I arrived in Sucre dusty, tired and slightly traumatised by what I had seen in the mines of Potosi (more on that over here). By this stage, I was used to dry, stark Bolivian towns of the Altiplano, usually more dusty and a bit run-down. Yet, as my bus pulled in to the station in town I was amazed by the architecture of the place, the gardens, the cleanliness. Gazing upwards, I saw the same Andean skyline above the town, but Sucre felt different, somehow. It fast became my favourite place in all of Bolivia.

WHY YOU NEED TO GO

Though you might not know it, Sucre is the official capital of Bolivia, not La Paz, which is the administrative centre. Sucre, or ‘La Ciudada Blanca,’ is famous for its pretty, well-kept centre, and for its extremely agreeable climate. Originally gaining importance due to it’s proximity to Potosi (read my guide on Potosi here), Sucre later gained significance as being the birthplace of South American independence movements in the 19th century. However, despite being the capital of Bolivia, Sucre has an extremely relaxed vibe, and feels really different from other parts of Bolivia; the streets aren’t chaotic, there are few witches peddling llama corpses, and the weather stays pretty mild year round; something you’re not gonna find anywhere else in this country. Located in the far south of the country, Sucre is an easy stop over for anyone travelling through Bolivia, connected by highway to La Paz and Argentina, and is well worth checking out. I arrived in Sucre expecting to stay only the night before I headed up north to La Paz. Four days later, I was still there, after having met new friends, learned more Spanish, and having partied away a little too hard.

As a town, Sucre is easily explored on foot, and you won’t need to be catching buses, taxis or a metro to get around. There are a range of decent things to see, tasty things to eat, and bars worth sinking a few beers at, yet the real attraction of Sucre is the vibe. Intangible and very hard to describe, there’s just something very, very special about this southern Bolivian city.

How to get there

The easiest way for any backpacker to visit Sucre is via bus. I came in to the city via the local bus from Potosi (which was full of livestock and screaming kids), but Sucre is connected to most of the main towns in Bolivia by both touring, and local bus. As in any travel within South America, you’ll have an option to choose a local or comfort option to reach Sucre, as I wasn’t going far, I opted for the local bus, but this was a fairly uncomfortable choice, so I would recommend anyone heading to Sucre from La Paz, Oruro or Tarija to get a cama or semi-cama option, which are more than the prices below.

• La Paz: 12 hours. Cost: minimum of 50 Bs

• Oruro: 8 hours: Cost: minimum 30 Bs

• Potosi: 3 hours: Cost: minimum 15 Bs

• Tarija: 8 hours: Cost: minimum 60 Bs

The main bus terminal of Sucre is about 2 kilometers from the city center, but you can get a taxi from the terminal to the centre for about 8 Bs (August 2016). One thing to note; many of the bus ticket prices are extremely negotiable. When I was in Sucre, I was charged about half of what severla of my American companions were charged for tickets to La Paz. Tickets for buses with many of the major companies (El Dorado, Cruz Del Norte, Trans Copacabana) are available for purchase the day that the bus is leaving, so you’ll need to visit the ticket office early to avoid disappointment. Also, you need to speak some Spanish - nobody at the offices spoke any English when I was there in 2014.

You can also get into Sucre via plane. the closest airport is the Alcantarí Airport in the close by Yamparáez municipality. Flights are on offer by Amazonas, Boliviana, EcoJet and TAM, providing multiple options for flights to Sucre from within South America. Enquire at ticket offices or online for prices, when I was there, they were extraordinarily expensive for non-residents, given the distances being covered.

WHAT TO DO

Sucre is definitely a town to hang out in. It’s a place to kick back, chill out, drink a few beers and watch a few awesome sunsets form one of the many excellent view points in town. However, for those hell-bent on hitting some attractions, here is a list of the places I check out in town;

• Casa de la Libertad (Central Plaza): The museum includes a number of paintings and objects related to Bolivian history, especially to the independence movement and the struggles breaking away from Spanish domination. 15 Bs, +10 Bs for camera. Fairly interesting to take a wander around, not worth going out of your way for.

• Military Historical Museum of the Nation, (Ravelo Street 1), This museum has a big collection of Bolivian weaponry, which normally wouldn’t interest me greatly, but there is a room dedicated ot combat history in Bolivia, with information about the Pacific War, in which Bolivia lost all access to the sea, a fairly pivotal moment in Latin American history. Hours: Mo-Fr: 09:00-11:30 & 15:00-17:00; Sa 09:00-12:00.

