4 Days in La Paz: First-Timer Plan
La Paz, Bolivia: A 4-Day First-Timer Itinerary
Four days gives you room for a proper acclimatizing day, a full city day, and two real day trips beyond it.
Day 1
Arrive at El Alto (roughly 4,060-4,150m) and take a registered radio taxi to your accommodation, about $8-12. Rest for the day rather than sightseeing: soroche is common at this elevation in the first 24 hours. Drink water, order mate de coca, and skip alcohol entirely. Tip: book a room in Sopocachi or Zona Sur if you can, since both sit lower and noticeably warmer than the historic center.
Day 2
Walk Plaza Murillo and the Cathedral, spot the backwards-running Reloj del Sur on the Congress building, then head to the Witches’ Market on Calle Linares, a living Aymara market where the dried llama fetuses on sale are Pachamama offerings, not curiosities; ask before photographing anyone. Grab salteñas mid-morning for about $1 each, browse Calle Jaén’s small museums, and ride Mi Teleférico (about $0.45 a ride, fare card required) toward El Alto for a view of Illimani at golden hour. Dinner at Popular Cocina Boliviana, near San Francisco church, runs roughly $15-20. Tip: use registered radio taxis after dark rather than a street-hailed cab.
Day 3
Take a half-day guided trip to Tiwanaku, about 2 hours from the city, a UNESCO pre-Inca site with the Gate of the Sun and the Kalasasaya platform, for roughly $25-35 including transport. Back in La Paz, browse Mercado Rodríguez in the late afternoon and have a casual dinner, pique macho or chairo, for about $5-8. Tip: book this tour the day before, since spots fill quickly around festival dates.
Day 4
Take a guided mountain-bike descent down Death Road (Yungas Road), booked with a reputable operator with good bikes, an experienced guide, and a support vehicle, never attempted unguided. A full-day trip runs roughly $80-130. Celebrate with dinner at Ali Pacha, Bolivia’s first fine-dining vegan restaurant, for around $20-30. Tip: vet your operator’s safety record before booking; the road itself is no longer the main risk, but a poorly run tour still is.
If you extend beyond four days, El Alto’s Feria 16 de Julio market (Thursday and Sunday only) and a Titicaca overnight both fit well. Uyuni remains a separate multi-day trip, not an add-on to a plan this length.
Read more: our La Paz day trips guide covers more options beyond these two.