Tourist Attractions & Monuments Bolivia

Timetable

National museums are generally open Tuesday to Friday, 9.30am to 12.30pm and 3pm to 7pm, and Saturday and Sunday, 9am to 1pm. Private museums may have slightly different opening hours. Churches are open from dawn to dusk.

To be booked

Reservations are rarely necessary, except for guided tours and certain activities (Salar d'Uyuni, mountain biking down the Death Road, etc.), treks that require good preparation, some shows, workshops and various courses. We systematically inform you if this is the case. Generally, a reservation made the day before is sufficient.

Main events

Bolivia has 11 public holidays, when most businesses are closed. In addition to these, a number of religious festivities, festivals and other events at national, regional or local level punctuate the calendar. These include the Carnival of Oruro in February, the Devil's Festival, the feast of the Virgin of Candelaria in Copacabana, the feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Potosi, the feast of St. John, Holy Week...

Guided tours

Guided tours are compulsory at some sites (such as the Parque Cretácico de Sucre), where the presence of a guide is essential. Some museums and sites offer guided tours, usually in Spanish and English, more rarely in French. The rest of the time, you can visit cities or sites as you please, but the explanations of a qualified guide will often help you to grasp the culture and subtleties of an area (city, museum, monument or historic site). What's more, their rates are very affordable.

Smokers

Since February 2020, smoking has been formally prohibited inside all public places.

Tourist traps

On your visits, beware of unofficial guides who, in addition to often charging more than official guides, are untrained and have only superficial knowledge of their subject.

One of pickpockets ' tricks is to divert your attention: if someone throws ketchup, shaving cream or the like on your clothes or backpack, move away quickly. The thieves won't insist.

What's very local

It is essential to ask the authorization of the inhabitants before taking pictures of them, otherwise serious problems could arise! The belief that one steals the soul of a person by taking a picture is still very strong in Bolivia... In some parts of the country, you will find that it is even very complicated to get a portrait. Be respectful.