Sucre is one of the prettiest cities in Latin America I have encountered in my travels so far. Immediately when I exited the shared cab from Potosi and stepped out at Parque Simon Bolivar, I was smitten by the white colonial and post colonial buildings that make up the city center. Personally, I would put it near the top along sites as illustrious as San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuato. To me it's second only to Mexico City.

Sucre at 2.500m was a good comprise between the high, dry and cold mining town of Potosi and the tropical cities of the Bolivian lowlands. It felt a bit like those British cities in the mountains of India where they would escape to in summer with their custom made trains. The wealth present in the city at preivous times shows quite strongly. Overall the city gives up a relaxed vibe and I found my time very enjoyable.

I would encourage you to visit the Gutierrez Museum. It shows a little bit the wealth that the upper crust of Bolivian society accumulated in the 19th century, courtesy of the silver mines at Potosi. You should also hike up to La Recoletta for a view of the city.

Getting There and Away

Sucre has an airport connecting to La Paz, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz. The airport is at quite a distance from the city center. Plan 45min or so to get there. A taxi should cost 60 to 80 Bolivianos. To connect directly to Santa Cruz use Amazonas. BoA requires a chaotic transfer in Cochabamba.

Alternatively, there are plenty of bus and shared taxi options. The bus ride to Santa Cruz seems to be hellish as it takes 14-15h for a seemingly short distance (250km as the bird flies). Apparently, descending 2000m from the Andes comes at a price.

While You Are There

The nearest WHS is Potosi which can be easily done on a daytrip. If you don't plan to continue on to Salar de Uyuni (you should, though), it may be advisable to return to Sucre in the afternoon to prevent altitude sickness. You can either take a bus or the faster shared cabs (2.5h, 50 Bolivianos).

A bit outside town you find the tentative site of Cal Orck'o . It's still an active concrete factory and they are closed on Monday. Even without entering the museum I managed to get a view of the dinosaur footprints. My recommendation would be to go by cab. I was generous and paid 40 Bolivianos (5€) for a return ride from the city.

Notes