# La Paz: map, what to do and when to go

La Paz is the world's highest seat of government, in a canyon between 3,200 and 4,100 m, where ten cable car lines link the neighborhoods. It has Aymara markets, the El Alto fair and salteñas for breakfast.

Canonical: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/lapaz/
Language: en. Extended author commentary and itinerary notes may remain in Portuguese. Dates below belong to individual sources; this is not live availability.

## Direct answer
- **La Paz: is it okay to walk around and eat heavy right after arrival?** No: in the first 24 hours, rest, drink water and eat light, because soroche, altitude sickness, hits people of any age and fitness level, even marathon runners.
- **La Paz: how do you get to Tiwanaku?** Tiwanaku is 72 km to the west, about 1 hour 30 minutes by car or 2 hours by bus leaving from the Cementerio General.
- **La Paz: what's the currency, and how much is the dollar worth?** The currency is the boliviano (Bs), which left its fixed exchange rate in June 2026.

## Historic center, slowly
Have the paceño breakfast, api con pastel, at Mercado Lanza or Rodríguez before 9am.
- Plaza Murillo
- Basilica of San Francisco
- Calle Jaén
- MUSEF
- Cementerio General and Mercado Rodríguez

## The canyon seen from above
Take the Red Line cable car up to El Alto around 8am, before the mid-morning fog.
- Mirador Killi Killi
- El Alto cholets

## Plaza Murillo
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/lapaz/#g-lugar-plaza-murillo
Departamento de La Paz · Up to half an hour
The central square since the 16th century, with the metropolitan cathedral completed in 1925, the Palacio Quemado (burned in 1875 and rebuilt) and the Casa Grande del Pueblo, a 29-story tower opened in 2018. On the Congress building, the clock hands have run backward since 2014, an idea from then-foreign minister David Choquehuanca to mark a “southern time.”
Check access

## Basilica of San Francisco
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/lapaz/#g-lugar-basilica-de-san-francisco
La Paz · Up to half an hour
Founded in 1548 and rebuilt between 1743 and 1790, after snow brought down the first church. The mestizo baroque facade mixes Catholic saints with mermaids, monkeys, and Andean fruit; the museum ticket grants access to the choir, the crypt, and the roof.
Check access

## Calle Jaén
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/lapaz/#g-lugar-calle-jaen
La Paz
A colonial street about 200 m long, with preserved 18th-century houses and five municipal museums in a row, including the Litoral and the Precious Metals museums. A single cheap ticket covers all of them.
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## Mercado de las Brujas
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/lapaz/#g-lugar-mercado-de-las-brujas
La Paz · Up to half an hour
On Calles Linares and Melchor Jiménez, the yatiris sell herbs, resins, amulets, and dried llama fetuses, buried as an offering to the Pachamama beneath new buildings. Photographing the stalls without asking is frowned upon.
Check access

## Mi Teleférico
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/lapaz/#g-lugar-mi-teleferico
La Paz
Ten color-coded lines, about 33 km, and more than 30 stations, opened starting May 30, 2014: the world's largest urban cable car network. The Red Line climbs to El Alto in about 10 minutes; the Yellow Line crosses the canyon with the best view of the Illimani.
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## Mirador Killi Killi
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/lapaz/#g-lugar-mirador-killi-killi
La Paz
A ridge at about 3,750 m above downtown, from which Túpac Katari commanded the 1781 siege. A 360-degree view of the whole basin; best in the late afternoon or once the city lights are on.
Check access

## Valle de la Luna
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/lapaz/#g-lugar-valle-de-la-luna
La Paz · Up to half an hour
Eroded clay formations in Mallasa, about 10 km south of downtown, with two marked trails of about 15 and 45 minutes. The terrain is clay and sandstone, not rock: the shapes change with every rainy season.
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## El Alto cholets
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/lapaz/#g-lugar-cholets-de-el-alto
The five- to seven-story buildings that Freddy Mamani has designed since 2005 have boldly colored facades, a party hall on the first floor and patterns inspired by Tiwanaku iconography. The biggest concentration is near Avenida Alfonso Ugarte.
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## MUSEF
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/lapaz/#g-lugar-musef
La Paz
The National Museum of Ethnography and Folklore, housed in the 1775 palace of the counts of Arana, on the corner of Ingavi and Jenaro Sanjinés. The collection of dance masks and the jalq'a and candelaria textiles are the best introduction to the country.
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## Cementerio General and Mercado Rodríguez
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/lapaz/#g-lugar-cementerio-general
La Paz
The cemetery, opened in 1826, stacks niches like buildings and hosts the ñatitas (named skulls cared for by families) on November 8. A few blocks away, the Rodríguez is downtown's largest street market for fresh produce, at its peak on Saturday mornings.
Check access

**La Paz: is it okay to walk around and eat heavy right after arrival?**
No: in the first 24 hours, rest, drink water and eat light, because soroche, altitude sickness, hits people of any age and fitness level, even marathon runners.

**La Paz: how do you get to Tiwanaku?**
Tiwanaku is 72 km to the west, about 1 hour 30 minutes by car or 2 hours by bus leaving from the Cementerio General.

**La Paz: what's the currency, and how much is the dollar worth?**
The currency is the boliviano (Bs), which left its fixed exchange rate in June 2026. In September 2026 the official dollar rate hovers around Bs 12, and the parallel rate has practically stuck to it.

**La Paz: what's the climate like through the year?**
La Paz has a dry season and a rainy season, with an average near 11°C downtown all year round. From May to September the sky stays clear, with 15 to 18°C in the midday sun and −2 to 3°C at dawn; from December to March it rains almost every afternoon, sometimes with hail.

**La Paz: do I need to greet someone before asking the price?**
Yes: “good morning” or “good afternoon” comes before any question, including about price, and asking directly comes across as an order.


## In the Nilo app
- Plan these 2 days on the map: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/app/guide/lapaz/?utm_source=llm&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=door-itinerary
- Mark your hotel on the map: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/app/map/lapaz/?utm_source=llm&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=door-stay

## Full editorial guide (Portuguese)
https://nilopelomundo.com/llm/lapaz.md