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Sucre: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

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Sucre, founded in 1538 as La Plata, is the constitutional capital of Bolivia and the seat of its Supreme Court, though the government sits in La Paz. By local rule its colonial centre is whitewashed, and it became a World Heritage site in 1991. At about two thousand eight hundred metres, it is milder than La Paz. Bolivia cut relations with Israel in 2023; check the visa rules. Half a day on foot.

Sucre

A short history of Sucre

The Spanish founded the city in 1538 under the name La Plata, "silver", and it served as the seat of government for the whole region around the mines of Potosí. In 1559 the Royal Audiencia of Charcas was established here, and in 1624 a university opened, one of the oldest on the continent. On 25 May 1809 one of the first calls for independence from Spain was heard here, and on 6 August 1825 Bolivia's declaration of independence was signed here. In 1839 the city took the name of Antonio José de Sucre, one of the leaders of the war of independence. In 1899 the government moved to La Paz, but Sucre remained the constitutional capital and the seat of the Supreme Court. In 1991 its white centre was declared a World Heritage Site.

The ten best sights in Sucre

  1. Plaza 25 de Mayo
    1
    Plaza 25 de Mayo

    The white square of the capital

  2. Casa de la Libertad
    2
    Casa de la Libertad

    Where Bolivia declared independence

  3. Sucre Cathedral
    3
    Sucre Cathedral

    The jewelled Virgin of Guadalupe

  4. San Felipe Neri
    4
    San Felipe Neri

    Rooftop terraces over the white city

  5. Museo ASUR
    5
    Museo ASUR

    The weavings of Jalq’a and Tarabuco

  6. La Recoleta
    6
    La Recoleta

    The arcaded viewpoint over the city

  7. Cementerio General
    7
    Cementerio General

    Avenues of cypresses and mausoleums

  8. Parque Bolívar
    8
    Parque Bolívar

    A small Eiffel tower in the park

  9. Supreme Court
    9
    Supreme Court

    Sucre is still the judicial capital

  10. 10
    Castillo de La Glorieta

    The palace of a prince and princess

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What is an audio walk?

Tours in Sucre →

A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Sucre:

The white capital

Free walking tours in Sucre

The white capital

Sucre, founded in 1538 as La Plata, is the constitutional capital of Bolivia and the seat of its Supreme Court, though the government sits in La Paz. By local rule its colonial centre is whitewashed, and it became a World Heritage site in 1991. At about two thousand eight hundred metres, it is milder than La Paz. Bolivia cut relations with Israel in 2023; check the visa rules. Half a day on foot.

  1. Plaza 25 de Mayo · The main square, named for 25 May 1809, when the people of the city rose against Spanish officials — often called the first cry of independence in Spanish America.
  2. Casa de la Libertad · In the old Jesuit university hall here, Bolivia’s declaration of independence was signed on 6 August 1825; the country took its name from Simón Bolívar and this city its own from his general, Antonio José de Sucre.
  3. Sucre Cathedral · Beside the cathedral, a chapel holds a painting of the Virgin of Guadalupe from 1601, covered in gold, silver, pearls and precious stones given by the faithful over centuries.
  4. San Felipe Neri · A former convent, now a school, whose white rooftop terraces and bell towers can be visited for a view over the red roofs and white walls of the city.
  5. Museo ASUR · A museum of the textiles of the Jalq’a and Tarabuco peoples: Jalq’a weavings show red-and-black worlds of strange creatures, Tarabuco ones scenes of daily life; weavers work in the courtyard.
  6. La Recoleta · A square with an arcaded viewpoint at the top of the city, beside a Franciscan convent founded in 1601 whose garden holds a giant cedar said to be about a thousand years old.

Dinosaurs, a castle and the market

Around the centre are a park, a cemetery, a fairy-tale palace and a cliff covered with dinosaur tracks. Half a day by taxi or the dinosaur bus.

