Contents
THE 9 BEST THINGS TO DO IN SUCRE
1. Try The Best Of Bolivia's Chocolate at 'Chocolates Para Ti'
Just be warned you will end up buying a lot as this is some of the best chocolate you will ever taste.
The branded bars can be found all over Bolivia, but the best part is all the hand-crafted chocolates available in the store. We bought a huge selection including white coconut and quinoa, and at 2BOB each it’s almost free.
2. Head To The Rooftop Of Church de San Felipe Neri
One of Sucre’s most impressive colonial-era buildings. It costs 10BOB to enter and wander around. The best part is the roof where you can climb to the top for amazing views of the ‘white city’ and the terracotta rooftops
3. Enjoy The Views From Recoleta
Recoleta is a lovely neighbourhood perfect for wandering around, and it also has some of the best views of the city.
At the top of the hill (walk up Calle Dalence) you will find Plaza de Anzurez and the monastery. Here there’s a viewing platform along with a small selection of market stalls selling handicrafts.
Just below the viewing point is Café Gourmet Mirador, an excellent restaurant with a tranquil garden set away from the plaza. They have decent coffee and a selection of sandwiches.
4. Enjoy Some Of The Cheapest Spanish Lessons In All Of South America
Bolivia is one of the cheapest countries in South America to learn Spanish and Sucre has several quality language schools making it one of the best cities to learn in.
With group classes costing on average $5 and private lessons c.$8, many people end up extending their stay in Sucre for two or more weeks to continue learning.
Me Gusta Spanish School have a variety of classes on offer and a group class (20 hours) for one-week costs 700BOB.
Other schools to check out in Sucre:
5. Try The Local Chorizo At Mercado Central
Checking out markets in South America is always an experience. The variety of food and items on sale and mix of people is a treat for the senses.
One thing to try is chorizo chuquisaqueño, pork sausage with spicy peppers and onions in a bun. Choriceria 7 Lunares is inside the market, and you’ll find it easily as there’s typically a large queue out front – it’s a local favourite.
6. Try Bolivia's Famous Salteñas
A Salteña is Bolivia’s version of the empanada with a slightly sweeter pastry.
You can try several different combinations of meat and vegetables. Costing 9BOB each and served with a variety of dipping sauces, stopping for a salteña is a great way to break up the day. Order alongside a freshly made milkshake or a coffee to top it all off for the perfect snack stop.
Salteñeria Flores or Salteñeria El Patio are both right next to each other and equally popular. El Patio doesn’t have vegetarian options, so head to Flores if you don’t want a meat one.
7. Step Back In Time At Parque Creatico
If you didn’t visit Torotoro National Park on your way to Sucre but still want a chance to see amazingly well-preserved dinosaur footprints, then you can head to Parque Creatico.
The attraction has a small museum and life-sized models of your favourite dinosaurs, but the real attraction is the Cal Orck’o Wall. This large wall is covered in around 5,000 dinosaur footprints from 15 different species.
To see the footprints, you need to make sure you get on the 11AM tour. The ‘Dino-Bus’ takes tourists to the park from Plaza 25 de Mayo at 12 PM and 1 PM.
You can also get to the park yourself and buy a tour at the entrance, costing 30BOB for foreigners.
8. Walking Tour
Condor Tours and Café are a non-profit organisation which give around 50% of their profits to help the local community.
The walking tour costs 50BOB, which goes towards helping these projects in Sucre. The tour will take you to see indigenous handicrafts, as well as to Sucre’s famous chocolate shop (Chocolates Para Ti), the market and Recoleta viewpoint. The tour ticks off almost everything we’ve listed below, so just sign up to this if you don’t want to do it by yourself.
Tours start at 10 AM.
Condor Café is also a fantastic place to eat, has some of the best coffee in Sucre and is entirely vegetarian. We had a fantastic breakfast there before our tour.
9. Trek To Maragua Crater
The Maragua Crater Crater is a 2 day/1 night hike along the Cordillera de Los Frailes.
Along the way, you will come across hundreds of fossilised dinosaur footprints, see 2,000-year-old cave paintings at Pumamachay, travel on a part of the famous Inca trail and enjoy incredible views of the unique and colourful rock formations inside the crater.
Condor trekkers offer 2, 3 and 4-day treks around the region with the 2 days costing $80.
- Condor Trekkers – 2 Day Maragua Crater Trek
HOW MANY DAYS DO YOU NEED IN SUCRE?
Two days is the perfect amount of time in Sucre.
The city is such a beautiful place to explore, with lots of great cafes and restaurants, and two days is enough to see it all at a relaxed pace.
If you want to get out of the city and trek to Maragua Crater, then you will need 3 or 4 days in total as it is a 2-day trek.
