SUCRE
Oh Sucre, The White City our favourite in Bolivia. With beautiful white colonial buildings, pristine parks, great cafes and affordability. The best place to learn Spanish. The capital of Bolivia should not be missed, you might even get stuck.
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getting there
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Sucre does have an airport but not a lot of flights depart or arrive here.
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From Uyuni | Alternatively you can hop on a night bus from Uyuni. Timings aren’t great and not many operators do the journey, prices start at £8. Or you can travel through the day from Uyuni stopping at Potosí where you will change buses and bus terminals. Tickets from Uyuni to Potosí are around 30Bs (£3.50) each and from Potosí to Sucre 21Bs (£2.50).
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To Stay
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Home Away | Me Gusta Spanish School own a hostel called Home Away. You get a discount if you take Spanish classes but we found it cheaper still on Booking.com, there is a male dorm, a female dorm and three private rooms. There's a comfy communal area and a dining room. It has a fridge and a kettle but no cooking facilities. Breakfast is included in the family home in the opposite building. A private room costs £21 a night and it was spotless with a large ensuite.
Villa Opreza | Is a popular choice for backpackers and Spanish students. It has more of a social vibe, with lounge areas to relax and do your homework and kitted out kitchens. Villa Opreza costs £7 a night for a bed in a 4 bed dorm, breakfast not included.
Colors Hostel | Social like Opreza, Colors Hostel also has its own tour agency and has daily activities. A bed in a 5 bed dorm costs around £7 a night with breakfast.
If you are staying longer to study over a few weeks then Airbnb is a good option.
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To do
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Take a Spanish Class | Sucre is one of the cheapest places to learn Spanish in Bolivia, it certainly has the most options. Many hostels offer Spanish classes or you can head to a school like we did. We can highly recommend Me Gusta Spanish School. Prices start at £82 for 20 hours of lessons, 4 hours over 5 days in a group or you can choose to do it as a couple or have private lessons. They went above and beyond and for Paul’s birthday they surprised him with a cake and sang Happy Birthday as well as Cumpleanos Feliz, much to his embarrassment. If you head to a coffee shop after class like we did to complete your homework you will not be alone. Most cafes are full with students practising their Spanish in the afternoon.
Walk with Giants | You can find the largest collection of Dinosaur footprints in the world about half an hour outside of Sucre at Cal Orck'o Park. A UNESCO Heritage site entry tickets cost 30Bs (£3.50) each, though tours to see the footprints are only at 12pm and 1pm when the quarry workers next door are on their lunch. To get there you can hop on the big red Dino Bus that stops at the main square at 11am which will get you to the museum in time for a tour. Tickets are 15Bs (£1.80) each for a return or you can make your own way there by catching the number 4 bus from the corner of Arenales and Junin, just get off at the last stop which is outside a concrete factory and walk a short distance towards the museum. Bus tickets at 2Bs (£0.25) each one way.
Fine Dining on the Cheap | Sucre has a great cafe scene, Cafe Metro, Coffee Bike, Mirador Cafe were our favourites but if you want a fine dining restaurant Bolivian style and a treat then head over to Nativa. Book ahead because it gets quite busy, on offer is a six course tasting menu with wine pairing. Its a non pretentious setting and the food is delicious. You'll be ok in your best backpacker clothes, dig out that white linen shirt. Paul went in his trainers. Each dish and and pairing comes with the waiters explanation and it is definitely worth the 150Bs (£17.70) each.
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Wander the Dead | Visit Cemetario General de Sucre. The cemetery may not sound like a place you would want to visit but if you haven’t been to one in South America yet then we suggest you have a walk around this one. We were lucky to be in Sucre on Dia de la Muerta or Day of the Dead which is a huge celebration. During a Spanish class we took a trip around the cemetery to see how the locals prepare and celebrate this special day and it’s incredible. there's live music, drinking, feasting and singing. Its tradition to set out the deceased favourite food and drink and invite the community to share in it. The cemetery is immaculate and huge and the class difference is apparent. They range from multi story pigeon hole graves on to huge family tombs of royalty and political figures.
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