La Paz Bolivia Travel Diary: From El Alto Heights to the Soul of La Paz
- Jun 1, 2023
- 10 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
Some cities introduce themselves gently.
La Paz did not.
It arrived at night, after a long journey from Copacabana, after Lake Titicaca had already given me one of those strange and unforgettable travel moments: watching our bus cross the water on a barge while passengers crossed separately by boat.
That was Bolivia for me — surprising, high-altitude, raw, practical, spiritual, and sometimes confusing in the most memorable way.
This La Paz Bolivia travel diary is part of my South America journey, continuing from Lake Titicaca and Copacabana before heading deeper into Bolivia. If you are planning your own first trip to the country, you may want to read my Bolivia travel guide for first timers first so you can understand the basics before following this route.
About La Paz and El Alto
La Paz is one of the most unique cities in South America. It sits in a dramatic valley surrounded by steep hills, while El Alto rises above it on the high plateau. Together, they create one of the most unforgettable urban landscapes I have seen.
La Paz is known for its cable car system, mountain views, indigenous culture, busy markets, colonial streets, political history, and the famous Witches’ Market. El Alto, on the other hand, feels wider, higher, and more open, with a strong local identity and incredible views over La Paz.
The city has a cool climate because of the altitude. Even when the sun is out, the air can feel chilly, especially in the morning and evening. Spanish is the main language, but Aymara and Quechua are also part of Bolivia’s cultural identity. The local currency is the Bolivian boliviano, and cash is still useful in markets, small shops, and local transport.
The food scene is simple, filling, and local. First-time visitors may see salteñas, soups, grilled meats, potatoes, corn, and local market meals. But more than food or attractions, what makes La Paz interesting is the feeling of being somewhere layered — ancient and modern, spiritual and political, chaotic and beautiful.
From Copacabana to La Paz: A Night Journey Through Bolivia
My day started in Copacabana, near the calm blue waters of Lake Titicaca. After spending time in this lakeside town, I was ready to continue the next chapter of my Bolivia journey.
For the full story before this, you can read my Copacabana travel diary, where the peaceful lake atmosphere gave me a softer introduction to Bolivia before the intensity of La Paz.
That evening, the bus arrived around 5 PM. I booked the trip through Peru Hop, and the journey felt organized enough for a traveler like me who did not want to overcomplicate transport in a country I was still getting used to.
As we left Copacabana, the landscape slowly changed. The golden light faded, and the road carried us closer to the higher, colder, and more urban side of Bolivia.
Then came one of the most unusual travel moments of the journey: San Pablo de Tiquina
.
We had to cross the Strait of Tiquina. Passengers got off and crossed by boat, while the bus itself was loaded onto a barge and floated across the water.
It sounds simple when written down, but seeing a bus crossing Lake Titicaca on a floating platform felt surreal. It was one of those moments that reminded me why overland travel can be so memorable. You do not just move from one place to another. You witness the strange little systems that keep people, towns, and roads connected.
Arriving in El Alto and La Paz at Night
By the time we approached El Alto, it was already dark.
El Alto felt massive. It stood above La Paz, wide and exposed on the high plateau. From there, the city below started to reveal itself — lights scattered across hills, streets dropping into the valley, and buildings packed tightly into the dramatic shape of the land.
La Paz does not look like many capital cities. It feels like it was carved into the earth instead of placed on top of it.
Around 10 PM, the bus finally reached my hotel in La Paz. I was tired, but I was also grateful. The day had started beside Lake Titicaca and ended in one of the highest and most unusual cities I had ever entered.
That night, I checked into Qantu Hotel, rested, and prepared myself for the next day.
Morning at Qantu Hotel: Seeing La Paz for the First Time
The next morning, I woke up in La Paz.
At Qantu Hotel, breakfast felt like a quiet pause before the city fully opened itself to me. After eating, I went up to the roof deck, and that was when I truly saw La Paz for the first time.
