6 Days in La Paz: First-Timer Plan
La Paz, Bolivia: A 6-Day First-Timer Itinerary
Six days is enough to acclimatize properly, cover the city in depth, and reach three genuinely different day trips.
Day 1
Arrive at El Alto (roughly 4,060-4,150m) and take a registered radio taxi into the city, about $8-12. Rest for the day rather than sightseeing: soroche is common in the first 24 hours at this altitude. Drink water, order mate de coca, skip alcohol. Tip: choose lodging in Sopocachi or Zona Sur, both lower and warmer than the historic center, if altitude is a concern.
Day 2
Walk Plaza Murillo and the Cathedral, look for the backwards-running Reloj del Sur on the Congress building, then head to the Witches’ Market on Calle Linares, a living Aymara market where visitors should ask before photographing vendors. Grab salteñas mid-morning for about $1, browse Calle Jaén’s museums, and ride Mi Teleférico (about $0.45 a ride) toward El Alto for a view of Illimani at golden hour. Dinner at Popular Cocina Boliviana runs roughly $15-20. Tip: take a registered radio taxi back after dark rather than a street-hailed cab.
Day 3
Take a half-day guided trip to Tiwanaku, about 2 hours away, for roughly $25-35. Back in the city, browse Mercado Rodríguez and have a casual dinner, chairo or pique macho, for about $5-8. Tip: book this tour a day ahead during festival season.
Day 4
Ride Death Road with a reputable mountain-bike operator, never unguided, for roughly $80-130. Dinner at Ali Pacha runs around $20-30. Tip: check the specific operator’s safety record, since the road itself is no longer the main risk.
Day 5
Visit El Alto’s Feria 16 de Julio (Thursday and Sunday only, so plan around it) and take in cholita wrestling in the evening, an empowerment-rooted sport rather than a novelty act, for a modest ticket price generally under $15. Tip: bring small bills, since market vendors rarely break large notes.
Day 6
Take a day trip to Lake Titicaca and Copacabana, roughly 3.5-4.5 hours each way and genuinely tight as a single day, so consider staying overnight if your schedule allows. A guided day tour runs about $30-45. Tip: if you can’t spare the overnight, book the earliest departure available to maximize time at the lake.
Uyuni’s salt flats remain a separate multi-day trip beyond even six days here; treat it as its own future visit rather than an add-on.
Read more: our La Paz nature spots guide has more high-altitude scenery worth seeing.