days. If you are on a budget it is always possible to eat in the local markets. Street food is plentiful in La Paz, including juice, snacks, and meals. The avocado sandwiches are delicious, if you're lucky enough to find someone selling them.
- 01Popular Cocina Boliviana
Calle Murillo 826 (Get inside the patio and look up and behind you.
- 02Café Vida
Organic vegan restaurant serving healthy, fresh meals: some Andean cuisine and some from further afield.
- 03Gustu
300 Calle 10, Calacoto, booking@gustu.bo.
Getting around La Paz the local way
- Trufi 408: Ciudad Satélite - San Pedro · Trufi 408
- 212 MiniBus 212: Plaza Isabel La Católica → Aeropuerto El Alto · COTRANSTUR
- 212 MiniBus 212: Aeropuerto El Alto → Plaza Isabel La Católica · COTRANSTUR
- 731 MiniBus 731: Calle 3 → Zona Ventilla
- 731 MiniBus 731: Zona Ventilla → Calle 3
OpenStreetMap contributors.
- Get in{{go | name | url | address -16.4884 | long easily reached with the Línea Azul gondola, and frequent trufi connections from El Alto bus station or Ceja (Bs.
- Get in1) | phone | hours | wikipedia | lastedit=2018-05-10 | content=Besides the station, Río Seco also just refers to the from where many minibuses leave and where all buses from the terminal also pass by.
- Get in2 for the ferry, 3.5 hr), Sorata, Desaguadero, and Tiwanaku (Bs.
- Get aroundThere are three types of shared public transportation in La Paz: regular buses or "micros"; shared vans, called "mini buses", and shared taxis running set routes advertised on the windshield, called "trufis".
- Get aroundYou can hail a bus or mini bus anywhere; to get off, just yell out "¡voy a bajar!" A system of nine cable car lines (Mi Teleférico) connects El Alto with downtown La Paz and reaches even Imparvi.
- Get aroundMore stations and lines are being added and using them saves a lot of time, compared to taxis or minibuses, which sometimes wait for decades in the traffic.
- Get aroundEven if you're not trying to get to El Alto, riding a cable car is an experience in itself.
- Go nextThe most popular day trips from La Paz are to Tiwanaku, Chacaltaya, and Lake Titicaca, though the latter (especially Copacabana) is pushing it a bit in terms of time and worthy of a trip.
From Wikivoyage: La Paz, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: PsamatheM (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikimedia Commons.
