Bolivia Complete Travel Guide
Sucre is the capital of Bolivia. You wouldn’t tell as the size of the city is rather small and the parlement resides in the large metropolitan area of La Paz.
Most visitors of Bolivia skip Sucre all together and go straight to Uyuni, but I heard this laid-back city is worth stopping by. Not because of the many sights, but mostly for the colonial white buildings and the vibe.
How to get to Sucre?
Of course I took a flight from La Paz using Boliviana de Aviación and got to Sucre airport in only 1 hour. Another option is the 12 hour bus ride. During my entire stay in Bolivia, there was a weeks-long road-block in Oruro, adding additional hours to any overland transport to Sucre or Uyuni. I’m relieved I didn’t have to go through all that.
The airport is 30 km outside the city. Here collectivos will take you downtown for 10 bolivianos. Luckily I made a few girlfriends on the plane to share a taxi with the 3 of us. With 60 bolivianos in total, it’s only 20 each. Win!
To do in Sucre
All the major sights in Sucre can be visited in one day.
Plaza 25 de Mayo
The main square where everyone gathers and knows each other. Grab an ice cream and relax on the benches to watch people.
Mercado Central
Any city isn’t complete without its local market selling fresh produce and whatnot. Perfect to stop for a fresh fruit juice.
Monestario de la Recoleta
15 minutes walking uphill towards the East of the plaza is the monastery de la Recoleta and its viewpoint. I didn’t get into the monastery, but did enjoy the view with all the arches.
Palacete del Guereo
Around the corner of the monastery is this palace. When visiting I seemed to be the only and first visitor of the day. The place isn’t big, but the admission is free and you can walk up the tower for more views.
Iglesia de San Felipe de Neri
San Felipe is the place to come and watch the sunset. The rooftop is gorgeous and reminded me a bit of Gaudi in Barcelona with the waiving roof. Here I couldn’t take my camera down and kept taking photos.
To enter San Felipe it’s 17 bolivianos for foreigners, the entrance is a bit difficult to find, as it’s only a small door on Nicolas Ortiz street and you have to ring the bell to enter.
Making friends
My new friend Melissa from the plane invited me to have drinks with her and her friends. The five of us went to the bar La Quimba. Melissa urged me to try to eat the heart of a cow. Uhh, okay. Actually, it wasn’t that bad. All of us shared a big bowl of a local Bolivian drink, and another one. It was a great evening meeting new people!
Skipping Potosi
Between Sucre and Uyuni is the silver city Potosi. My original plan was to stop here and visit the silver mine. I read various stories about the horrendous conditions of the miners here. Kids working in the mines for 16 hours a day in complete darkness. The lifespan is extremely shortened, after 15 years working in the mine, one has been exposed to so many toxins it’s lethal.
Potosi is the highest elevated city in the world at 4090 metres. The whole idea of the misery, the cold and the claustrophobic darkness made me change my mind about visiting this place.
Unfortunately there is no direct day bus between Sucre and Uyuni, therefore I’m taking the 3 hour bus to Potosi, transfer to a different terminal, and another 4 hour bus to Uyuni.
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