La Paz El Alto Airport is located in the highest part of the city, within the El Alto suburb and is the gateway to La Paz. Flights are not all that easy to come by as bigger planes need special tyres to deal with the extended landing speeds due to the altitude. The airport has basic facilities, including ATMs, limited shops and eating.

To get to La Paz proper, a 10-kilometre long toll road runs to the city centre and most of the larger hotels will send a taxi to meet you for a fee. Minibuses and buses (GoTransTur) also run from the airport to the town centre every four minutes and can be found behind the taxis. The buses are generally busy, though, making taxi travel more convenient.

La Paz is tough to get about on foot. To walk any distance is folly due to the altitude and the steepness of the streets, while market streets are clogged with people. If you want to have a look around, take a minibus (trufi), which can be flagged down anywhere and are cheap. The main route is from Plaza San Francisco to Plaza del Estudiante.

Taxi travel is the other form of travel in the city but beware that most are privately run. Sticking with licensed taxis is recommended and these are denoted by cars with lit signs on the roof displaying the company’s telephone number. Unfortunately, taxis are not metered. You can hire cars in La Paz but driving yourself is not recommended due to the state of the roads and erratic local drivers.