La Paz has a somewhat diverse and interesting set of attractions. There are palaces, churches and museums galore as well as the notorious San Pedro Prison. The most interesting place for a stroll is El Prado Street and Plaza Murillo, or right up into El Alto, the town’s highest suburb.

Cathedral and Plaza Murillo
The cathedral in La Paz dates from 1835, making it a fairly recent addition to the city’s collection of religious buildings. It is pretty impressive nonetheless and harks of huge dimensions, featuring high domes, high ceilings, bulky stone walls, and loads of stained glass windows. The cathedral is set in the Plaza Murillo square and is very photogenic.

El Alto
El Alto is a city within a city, although essentially a suburb of La Paz that came about much farther up the mountains. It is home to La Paz's El Alto International Airport and is characterised by orange brick and adobe houses and lots of activity. German priest, Padre Obermaier, built the dozens of white churches that scatter the town, while myriad shops and markets abound.

El Prado
El Prado is La Paz's main street and is divided into two parts, where the locals lived in the south and the Spaniards north. It’s the lowest part of town and used to be a river before it was cemented over. El Prado is a great pace for strolling and features the Witchdoctors' Market, the Black Market, many colonial buildings and government offices as well as trendy restaurants.

La Paz Palaces
The Presidential Palace is located near the cathedral in Plaza Murillo where you can also see the statue of President Gualberto Villarroel—he was subsequently hung from a lamppost in the square in 1946. The Government Palace also lies next to the cathedral and is today the office of the Bolivian president. It has been burned many times and tours of the building can be done every Thursday morning.

National Museum of Art (Museo Nacional de Arte)
La Paz’s art museum is loaded with colonial art and contemporary Bolivian art, including works by Gaspar Miguel de Berrio, as well as a gallery dedicated to Melchor Pérez Holguín. The building itself is an important colonial structure and dates from 1775. 
Phone: +591 2 240 8600

National Museum of Ethnography and Folklore
The Museo Nacional de Etnografía y Folklore showcases Bolivia’s rich culture with its many fine exhibits and collections. Popular exhibits include the tribes people of Lake Titicaca and the ‘3,000 Years of Textiles’ (Tres Milenios de Tejidos) display. These ponchos, skirts, and blankets are richly woven and are works of art in themselves. 
Phone: +591 2240 8640

San Pedro Prison
San Pedro Prison is like no other. It has no guards or curfews and the prisoners have to work to rent or pay for their cells. The prison is hierarchical and there are many different areas depending on the wealth of the prisoner. Some even have their families living with them. Quiet by day and rough at night, any problems are solved by elected leaders and unions in-house.