La Paz 2 Day Itinerary (No Tourist Traps)
Two days is tight for La Paz, but it’s enough to see the core of the city if you don’t fight the altitude. El Alto International Airport, where you land, sits around 4,060 to 4,150 meters, one of the highest airports in the world, and the city itself is only about 400 meters lower. Plan around that from the start rather than after a headache forces the issue.
Day 1: Arrive and Acclimatize
A registered radio taxi or official airport taxi into the city runs roughly $8-12 and takes 30 to 45 minutes down from the Altiplano into La Paz’s bowl. Skip street hails entirely; unmarked taxis have been tied to a real fake-police and express-kidnapping scam here, so call ahead or use an app instead. Check into your hotel and take the rest of the day genuinely easy: no alcohol, no strenuous walking, plenty of water, and a cup of coca tea, the local altitude remedy sold everywhere. In the late afternoon, if you’re feeling settled, walk to the Witches’ Market on Calle Linares, an active Aymara market, not a photo-op, so ask before photographing anyone. For dinner, stay close to your hotel and eat lightly. Tip for the day: don’t schedule anything you can’t cancel; how you feel by evening decides tomorrow’s pace.
Day 2: Casco Viejo and Mi Teleferico
Start with salteñas, but only before 11am, most bakeries sell out by noon. Walk Plaza Murillo, home to the Palacio Quemado and the National Congress, whose clock famously runs backwards, then continue to Iglesia de San Francisco and the small museums along Calle Jaen, most with entry under $2. In the afternoon, ride Mi Teleferico, buying or loading a card first since the turnstiles don’t take cash, and take the Red Line up toward El Alto for the best single view in the city, La Paz’s bowl falling away below with Illimani behind it. For dinner, look for a casual spot serving pique macho or anticuchos rather than a tourist-menu restaurant. Tip for the day: keep a little US cash on hand as backup, the boliviano floated in mid-2026 and its value is still moving, so check a live converter rather than trusting any fixed rate.
A note on what’s missing
Two days genuinely isn’t enough for Tiwanaku, Death Road, or Lake Titicaca; those need a third day or more. And the Uyuni Salt Flats, roughly 550km away, are a separate multi-day trip regardless of how long you stay in La Paz itself, don’t try to squeeze them in here.
Read more: the 3-day itinerary adds Tiwanaku if you can spare an extra day.