Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Plaza Antofagasta, about 1km northwest of Plaza San
Francisco. Buses from Copacabana, Tiwanaku, Sorata and
Charazani arrive in the cemetery district, high up on the
west side of the city. Plenty of micros ply the route to and
from the city centre (marked “Cementerio” on the way
out), but consider taking a taxi as it's an edgy part of town.
Buses from Coroico and Chulumani in the Yungas, and
from Rurrenabaque and the Beni, arrive at Minasa Station
in the Villa Fátima district, in the far northeast of the
city. The different companies all have o ces around the
intersection of Av de las Américas and C Yanacachi. Again,
plenty of micros head to and from the city centre, but
a taxi is preferable.
Domestic destinations Terminal Terrestre to: Cochabamba
(hourly; 7hr 30min); Oruro (hourly, with connections to
Uyuni; 3hr 30min); Potosí (every evening, with connections
to Sucre, Tarija and Tupiza; 9-10hr). Cemetery District to:
Copacabana (regular services throughout the day; 3hr
30min); Sorata (every 30min; 3hr). Villa Fátima to:
Chulumani (hourly; 4hr); Coroico (every 30min; 2hr 30min);
Rurrenabaque (daily; 18-25hr). Also weekly services to
Cobija, Guayaramerín and Riberalta in the dry season.
International destinations Arica (8hr); Buenos Aires
(50hr); Cusco (12hr); Lima (27hr).
CHOLITA WRESTLING
One of the main reasons to visit El Alto
- other than for its airport - is to watch
dramatic, Mexican-style wrestling matches
featuring the bowler hat-wearing
indigenous women known as cholitas
( W cholitaswrestling.com). The shows take
place on Sundays and can be booked
through the hostels or La Paz-based
tour operators.
2
Museo de Textiles Andinos
he Museo de Textiles Andinos , Plaza
Benito Juarez 488 (Mon-Sat 9.30am-
noon & 3-6.30pm, Sun 10am-12.30pm;
B$15; W museodetextiles.org), in the
student suburb of Miraflores, northeast
of the Prado, is a must-see for textile
lovers. Set in a beautifully kept house,
the museum has an interesting display of
textiles from all over the Bolivian Andes.
The museum's gift shop sells products
made by Quechuan women.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
BY AIR
Airport International and some domestic flights use the
small El Alto airport (flight information on T 02 2157300,
T 02 2810240), on the rim of the Altiplano, about 11km
from La Paz and at over 4000m above sea level.
Transfers The easiest way into town from here is by taxi;
they wait right outside the terminal and the half-hour ride
should cost B$60-70. Cotranstur also run shuttle mini-
buses ( micros ) down into the city and the length of the
Prado to Plaza Isabella La Católica (every 10min from
6am-10.30pm; B$1-2/person).
Internal flights Most internal flights with the military
airline TAM use the military airport ( T 02 2842226),
alongside the commercial airport on Av. Juan Pablo II in
El Alto, except for flights from Santa Cruz and Cochabamba
which arrive at El Alto international airport. Taxis wait here
for passengers, but there's no shuttle bus; to get down to
La Paz by public transport you'll need to catch any micro
heading west along Av Juan Pablo II to La Ceja, the district
on the edge of the Altiplano above La Paz, and change
there. There's a tax of B$15 each way on internal flights.
Destinations Rurrenabaque (5 daily; 40min); Santa Cruz
(12 daily; 1hr); Sucre (3 daily; 40min); Tarija (2 daily; 1hr);
Uyuni (3 daily; 50min).
INFORMAT ION
Tourist information There's a small o ce (Mon & Wed
9.45am-noon & 2.30-7pm; Tues, Thurs & Fri 8.30am-
noon & 2.30-7pm; T 02 2371044) on Plaza del Estudiante
at the end of the Prado, which has plenty of information on
La Paz and the surrounding area. The main tour agencies
are the best places to go for information on the rest of the
country. An InfoTur o ce on Av Mariscal Santa Cruz, at
Columbia (Mon-Fri 8.30am-noon & 2.30-7pm, Sat & Sun
10am-2pm; T 02 2453543), also has limited information.
The website W turismolapaz.travel maintains an up-to-
date diary of events and exhibitions.
GETTING AROUND
Bus, micro and trufi There are two main forms of public
transport in La Paz: city buses and privately owned
minibuses, known as micros . The names of the micros'
destinations are written on signs inside the windscreen
and bellowed incessantly by the driver's assistants. Your
third option is a trufi - basically a car operating as a micro
with a maximum of four passengers and following fixed
routes. Trufis charge a flat rate of about B$3 in the city
centre, micros about B$1.30 and buses B$1.30.
Taxi Unlicensed taxis charge about B$4/passenger for
journeys anywhere in the centre of town - there are
sometimes meters but it's best to agree on the fare at the
beginning of the journey. The more reliable marked radio
taxis charge about B$10-15 to anywhere in the city centre
regardless of the number of passengers.
BY BUS
Arrivals Buses from southern and eastern Bolivia and
international buses arrive at the Terminal Terrestre on
 
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