Sucre 2 Day Itinerary
Day 1
- Breakfast at Condor Café
- Parque Creatico
- Convento de San Felipe Neri
- Dinner At La Taverne
Day 2
- Visit Chocolates Para Ti, Mercado Central and Walk to Recoleta
- Lunch at Café Gourmet Mirador
- Dinner and drinks at KulturBerlin
You can either choose 2 days/1 night and then hop on a night bus to Uyuni/La Paz on the second day. Or stay the extra night and do it in the morning.
Be sure to check out our month-long Bolivia itinerary to see how the best travel route through the country:
WHERE TO STAY IN SUCRE
- The Beehive – simple, clean dorms ($8 a night) or private rooms ($25 a night) with lovely garden and balcony terrace with chairs and hammocks for hanging out in. The free breakfast is either a big hearty bowl of oatmeal with mixed nuts and seeds, a big bowl of seasonal fresh fruit with natural yoghurt and homemade granola, or a veggie egg frittata with wholegrain toast. At the weekends you’re treated to pancakes.
- Kultur Berlin – set in a beautiful colonial-era building with a huge inside courtyard used for breakfast and evening activities. They host a different activity each night from salsa to beer pong. However, as this doubles up as a restaurant and club, it may not be the best place to stay if you are looking for peace and quiet.
NIGHTLIFE IN SUCRE
Sucre has a large student population making it a great city to find a bar with some atmosphere or take it one step further and have a night out on the town with locals.
- Goblin Bar – a microbrewery with a focus on ales. They also serve cocktails for the non-beer drinkers and small platters of food if you want to snack.
- Kultur Berlin – happy hour from 9:30 PM to 10:30 PM, the later you arrive, the better, as the restaurant changes from restaurant to bar/dancefloor. Closes at 3:00AM on Saturdays and is basically a club.
- Joy Ride Café – another restaurant which morphs into a bar and dancefloor. As the night goes on, the tables disappear, and people move upstairs to the top floor dance area and bar.
- Mitos Nightclub – Sucre’s most popular nightclub. Like the rest of South America, you will get a mix of Latin and Western music along with locals and travellers enjoying the night.
BEST PLACES TO EAT IN SUCRE
As mentioned, make sure you try saltenas whilst you are in town. Here are a couple of other places we chose or stumbled upon:
Best Restaurants In Sucre
- Chifa & Thai – South American and Asian fusion food. A fantastic mix that includes tasty dishes like Lomo Soltado. They also have a tremendous selection of artisanal beers from Sucre and the rest of the country.
- La Taverne – known as one of Sucre’s best restaurants, come here if you are looking for something fancy. Serving French food, you can enjoy a quality 3-course meal here without blowing the bank. A three-course meal with drinks will cost around $25.
- Tacos & Burritos – cheap, easy and tasty Mexican food for when you are in a rush and not looking for a proper sit-down meal
- Dona Lia – bordering on fast food, this is a fried chicken place with a Bolivian twist. Come here if you are craving something naughty and delicious.
Best Cafes In Sucre
- Condor Café – completely vegetarian and uses food sourced from the local markets and area. The portion sizes are enormous, and the proceeds from the café go towards helping community projects.
- Metro Café – a traditional café with a wide selection of food and drink. Strong WIFI and many places to sit.
- Café Gourmet Mirador – the café in Recoleta with a great view.
HOW TO GET TO AND FROM SUCRE
La Paz To Sucre
The bus to Sucre takes 12 hours from La Paz.
Trans Copacabana have one that leaves at 7:30 PM and arrives at 7:30 AM for $26.2
Use Tickets Bolivia to book but there should also be more companies and more times when booking directly at the bus station.
Sucre To Cochabamba
The bus to Sucre takes 8 hours and only runs as a night bus.
The Trans Copacabana bus leaves at 9:30 PM and arrives at 6:30 AM costing $20.
Sucre To Uyuni
Buses take 8 hours to reach Uyuni.
The ‘6 de Octubre’ bus leaves at 9:30 AM arriving at 5:30 PM for $11.68 or a night bus leaving at 9:00 PM and arriving at 05:00 AM.
When we were in Bolivia these tickets didn’t exist online, so we went to the bus station on the morning we wanted to leave and hopped on a bus. The earlier you arrive, the better as there are only a couple of buses leaving each day. Alternatively, book at the station the day before you want to go to be safe.
For more information on Uyuni:
For another great adventure in Bolivia, why not head to the Amazon? Bolivia is the cheapest country in South America for visiting this wonderful place. You can fly straight there from Sucre or travel there from La Paz.
- How To Book An Amazon Tour In Bolivia
- Pampas vs Jungle Tour: Which Is The Best Amazon Tour Best For You?
Or if you are still planning your Bolivia trip, here are three great posts for you to check out:
