Cochabamba

• Bolivia: A Local's Guide to a Country You Have to See to Believe · Juan Flores, our Bolivian friend, on the salt flats, La Paz, Sucre, Lake Titicaca and Santa Cruz — with the hotels and tours we'd book.

Where should I stay?

Where should I eat?

• La Cancha · Centro (south) · Food market: Bolivia's largest open-air market, with food stalls serving cheap local plates like silpancho, chicharrón and api; watch your belongings.
• Café París · Plaza 14 de Septiembre · Café: Old-fashioned café on the main square, good for coffee, pastries and a light meal while watching plaza life.
• Dumbo · El Prado · Ice cream and café: Popular local ice cream parlor and café on the Prado, a family favorite for sundaes and simple snacks.

What should I do?

• Cristo de la Concordia · Cerro San Pedro: Giant Christ statue on a hill above the city, reached by cable car or a long stairway, with wide views over the valley.
• Plaza 14 de Septiembre · Centro: The arcaded main square, flanked by the Catedral Metropolitana and the center of daily city life.
• Convento de Santa Teresa · Centro: Colonial Carmelite convent turned museum, with guided tours of cloisters, cells and religious art and a rooftop view.
• Parque Nacional Tunari · Cordillera del Tunari: Mountain park rising right behind the city, with hiking trails, lagoons and views over the Cochabamba valley.
• Parque Nacional Torotoro · Torotoro: Remote canyon park several hours south with dinosaur footprints, caves and gorges, best visited over two or more days with a local guide.