The view was unforgettable.
The city stretched below in earthy colors, surrounded by slopes, buildings, roads, and mountains. It was not polished in the way some tourist cities try to be. It felt real, lived-in, and intense.
There are places that impress you because they are beautiful. La Paz impressed me because it felt alive from every angle.
The altitude, the cold air, the colors of the buildings, and the way the city sits inside the valley made the morning feel almost cinematic.
Starting the La Paz City Tour at Plaza San Francisco
Later that morning, I joined a guided tour of La Paz that I had booked through Expedia. By around 11 AM, I arrived at Plaza Mayor de San Francisco.
This area felt like a natural starting point for exploring the city. The San Francisco Church stood beside a busy public square, surrounded by movement, people, vendors, and the everyday rhythm of La Paz.
There was history, religion, street life, and local energy all in one place.
For first-time visitors, this is one of the easiest areas to begin understanding La Paz. It is central, walkable, and close to several places that show the city’s cultural and historical layers.
The Witches’ Market: Mysticism in the Middle of the City
From San Francisco, our guide led us through the streets toward one of the most famous places in La Paz: the Witches’ Market.
This part of the city felt completely different.
The stalls were filled with herbs, charms, spiritual items, offerings, and objects connected to Andean beliefs. The most striking sight was the mummified baby llamas hanging in some shops, traditionally used as offerings in construction and rituals.
For someone visiting for the first time, it can feel surprising or even uncomfortable. But it is also part of the cultural reality of Bolivia — a reminder that La Paz is not only a modern city, but also a place where older beliefs still live beside everyday urban life.
Walking through the market felt like stepping into a deeper layer of the city.
This is the kind of place where you should not only look, but also observe respectfully. It is not just a tourist attraction. It is connected to local spiritual practices, traditions, and beliefs.
Riding the Cable Car Between La Paz and El Alto
One of the biggest highlights of my La Paz visit was riding the cable car.
The city’s cable car system is not only transportation. It is also one of the best ways to see how La Paz and El Alto connect.
From above, the city looked even more dramatic. Houses climbed the slopes. Roads twisted through the valley. El Alto stretched across the plateau. Cemeteries, markets, neighborhoods, stations, and unfinished buildings appeared below us like pieces of a giant living map.
It was one of the best viewpoints I experienced in Bolivia.
The cable car gave me a perspective I could not have understood from street level. La Paz is not flat. It moves vertically. People live, work, commute, sell, and travel across steep differences in elevation every day.
Seeing that from the sky made the city feel even more impressive.
For first-time visitors, I would say this is one of the most memorable things to do in La Paz. Even if you do not have many days, try to experience at least one cable car ride.
Jaén Street and the Historic Side of La Paz
After the cable car experience, we continued to Jaén Street.
This colorful colonial street showed another side of La Paz — quieter, older, and more atmospheric. Compared to the busy markets and open plazas, Jaén Street felt like a preserved corner of the city.
The buildings, colors, and narrow street gave it a different mood. It was easier to slow down here.
Our guide also shared stories about cholitas, wrestling, local identity, and the way La Paz carries both tradition and modern expression. That is what made the city interesting for me. It was never
just one thing.
It was spiritual in the Witches’ Market, political near the government buildings, historical in Jaén Street, everyday in the markets, and almost futuristic from the cable car.
Wandering Alone After the Tour
When the guided tour ended, I was not ready to return to my hotel.
There was still energy in the city, and I wanted to feel it on my own.
So I walked through open-air markets, browsed local shops, and returned again near the San Francisco Church area. This part of the day felt less structured, but in travel, some of the best memories happen after the official plan ends.
Sometimes you just walk.
You follow the noise, the crowd, the light, the smell of food, or the shape of the street. You do not always need a checklist. You just need enough confidence to move safely, slowly, and with awareness.
La Paz rewarded that kind of wandering.
La Paz as a First-Time Visitor
La Paz is not the easiest city to understand immediately.
