Sucre: the White Capital (well, Technically, 1/3 Capital) of Bolivia
Sucre has been a must-stop in many of our friend’s trips to Boilivia. It’s been called “the most European city of Bolivia”, the “Cafés capital” and “the best hike-recovery spot”, “the place to learn Spanish in Bolivia”. Well, they are all kind of right; but Sucre also has much to offer in terms of culture, history, chilling and culinary.
In this article we’ll focus on hidden gems that are a bit off-the-beaten-path. We are sure you already know the most popular spots and recommend to take a free tour to get to know the city’s interesting story.
Watch a Beautiful Sunset over the White City
Sucre’s Colonial Architecture has given it the title “UNESCO World Heritage site”. Many of the buildings in the city center feature Spanish architecture with lovely inner patios. The white buildings also reflect beautifully the sunset. Our favorite sunset spots were San Felipe de Neri (interesting monastery, guided tour 17BOB) or La Recoleta (church square where you can bring picnic or sip a beer after visiting a museum). More details here:
Visit MUSEF (Museo Nacional de Etnografía y Folklore)
Sucre is full of museums – we heard great things about the weaving museum in La Recolata and visited the historical Casa de la Libertad.
But in my opinion, most interesting one was MUSEF (and it’s also a fun name to say). This museum is for free, and is situated in a beautifully preserved colonial building. Even if you can’t read Spanish – it’s worth checking out for the videos, photos and the building itself.
This museum and organization are focused on preserving the rituals and culture of the 36 different ethnic groups in Bolivia. When I was there, there was a fascinating documentation of a festivals in Isla del Sol where locals bury gifts like hair, fur, coca leaves and alcohol for pachamama (mother earth); an exhibition of different weaved belts that are given to tribe members during their lifetime (kind of like in Judo belts maybe?) and a video documenting the weaving process. It was fascinating and I felt that it gave me a peek into the cultures and customs that are normally hidden from the tourist’s eye.
Go Hiking the Maragua Crater
Too much city life? Close enough to Sucre is the interesting Maragua crater, home of the Jalq’a ethnicity and a place with incredible rock formations and terrain. If you aren’t convinced yet: there are some dinosaurs footprints and and old Inca path. The hike (or parts of it) can be done in 1-3 days, depending on your shape and desires. We did it without a guide – in this article, we describe how:
Drink Good Coffee (and Start a Travel Blog…)
Fun fact: Sucre was where Una Noche Más was born and is for many reasons a digital nomad hotspot. There are loads of options for every taste and color – weather you like quiet and small or busy and social. The coffee is also great (….and we have Colombia standards). These were our favorites:
Join a Local Festival
It has been said that Bolivians lost the War of the Pacific because they were busy celebrating some fiesta. Correct or not, we felt there is always some kind of party going on somewhere! In Sucre the main event of the year is in September, the celebration of the city’s virgin (La fiesta de la Virgen de Guadalupe). Local groups practice special dances for months and dance for a few miles in every weather condition. It is told they have to be at their best at the church in the main square (right at the end of the long road) so the virgin will bless them for next year.
Eat Yummi Food
Sucre is known by backpackers as a place where you can have a “Michelin” meal for 25 euros. We visited “El Solar” but were kind of disappointed – nothing was really WOW and the waiter was really not enthusiastic (maybe an unterstatement)… Other friends recommend “Restaurante Nativa“, we didn’t check it out but they are french, so you can trust them about food.
Actually, the best spot we ate in Sucre was a hidden stand on Avenida Hernando Síles, near the market. This is the approximate location. They sell all kinds of cheesy pastries including the highlight cuñapes (cheese + tapioca starch), as well as corn arepas, pan de arroz (rice pastry) and sonso (another yuca flour version, not our favorite). If you sit there, you’ll also get a very sweet cup of coffee for free.
If you are gluten intolerant like Shir, here are some other options in town for you:
Do Some Thrift Shopping
With an already-too-heavy backpack and a long journey ahead, shopping was not our top priority in any of the places we’ve been to. However, every backpackers needs at least 1 T-Shirt without holes. We found second hand clothing stores in Bolivia a really nice, cheap (and surprisingly quality) options to renew our wardrobe. In Sucre, the area near the market is a good option. More details here:
If you are heading south to Uyuni, the market in Sucre is a good place to get your nuts for a trail mix, or other special dietary products, or just cheaper stuff in general. The nuts section is on the second floor. The market is worth a visit anyway!
Where to Stay in Sucre
Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means that we earn a small commission (to keep the blog going) if you book or buy anything through them. There is no extra cost for you - you pay the same as you would otherwise.We stayed in Casa de Huespedes Isabella as it had a kitchen; Christina the manager and the entire staff were super friendly and welcoming, and the location was really great – walking distance from everywhere we needed, and a short busride from the main station.
Where to go next?
Sucre is well connected to Samaipata, La Paz, and Potosi (a relatively short but steep bus ride). If you are heading to Uyuni, consider a stop in Potosi first – the connection from there is much more frequent than the weird night bus that arrives from Sucre in the middle of the night. You can get some inspiration from our route.
Summary
We hope you’ll like Sucre like we did and wish you a great time in Bolivia! If you have any updates to this article, tips you want to share etc, please leave a comment. If you like our content, we’d be really happy if you consider buying us a coffee 🙂
