Sucre: Bolivia's white city where silence has a colonial flavour

Sucre is the constitutional capital of Bolivia — but the government relocated to La Paz over a century ago, and Sucre has remained suspended in time. At 2,800 metres above sea level, with a mild climate year-round and a historic centre of white façades and red-tiled rooftops, it is one of the best-preserved colonial cities in South America.

The historic centre

Plaza 25 de Mayo is the heart of the city: the cathedral, the regional government palace, the Casa de la Libertad museum (where Bolivian independence was signed in 1825). The side streets are a succession of colonial doorways opening onto courtyards with fountains, orange trees and bougainvillea. The convent of San Felipe Neri has a rooftop terrace from which the entire city can be seen — one of the finest urban panoramas in Latin America.

The markets

The Mercado Central is a place to eat like a local: salteñas de Sucre, chicharrón, chorizo chuquisaqueño. Quechua women in colourful skirts and wide-brimmed hats sell fruit, flowers and textiles. The Saturday market, held in the open air, is larger and more chaotic — and entirely free of tourists.

The dinosaur footprints

Cal Orcko, 5 kilometres from the centre, is an 80-metre inclined limestone wall preserving over 5,000 dinosaur footprints from at least 294 different species. It is the world's largest palaeontological site by number of tracks. It can be visited with a guide from the Parque Cretácico, which includes a museum with life-size reconstructions.

Practical information

From La Paz: flight (45 min) or bus (12 hours). From Potosí: bus (3 hours). Sucre is an ideal base for visiting the Jalq'a communities (textiles) and Tarabuco (Sunday indigenous market, 65 km away). Ideal period: May–October (dry). The altitude is manageable — less challenging than La Paz — but take it easy for the first few days.