• Plaza 25 de Mayo: The beating heart of Sucre, surrounded by the Cathedral, regional government buildings and the Casa de la Libertad, as well as a swag of restaurants and bars. A great place to hang out for a few hours. You’ll definitely be offered a shoe-shine by the kids in there, even if you’re wearing vans as I was. In the centre of the park is a statue of Mariscal Jose Antonio Sucre, the first president of Bolivia.

• Spanish Classes: Sucre is a popular place to learn Spanish. At my hostel, half of the other guests were there to learn Spanish. There are many Spanish schools in town, which are a perfect and very cheap way to get a handle on the language. The best are:

  • "Me Gusta" Spanish school

  • Sucre Spanish School 

  • Fox Language Academy

  • Fenix

• Mirador cafe: take a 15 minute hike uphill through town towards the la Recoleta neighborhood. There’s a church and museum at the top of the hill, but the main thing worth checking out is the view of Sucre from the Mirador cafe. The drinks and food here are fairly OK: I remember eating a hamburger here and watching the sun set over town.

• Parque Bolivar: I didn’t know this at the time, but Parque Bolivar is the city’s favourite ‘lovers’ hangout. Just don't step on the grass. It’s a very charming park, and has a huge jungle gym for kids (though I definitely climbed to the top). There;s also a bizarre miniature reproduction of the Eiffel Tower in the middle of the park.

WHERE TO EAT

• O´Finnigan´s Irish Pub and restaurant: (Calle Calvo 281) Fairly nice pub, with a daily lunch special including a soup, main course and freshly home made juice, which will cost you only 20 Bs. Have fairly well priced cocktail and artisanal beers. Free Wifi.

• Mercado Central: (Aniceto Arce -Two blocks up from the plaza de mayo). Always the best in any town in Bolivia, the central market of Sucre is no different - here you’ll find cheap food stalls on the second floor, expect to pay between 10 and 15 bolivianos for a menu del dia, which is usually awesome.

• Menfis: (Bolivar 650). I had way too many beers here when I visited Sucre. This place definitely has the air of the ‘pre-drinking’ spot for locals, but is definitely a good spot to stop by for a beer, expect to pay 12 Bs for a large beer.

• El Germen: (San Alberto 231). A strange one: they serve a fusion of Bolivian and German cooking, which is way better than it sounds. All lunch specials are vegetarian, but you can order meat dishes from the menu (menu dishes take a lot longer to come). The menú del dia is available for 24 Bs at lunchtime, it includes a soup, meal, dessert, and a drink.

• KulturBerlin: (Calle Avaroa). Apparently this place also operates as a hostel, which is horrible, as we had a huge party here whilst i was in town, and Im sure the guests got very, very little sleep that night. They offer a big variety of beers (local/german beers), Bolivian wine (not great) and Cocktails. Definitely the spot to come for a party.

• Joy Ride Cafe: (Calle Nicolas Ortiz 14) Very popular with backpackers, have beer, some OK food and pretty relaxed atmosphere. Centrally located, and worth stopping by at.

WHERE TO STAY

• Hostal Pachamama: (Calle Aniceto Arce 599 - 3 blocks from the main square). Clean hostel built around a big garden with lots of places to sit and socialise with a ping pong table. I stayed here for 4 nights in town, and paid about 30 Bs a night for a dorm bed. Cost for a single bed with a bathroom is 70 Bs as of October 2018).

• Amigo Hostel: (Calle Colon 125 - two blocks from main plaza), Pretty relaxed hostel that some of my mates stayed at, and they had fairly good things to say about it. This place offers Spanish lessons one by one basis, has reportedly amazingly good gas powered hot showers. A dorm-bed with shared bathroom will cost you 35 Bs per night, breakfast included.

• The Beehive: (Calle Avaroa 607 - 4 blocks from main plaza). Only a short distance away from the centre of town, the Beehive opened early 2013 and has 3 spacious dorms, 3 fully equipped shared bathrooms, 3 communal areas, 1 large kitchen and 1 large private room with ensuite. The hostel has a really nice garden, and is reported to have very nice owners, and provide a daily breakfast (included in the price), and have amazingly fast wifi.

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