La Paz 5 Day Itinerary (No Tourist Traps)
Five days lets you cover the city, one adventure day, one ancient site, and one uniquely La Paz experience without rushing. As always here, plan around the altitude first: the city sits at roughly 3,640 meters, and El Alto’s airport, where you land, is around 4,060 to 4,150 meters, higher than anywhere you’ll sleep.
Day 1: Arrival and Acclimatize
A registered radio taxi from the airport runs roughly $8-12; skip street hails entirely, unmarked taxis have been linked to a real fake-police and express-kidnapping scam here. Check in and spend the rest of the day resting: hydrate constantly, avoid alcohol, and try coca tea, sold everywhere as the local altitude remedy. If you feel steady, a short evening walk near your hotel is fine, but save real sightseeing for tomorrow. Tip for the day: don’t book anything for tonight you can’t cancel.
Day 2: Casco Viejo
Salteñas before 11am near Plaza Murillo, then a walk past the Palacio Quemado and the National Congress’s backwards-running clock, on to Iglesia de San Francisco and the small museums along Calle Jaen. In the afternoon, ride Mi Teleferico, load a card first since the turnstiles don’t take cash, and take the Red Line toward El Alto for the city’s best single view. Dinner: a casual spot for pique macho. Tip for the day: keep small US dollars on hand as backup, the boliviano floated in mid-2026 and its rate is still moving, check a live converter rather than trusting a fixed number.
Day 3: Death Road, With a Reputable Operator
Book ahead with a well-reviewed mountain-bike company, roughly $80-130 per person including gear, guide, and transport. The descent drops about 3,600 meters over 61km into warm cloud forest near Coroico; the road’s dangerous history comes from vehicle traffic before a 2006 bypass, so the real risk today is operator quality, never go unguided. Go easy on dinner afterward. Tip for the day: pay for better brakes and a support vehicle, this is not where to cut cost.
Day 4: El Alto Market and Cholita Wrestling
Ride Mi Teleferico up to El Alto, roughly 4,150 meters, for the Feria 16 de Julio, one of South America’s largest open-air markets, running Thursdays and Sundays; plan your day around whichever falls in your window. In the evening, catch a cholita wrestling match, which grew out of domestic-violence-survivor support circles and reads as genuine empowerment, not spectacle; check listings locally since schedules shift. Tip for the day: El Alto sits higher than downtown, so if you’re still feeling the altitude, keep this a shorter visit.
Day 5: Tiwanaku
About two hours west of La Paz, the UNESCO-listed ruins at Tiwanaku predate the Inca by centuries; the Gate of the Sun and Kalasasaya Temple are the highlights. Buses run from the terminal near the cemetery district for a few dollars each way. Return by late afternoon for a farewell dinner at Ali Pacha, Bolivia’s serious fine-dining vegetarian kitchen, if you want to end on something memorable. Tip for the day: buy the combined site-and-museum ticket at the entrance rather than paying separately.
What this trip skips
Lake Titicaca deserves an overnight, so it’s left for a longer stay. And Uyuni, roughly 550km away, remains a separate multi-day expedition no matter how long this trip runs.
Read more: the 6-day itinerary adds an overnight at Lake Titicaca if you have one more day.