It can feel busy, cold, high, and intense. The altitude can affect your body. The streets can feel chaotic. The markets can be overwhelming. The hills make everything feel more physical than expected.
But that is also why La Paz stays in your memory.
It is not a city that tries to be soft for visitors. It shows itself with all its layers — beautiful, rough, spiritual, practical, and alive.
For first-time travelers, especially those coming from lower-altitude places, give yourself time. Do not rush your first day. Drink water, walk slowly, dress in layers, and avoid packing too much into your schedule.
Planning the Next Part of the Bolivia Route
La Paz is also a major base for continuing to other parts of Bolivia.
Many travelers use the city as a starting point for Uyuni, Death Road, Lake Titicaca, or other highland routes. In my case, La Paz became the bridge between Copacabana and one of Bolivia’s most iconic landscapes.
If you are planning the same route, read my guide on how to visit Salar de Uyuni from La Paz so you can understand transport options, timing, and what to expect before heading toward the salt flats.
Practical Tips for Visiting La Paz and El Alto
Give yourself time to adjust to the altitude. La Paz and El Alto are both high, and even simple walking can feel more tiring than usual.
Bring warm layers. The city can feel cold in the morning and evening, even when the daytime sun is strong.
Use the cable car if you can. It is not only useful transportation; it is one of the best ways to understand the landscape of La Paz and El Alto.
Join a guided city tour if it is your first time. Having someone explain the Witches’ Market, San Francisco area, Jaén Street, and local customs makes the visit more meaningful.
Keep cash for markets and small purchases. Cards may work in some places, but small vendors and local shops often prefer cash.
Be respectful in cultural and spiritual areas. The Witches’ Market is fascinating, but it is also connected to real beliefs and traditions.
Final Thoughts: Why La Paz Stayed With Me
La Paz was not the calmest place I visited in Bolivia, but it was one of the most unforgettable.
It gave me a night arrival through El Alto, a strange bus crossing over Lake Titicaca, a rooftop morning view, a walk through spiritual markets, a ride over the city by cable car, and a solo wander through busy streets that felt full of life.
This was not a polished postcard version of travel.
It was real travel — tired arrivals, cold air, crowded streets, cultural surprises, unexpected views, and the quiet feeling of realizing you are very far from where you started.
As a Filipino traveler moving through South America, La Paz reminded me again that the world is possible, even when the journey feels complicated. You just take it one border, one bus, one city, and one brave step at a time.
Bolivia had already given me Copacabana and Lake Titicaca. La Paz gave me height, intensity, and perspective.
And from there, the journey continued toward the salt flats.
FAQs About Visiting La Paz Bolivia
Is La Paz worth visiting for first-time travelers?
Yes. La Paz is one of the most unique cities in South America because of its altitude, cable car system, markets, indigenous culture, dramatic landscape, and connection to other Bolivia routes.
How many days do you need in La Paz?
For first-time visitors, at least 2 days is a good start. This gives you time to adjust to the altitude, explore the city center, ride the cable car, visit the Witches’ Market, and plan onward trips.
Is El Alto different from La Paz?
Yes. El Alto sits above La Paz on the high plateau and has its own strong local identity. Many travelers pass through El Alto when arriving by road or using the cable car system.
What is the best thing to do in La Paz?
One of the best things to do is ride the cable car between La Paz and El Alto. It gives you an incredible view of the city and helps you understand how dramatic the landscape really is.
Can you visit Salar de Uyuni from La Paz?
Yes. La Paz is a common starting point for reaching Uyuni, usually by bus or flight depending on your budget, time, and comfort level. Read my guide on how to visit Salar de Uyuni from La Paz before planning that part of the route.
Is La Paz difficult because of altitude?
It can be. La Paz is high, and travelers may feel shortness of breath, tiredness, or headaches. Walk slowly, hydrate, avoid overplanning your first day, and give your body time to adjust.
