Located at 3500 meters of altitude, La Paz is dizzying in many aspects. Once you step out of the airport, the altitude, warmth and the noise grabs you by the throat. Give yourself a few minutes to get used to the initial chaos and stop worrying: La Paz is a safe and actually a very laid-back city.
When visiting La Paz, plan at least 3 days to explore the city. There is so much to see and do that you can stay for 2 weeks and still will not be bored. In this blog I will guide you through the must do’s and must sees of La Paz, so that you get the maximum out of your visit to this extraordinary city! Below you’ll find my top 5. But first, watch our travel video for a cool impression:
During our 7 month trip through Asia and South America we’ve stayed in over 70 different hotels. For each city and country we had a tight hotel budget, all hotels we booked where in the low to midrange price of the available hotels in the specific city. We always looked for a hotel with a special ‘feel’ : small boutique hotels or guesthouses with a personal touch. We encountered some real gems during our many stays, however, the hotels described below are our absolute favorites:
1. Miyajima Guest House Mikuniya – Miyajima (Japan)
Why go: Hospitality, Unique experience, Beautiful rooms with unbelievable views
The Island of Miyajima is one of the highlights of Japan: the beautiful scenic views attract loads of tourists during the day, therefore we recommend you to stay at least one night on the Island. In the afternoon, when the tourists go back to Hiroshima, the island becomes more tranquil and mysterious. We chose to stay at Guest House Mikuniya, a short walk from the world famous Itsukushima Shrine and it’s huge Torii Gate. The small Guest House is beautiful in every detail: decorated with Japanese art and furniture. There is a lounge where you watch DVD’s, read a book, learn how to make origami or enjoy some Japanese tea. However, you will likely not be spending too much time here. The friendly owner Mr. Masaharu Terazawa treats his guests like friends and adds a personal touch to the whole experience.
We already were in love with the place without having seen the highlight of the Guesthouse, our room. We stayed in a beautiful traditional Japanese style tatami room with a stunning sea view. It’s amazing to wake up in the morning, opening the window blinds and see the huge red Torii Gate staring at you. It doesn’t get much better then this in life.
Address:
327 Chue-machi, Miyajima-cho, Hatsukaichi City, Hiroshima, Japan, 739-0523 http://miyajimamikuniya.com/
La Paz, the capital of Bolivia has quite surprised us with its magnificent views over the city, colorful markets and local traditions. Sure, the altitude knocked us down and caused us some uncomfortable nights. But it was definitely worth it! La Paz has so many things to offer: stay for a week and you still don’t get bored. Besides exploring the city by foot and cablecar, we chose to go for a ride just outside the city. We experienced the Death Road mountain bike tour which was one of the coolest things we’ve ever done!
If you happen to be an adventurous type and you’re in La Paz (Bolivia) by any chance, you can’t miss out riding down the World’s Most Dangerous Road on a mountain bike! Sure, you really need to know how to ride a bike in order to do this safely. By no means this is a challenging ride. When we heard about the existence of the mountain bike tour down the risky Death Road, we had to think twice. We asked around for advice at several tour operators and mountain bike specialists. We made up our mind and decided we should just go for it!
