12 things to do in Sucre
I planned to stay in Sucre, Bolivia for two days only, but the destiny changed everything and it made me stay for a week. I gave a third chance to Sucre and thus was able to visit a lot more.
And these are my favorite 12 things to do in Sucre:
1. PARQUE BOLIVAR – my hostel Traveller’s Guesthouse was located at Parque Bolivar so I saw it from my room window every day. It’s dominant attraction is a nice fountain Fuente del Bicentenario which is the best to visit at night. The park is also visited by people to do their daily running there and family walks around in circles too. Some concerts take place at Parque Bolivar too.
2. PLAZA 25 DE MAYO – the main square with the white cathedral, some posh restaurants and museums around (such as Casa de la Libertad).
3. CEMETERY – with mausoleums of rich people and those who died in the wars. Very nice, looks like a park. There are arches carved in poplar trees at the entrance.
Sucre cemetery
poplar tree arches
4. LA RECOLETA – at the hill, great for a nice view of the white town. There is San Francisco Monastery from 1601, a museum and a garden with a cedar tree older than 1,000 years. The legend says that if a couple wants to get married in the same year, they will if they walk around the cedar tree three times in the same sense.
5. UNIVERSITY – Facultad de Derecho (Faculty of Law) is a typical Bolivian building that looks more like a church with a tower than a university. Obviously, it is of white colour too to match the ”white city of the America” label that Sucre has.
entrance to the University of Sucre
white Faculty of Law in Sucre
6. SAN FELIPE DE NERI – another white church with a view of the town from its tower. Open after 2 pm.
7. MERCADO CENTRAL – next to San Francisco church, the best place to get fresh fruit, vegetables, bread and meat.
Mercado Central
fruit in Mercado Central
8. MERCADO CAMPESINO – the cheapest place to buy clothes. Located along the streets not far from the bus station, it shows the traditional Bolivian life and Bolivian clothes and shoes for very affordable prices. If you speak Spanish, you will get a better price.
9. CASTILLO DE LA GLORIETA – Don Francisco de Argandoña with his wife Clotilde lived in this castle. I don’t think I have ever seen such an interesting beautiful reddish building built in this exact style. It looks like in a fairy tale. Find more information and photos from Castillo de la Glorieta here.
Castillo de la Glorieta
outside of the Castillo de la Glorieta
10. CASA DE LA LIBERTAD – The museum is open to public from Tuesday to Sunday from 9 am to 12.30 pm and then again from 2.30 pm to 6.30 pm. You can learn something about the Independence of Bolivia, see the first patriotic flag of the countries nowadays called Argentina and Bolivia, tomb of Juana Azurduy de Padilla, furniture, and many historical relics. The place where in 1825 Bolivia was born.
Casa de la Libertad
11. PARQUE CRETACICO – CRETACEOUS PARK – Parque Cretácico is located just a few minutes from Sucre town by bus number 4. I wonder why this unique place it is not world-known yet as it was discovered already in 1994. Two hours around the park got me back to my childhood and memories of going to cinema to watch Jurassic Park movie with my dad and brother. Thankfully, the Cretaceous Park with its life-sized dinosaurs in Sucre is not that terrifying and I could even call it ”cute”.
me in Cretaceous Park in Sucre
the limestone wall of dinosaur tracks in Cretaceous Park
12. TARABUCO MARKET – situated not directly in Sucre town but you can take a bus with Oasis Tours leaving every Sunday at 8.30 am to get there. Tarabuco market is one of the busiest and the best places to see the Yampara culture.
I am happy that even being very sick when the things did not work out the way I wanted to, I still checked off these 12 things to do in Sucre that were part of my bucket list.
Crazy sexy fun traveler
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Comment@ Off Road Bolivia:
Oh, I’ve heard of it but I’m not the biggest fan of museums.
Off Road Bolivia
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I’d like to recommend the textile museum, Museum of Indian Arts ASUR, which is near the La Recoleta. This is definitely the best museum in the city of Sucre. They have beautiful weavings and everything is well explained and presented.
Crazy Sexy Fun Traveler
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Comment@ Harvard Gringo:
I don’t visit morgues very often!
Harvard Gringo
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I second. Cool cemetery. So they’re like shelves… like in a morgue?
crazy sexy fun traveler
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Comment@ The Guy:
The cemetery had parts that looked differently but I did like it. And whte buildings are just imposant :)
The Guy
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Sucre looks like a really interesting place and I love the white buildings. That cemetery looks very odd, I’ve never seen anything like it.