3-Day La Paz Itinerary: Historic Canyon, Mi Teleferico, El Alto and Tiwanaku

At 3,650 metres above sea level, the secret to a rewarding three days in La Paz is pacing your ascents: spend Day 1 exploring the historic centre between 3,600 and 3,700 metres on foot, use Day 2 to ride the aerial cable cars up to 4,100 metres in El Alto before descending to 3,400 metres in Valle de la Luna, and save high-altitude excursions to 3,850-metre Tiwanaku, Lake Titicaca, or 5,395-metre Mount Chacaltaya for Day 3 once your body has adjusted. Pair this plan with our La Paz food guide.

Day 1: Plaza Murillo, Calle Jaen, San Francisco and the Witches' Market

Morning: Start between 09:00 and 11:00 with a freshly baked braided saltena and Yungas coffee before walking gently to Plaza Murillo. Admire the 1853 Palacio Quemado, the 1835 Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, and the counter-clockwise "Clock of the South" on the Legislative Assembly. Walk four blocks north to sixteen-century cobbled Calle Jaen to visit Casa de Murillo and the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum, followed by the extraordinary Andean masks at MUSEF on Calle Ingavi.

Afternoon and Evening: Descend to Plaza San Francisco to tour the 1784 Mestizo Baroque basilica, colonial cloisters, and bell-tower roof terrace, then browse the Aymara stalls of El Mercado de las Brujas along Calle Linares and Calle Sagarnaga. Before dusk, take a short radio taxi up to Mirador Killi Killi to watch the last pink alpenglow fade across Mount Illimani.

Day 2: Mi Teleferico Sky Loop, El Alto Cholets and Valle de la Luna

Morning: Board the Red Line (Linea Roja) of Mi Teleferico at Estacion Central to soar 400 vertical metres over the tiered General Cemetery to 16 de Julio station in El Alto (if visiting on a Thursday or Sunday, walk directly into the sprawling Feria 16 de Julio). Transfer onto the Silver Line (Linea Plateada) along the cliff rim to Mirador station and view the colourful geometric facades of Freddy Mamani's Neo-Andean cholets.

Afternoon and Evening: Ride the Yellow Line (Linea Amarilla) and Green Line (Linea Verde) all the way down into Zona Sur (3,200 metres) and take a 15-minute taxi to Valle de la Luna to walk the Devil's Point trail among the eroded clay spires. Return to Sopocachi for grilled beef-heart anticuchos with peanut sauce and a Singani Chuflay.

Day 3: Tiwanaku & Puma Punku, Chacaltaya or Lake Titicaca

Option A (Tiwanaku and Puma Punku): Travel 70 kilometres west across the Altiplano to explore the UNESCO-listed pre-Columbian capital of Tiwanaku, including the Gate of the Sun, the Semi-Subterranean Temple studded with 175 stone tenon heads, and the 131-tonne sandstone slabs of Puma Punku.

Option B (Mount Chacaltaya or Lake Titicaca & Copacabana): Ascend to the 5,395-metre ridge of Chacaltaya facing Huayna Potosi, or take a full-day trip across the Strait of Tiquina to Copacabana and Isla del Sol on Lake Titicaca.