La Paz has a fine setting amid lofty mountains, making it a perfect base for outdoor types. You can mountain bike on the world’s most dangerous road, ski one of the highest slopes, play golf at one of the world’s highest courses and go trekking in delectable terrain.

Golf
Golfers might like to have a round on one of the world’s highest courses. The Mallasilla La Paz Golf Club is about 15 minutes outside of La Paz and is a popular 6,900-yard, 18-hole course. The green fees for the course are fairly reasonable and there is also equipment hire and caddies. Be sure to book ahead. 
Phone: +591 102 274 5462 (Mallasilla La Paz Golf Club)

Lucha Libre
In the popular El Alto part of town is the multifunctional sports stadium Lucha Libre where all sorts of fun events take place. Wrestling matches are the big draw to Lucha Libre and although a bit of a fix, the bouts are most enjoyable for a rainy day.

Mirador Laikakota
Mirador Laikakota can be found on Avenue del Ejercito and is La Paz’s best lookout point in the city. Apart from the fine panoramic views of the city, Mirador is also a huge children’s park featuring rides, playgrounds, and lots of eating opportunities. If it’s the views you are after, go past the playgrounds and take some pictures of snow-capped Illimani.

Mountain Biking
Bolivia has some of the world’s highest tracks, including the renowned road from La Paz to Coroico, which is the world’s most dangerous road and a must for diehard bikers. The unpaved, narrow mountain road is always busy with trucks and teeters on a knife edge. Gravity Assisted Mountain Biking does this trip along with several others. Kids should not attempt it. 
Phone: 591 2 231 3849; www.gravitybolivia.com

Rafting
The best rafting in the region is in nearby Coroico, which is just a few kilometres to the northeast of La Paz. Although the rivers here in the winter are low, they become swollen after the summer rains and the Coroico River is lots of fun. You can expect grades III to V on the Coroico River between January and March. Vagantes Ecoaventuras provide tours.

Skiing
From November to May the nearby Chacaltaya ski resort has good skiing on its lofty glacier but is only really suited to intermediate sliders and above due to the altitude. It rises to an elevation of over 18,000 feet and overlooks stunning Lake Titicaca. The skiing features one main run and a chairlift which rises to just below the summit.

La Paz is enticing for the historian and lover of culture, with its collection of museums and galleries, as well as for its diverse nearby attractions. These include Lake Titicaca and the dense Madidi National Park. In town, La Paz Cemetery, the Iglesia de San Francisco and the Mercado Lanza market are all fine attractions.

Ecotourism
Ecotourism within La Paz’s Madidi National Park is all the rage with environmental types nowadays and the Chalalan Eco Lodge is well set up for visitors. With its bamboo roofed tacana-style cabanas, the lodge is completely surrounded by dense forest which is teeming with wildlife, including monkeys, alligators, and wild pigs. 
Phone: +591 2 231 1451; www.chalalan.com  

Iglesia de San Francisco
Located in La Paz city centre, Iglesia de San Francisco cathedral has a 16th-century Spanish mestizo look with a richly decorated facade and fine views. It represents Bolivia's three great cultures—Tiahuanaco, Inca, and modern—and the Museo San Francisco lies next to it. Be sure to check out the religious paintings, the ancient artefacts, and the amazing views from the roof. 
Phone: +591 2 231 8472

La Paz Cemetery
La Paz Cemetery is one of numerous glass-fronted blocks where the long-time residents’ ashes are kept, along with plaques and mementos. There are common graves here right up to huge family mausoleums, while professional mourners are paid to ensure enough tears and wailing accompanies burials. The Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) on 2 November is the busiest day here.

Lake Titicaca
The world’s highest commercially navigable body of water, at over 3,800 metres, is not far from La Paz and lies on the border between northern Bolivia and southern Peru. Titicaca covers a huge area and is also the largest inbound lake in South America. The serene lake contains the notable islands of Isla del Sol, Isla Amantani, and Isla Taquile, as well as the somewhat touristy floating Uros Islands.

Mercado Lanza
Located in Plaza Pérez of the Rosario district, Mercado Lanza is one of La Paz’s main food markets and is a right bustle of a place for those who want to see normal Bolivians going about their daily lives. Standard fruits and vegetables as well as breads and sandwiches are available and it is great to sit here and eat saltena (filled pastry shells).

Museo de Arte Contemporaneo
La Paz’s Museum of Contemporary Art (Museo de Arte Contemporaneo) lies in San Pedro and although it doesn’t have the best modern art in the city, the building itself is nice. A restored 19th-century mansion with glass roof and stained-glass panels, it is one of Gustav Eiffel’s babies. As for the art, there is an eclectic mix of Bolivian and international works. 
Phone: +591 2 233 5905

Bolivia isn’t especially known for its eating, although La Paz is one of those cities where you can just about get anything edible, with its high tourist numbers and quality hotels. Malecon promenade is the main place in La Paz to find decent eateries and it also has the pick of the nightlife and people-watching.

La Paz is especially well known for its saltenas – a pastry slice with either chicken or beef and onions and raisins. The best time to have saltenas is for breakfast and from the street vendors. If you don’t fancy eating on the street, try a saltena restaurant, such as Al Pazzo Saltenas on Capitán Revelo. Also be sure to try the British curry-house The Star of India, on calle Cochabamba.

La Paz is a city of street markets where you can pick up everything from cameras and phones to snacks and socks. Handmade arts and crafts are particularly popular. For stores and handicrafts head for Calle Sagarnaga in the city centre, while for markets, the Black Market and the Witchdoctors' Market are musts.

Black Market (Mercado Negro) is a street market that specialises in electronics, particularly computers. The Witchdoctors' Market (Mercado de los Brujos) is the most fun place to be, though, with its good-luck statuettes and all sorts of bits and bobs, including dried llama foetuses.