  1. Mercado Central · The central market, where women blend fruit juices to order and refill your glass, and stalls upstairs sell salteñas and chorizo chuquisaqueño, the city’s spiced sausage. Sucre is also known for its chocolate.
  2. Parque Bolívar · A long park with a small iron tower, a miniature of the Eiffel Tower, a reminder of the French tastes of Sucre’s wealthy silver families in the nineteenth century.
  3. Supreme Court · The Supreme Court building on the park. In 1899 a civil war over whether the capital should be Sucre or La Paz ended with the government moving to La Paz, while Sucre kept the courts and the title.
  4. Cementerio General · A cemetery of avenues of clipped cypresses and marble mausoleums of the old families, one of the most beautiful in South America; students offer guided walks at the gate.
  5. Castillo de La Glorieta · A fantasy palace of the 1890s in a mix of styles, built by the banker Francisco Argandoña and his wife Clotilde Urioste, whom Pope Leo XIII made prince and princess of La Glorieta for their charity.
  6. Parque Cretácico · At Cal Orck’o, a cement quarry, quarrying exposed, in the late twentieth century, a near-vertical wall of rock with thousands of dinosaur footprints — among the largest collections of tracks in the world — left in mud some sixty-eight million years ago and tilted upright by the Andes.

Tarabuco and Potosí

East of Sucre lies the weaving town of Tarabuco; west, three hours away and over four thousand metres high, the silver city of Potosí. A day each.

  1. Tarabuco · A Yampara village whose Sunday market fills with weavers in leather helmets shaped like the Spanish conquistadors’ and woven ponchos. In March the Pujllay festival celebrates a victory over the Spanish in 1816.
  2. Siete Cascadas · A walk north of the city down a valley to a chain of seven waterfalls and pools, where locals swim on hot weekends.
  3. Potosí · In the sixteenth century, thanks to its silver, Potosí was one of the largest and richest cities in the world, at over four thousand metres. In Spanish, vale un Potosí — it is worth a Potosí — still means priceless.
  4. Casa Nacional de Moneda · The royal mint, rebuilt from 1759, where silver was beaten into coins carried to Spain; its wooden rolling machines were driven by mules, and Indigenous and African slaves worked them.
  5. Cerro Rico · The rich hill, mined for silver since 1545 and still worked by cooperative miners in harsh conditions. Underground they make offerings to El Tío, the devil-like lord of the mine; tours exist but are dangerous and morally difficult.
  6. Alcantarí Airport · Opened in 2016 to replace the old airport in the city, whose short runway between the hills had made landing there notoriously difficult.
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Getting to Sucre and getting around

  • Alcantarí Airport · About forty minutes south of the city
  • Sucre bus terminal · Buses to Potosí, La Paz and Uyuni

Cheap eats in Sucre

Sucre eats chorizo chuquisaqueño, a spiced pork sausage served in a bun; mondongo, a pork stew in red chilli sauce; salteñas in the morning; and chocolate, made in the city since the nineteenth century. A juice at the market costs under a dollar, refilled for free.

  • Mercado Central · Juices and chorizo
  • Plaza 25 de Mayo · Chocolate shops on the square
  • Tarabuco · Market food on Sunday

Museums in Sucre

Sucre’s museums tell of independence, weaving, dinosaurs and silver.

  • Casa de la Libertad · Independence
  • Museo ASUR · Weaving
  • Casa Nacional de Moneda · The silver mint

Nature and day trips near Sucre

Valleys, waterfalls and a cliff of dinosaur tracks.

  • Parque Cretácico · Dinosaur tracks
  • Siete Cascadas · The waterfalls
  • La Recoleta · The thousand-year cedar

Things to do in Sucre with kids

With children: life-size dinosaurs and their footprints, a fairy-tale castle and a little Eiffel Tower.

  • Parque Cretácico · The dinosaurs
  • Castillo de La Glorieta · The castle
  • Parque Bolívar · The little tower

Holy places in Sucre

Colonial churches and convents, and the miners’ devil under the silver mountain.

  • Sucre Cathedral · The jewelled Virgin
  • San Felipe Neri · The rooftop
  • Cerro Rico · El Tío

Nightlife in Sucre

Sucre is a student city: bars and peñas around the square, quieter than La Paz.

  • Plaza 25 de Mayo · Student bars
  • La Recoleta · Sunset café
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Frequently asked questions about Sucre

What is there to see in Sucre?

The top sights in Sucre are Plaza 25 de Mayo, Casa de la Libertad and Sucre Cathedral. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Sucre?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Sucre without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Sucre?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Sucre, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: The white capital.

How do you get to Sucre and get around?

The main ways are Alcantarí Airport and Sucre bus terminal. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Sucre, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Sucre that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.

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