La Paz in 4 Days on a Budget (Daily Costs)
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A 4-Day La Paz Itinerary on a Budget
Four days lets you add El Alto’s market to the city-core-plus-one-day-trip plan, running roughly $80-115 per person on a shoestring budget. As always, Day 1 stays a genuine rest day, since El Alto’s airport lands you around 4,050-4,150m before you’ve even reached the city. For a fuller trip with Death Road and Titicaca, see our 5-day itinerary.
Book these before you go:
- La Paz hostel or budget hotel in Centro or Sopocachi
- A Mi Teleferico card on arrival
Day 1: Arrival and Acclimatize
Morning. Land at El Alto, take a registered radio taxi or hostel transfer in, and check in. Skip sightseeing today.
Afternoon. A gentle Yellow Line Mi Teleferico ride, around 3 BOB, mostly seated.
Evening. An early, simple dinner, coca tea, and no alcohol tonight.
Day 1 running cost (USD, per person): airport transfer $5-8 + Mi Teleferico $0.40 + meals $8-10 + hostel bed $6-10 = ~$20-28
Day 2: Casco Viejo and a Viewpoint
Morning. Plaza Murillo, the Palacio Quemado, and the backwards Reloj del Sur clock, then Iglesia de San Francisco’s facade from the plaza, free.
Midday. Almuerzo at Mercado Lanza’s food court, a few dollars for a full meal.
Afternoon. The Witches’ Market (ask before photographing) and Calle Jaen, both free to walk.
Evening. Mirador Killi Killi at sunset, free.
Day 2 running cost (USD, per person): transport $2 + meals $8-10 = **$10-12**
Day 3: Tiwanaku Day Trip
Morning. A public bus, roughly two hours each way for a few dollars, reaches the UNESCO-listed Tiwanaku site, the Gate of the Sun, the Kalasasaya courtyard, and the Akapana mound, for a modest entry fee (confirm at the gate).
Afternoon. Take the ruins at an easy pace at this altitude, with a hat and water on hand.
Evening. Return to La Paz by the same bus for a low-key dinner.
Day 3 running cost (USD, per person): round-trip bus $6-10 + site entry $10-15 + meals $8-10 = ~$24-35
Day 4: El Alto Market and Zona Sur
Morning. Take Mi Teleferico up to El Alto for the Feria 16 de Julio, one of South America’s largest open-air markets, free to enter, running Thursday and Sunday; check which day falls in your trip and adjust if it lands elsewhere.
Afternoon. If it’s a Sunday, catch cholita wrestling for a modest ticket price (roughly $10-15, confirm locally), a tradition with real roots in domestic-violence-survivor support circles, best approached as community sport rather than spectacle. If not, head instead to Zona Sur for a warmer, lower-altitude stroll (around 3,100m against downtown’s 3,600m-plus) and a relaxed final afternoon.
Evening. A slightly nicer farewell dinner; you’ve earned it after two solid days out of the city.
Day 4 running cost (USD, per person): Mi Teleferico/transport $3 + market browsing free + cholita wrestling $10-15 (if applicable) + meals $10-14 = **$23-32**
Four-day total: roughly $77-107 per person, before accommodation upgrades.
Four days gets you the city, one UNESCO day trip, and El Alto’s market. Death Road and an overnight to Titicaca are still missing here; both fit better into a 5-day-plus trip. Uyuni remains a separate multi-day expedition regardless of trip length, so plan it as its own trip rather than trying to fit it in. See our day trips guide for more on all of the above.