La Paz

La Paz holds the distinction of being the highest de facto capital city in the world — while Bolivia's constitutional capital is technically Sucre, La Paz functions as the seat of government and is built into a dramatic canyon at an altitude ranging from around 3,600 meters in the city center to over 4,000 meters in neighboring El Alto, home to the airport and a sprawling, largely indigenous Aymara population.

That extreme, canyon-based geography made conventional urban transit genuinely difficult — buses and roads struggle with the steep grades connecting the city center to the surrounding hillsides. The solution, Mi Teleférico, is now the largest urban cable car network in the world, with multiple color-coded lines carrying commuters across the canyon daily. For visitors, riding several lines gives some of the most striking urban aerial views available anywhere, a functioning transit system that doubles as one of the city's best attractions.

The Witches' Market (Mercado de las Brujas), in the city center, reflects La Paz's strong indigenous Aymara cultural presence — stalls sell traditional herbal remedies, ritual objects, and dried llama fetuses used in Andean offerings to Pachamama (Mother Earth), a genuinely significant cultural practice rather than a tourist curiosity, even as it draws visitor attention for its unusual visuals.

Altitude sickness is a real, common concern for visitors arriving in La Paz, particularly those flying directly into the even-higher El Alto airport — most people experience some symptoms in their first day or two, and taking arrival slowly, staying well hydrated, and trying coca tea, a traditional and widely available local remedy, helps most visitors adjust without more serious complications.

Tiwanaku, a significant pre-Inca archaeological site predating the Inca Empire by centuries, sits within a realistic day-trip distance and gives insight into one of the major civilizations that shaped the Andean region long before Cusco became the Inca capital — a worthwhile addition for visitors with an extra day, and Bolivia's genuinely low prices, among the most affordable in South America, make extending a stay an easy decision.