Bolivia, La Paz

La Paz is in a beautiful setting in a canyon with snow-capped peaks around but the city itself is quite dirty and polluted.

Any walking will involve lots of steep hills so hopefully you will be acclimatised to the altitude before you arrive or take it easy at first.

Go and see pretty Plaza Murillo and its grand buildings and also walk up Calle Jean with great colonial buildings.
The Prada is the main street of the city but doesn't really have much to offer.

The Coca Museum on Calle Linares off Sagarnaga is good and interesting.

The Witches Market is not as sinister as it sounds but you get to see plenty of Llama foetuses for sale.

One of the highlights of our trip was mountain biking down the World's Most Dangerous Road.
We decided to go with Gravity Assisted Mountain Biking as they have the best reputation and didn't dissapoint.
Many other companies do the same trip and some cheaper but Gravity were professional, safe, had great bikes and were worth the money.
The basic cost for the 64km ride from La Cumbre to Corioco descending 3,600m is US$50. We decided to upgrade the bikes for an additional US$18 which was a great idea as the additional rear suspension was really comfortable. You can also choose to hire goggles, waterproof jacket and waterproof trousers for US$2 each.
On our ride it poured with rain so all the extra gear was worth it. We were still completely soaked but during the ride the water repellant trousers and pants were very comfortable and helped against the weather. Other people who we've spoken to say there's lots of dust when it's dry so the gear works as well.
There were three good guides, one of them always a native English speaker who were very interesting, safety-minded, helpful and fun. You stop about 16 times on the way down to re-group so you won't be left alone. They did their best to warn of traffic on the road but you do need to be careful. The actual riding wasn't difficult and as long as you're a careful you will have a great day. They provide water and snacks along the route.
There is a small uphill section which is hard at altitude. You can get in the bus and drive up the section or decide to go on the bike. We wanted to enjoy the day thoroughly and so weren't bothered in the least to sit in the bus and watch the others struggle.
You can also choose to buy a CD with photos of the day and best of photos for 40 bolivianos or US$5.
Wear your worst clothes as you will either get soaked or covered with dust. Take extra shoes to wear when you are finished.
The ride finishes near Corioco and you go to Hotel Esmerelda where lunch and hot showers are included. Many people chose to stay here and then go onto the jungle in Rurrenabaque or return to La Paz on a later day. We came back on the same day.
You may need to book in advance which you can do on their website or at their office where they have a book exchange. You also get a t-shirt included in the price.

Unfortunately we didn't find many good restaurants in La Paz but can recommend a few.
If you're tired of rice and potatoes, Yusuf, a Lebanese restaurant on Sagarnaga was great and had a mixed platter enough for 2 for 38 bolivianos.

Hotel Tambo Colonial has a fantastic continental buffet breakfast open from 7am for 19 bolivianos.

Angela Colonial near the Coca Museum has great decor and was good fora drink, didn't try the food.

There are lots of places on Calle Llampu which have great cheap take-away empanadas.

There's a little local spot on Sagarnaga just above Calle Llampu on the right which had cheap and tasty meat and chicken.

See our Uyuni, Salar de Uyuni and South-West Circuit post for information on how to get to Uyuni.