Things to do in Sucre
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Florín
Rapidly turning into the place to be seen in Sucre, this atmospheric bar-restaurant serves a mixture of typical Bolivian food and international dishes, including a ‘Full English’ breakfast. Popular with locals and gringos alike, who line up along the enormous 13m-long bar (surely the biggest in Bolivia?) at night during the two-for-one happy hour.
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El Huerto
Set in a lovely secluded garden, this is a favorite spot for Sucre’s people in the know. It’s got the atmosphere of a classy lawn party, with sunshades and grass underfoot; there’s great service and stylishly presented traditional plates (especially the chorizo) that don’t come much better anywhere in the country.
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Cretaceous Park
This slick theme park has a number of life-size models of dinosaurs, as well as an audio-visual display, optional guided tours and a restaurant. From the terrace, you can examine the tracks on the rock face opposite with binoculars, though the exposed prints are increasingly eroded with every passing winter.
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Café Mirador
The café of the Museo de los Niños Tanga-Tanga overlooks a botanical garden that exhibits a range of foliage from around the country. The panoramic views are a sunset treat and worth the hike up the hill, and it's a sweet place to linger over juice, sandwiches, cocktails or the rich desserts.
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Bibliocafé
With two adjacent locations, this has something for everyone; one side is dark and cozy, the other a little smarter. There’s good service, a menu of pasta and Mexican-Bolivian food, and also drinks until late in a cheerful and unpretentious atmosphere, plus regular live music.
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La Taverne
With a quiet sophisticated atmosphere, the restaurant of the Alliance Française is a delight to visit. The short, select menu has a French touch and there are excellent daily specials. There’s live music every Friday night and film screenings several times a week.
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Para Ti Chocolates
Thanks to Sucre’s status as Bolivia’s chocolate capital, there are plenty of stores that cater to sweet tooths. The best is Para Ti Chocolates, where tasty bonbons are only the tip of the iceberg.
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Salfari
This little gem of a pub has friendly service, a loyal local crowd, and lively games of poker and cacho usually going on. Try their tasty but potent homemade fruit liqueurs.
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Mitos
Mitos is a spacious basement spot a 15-minute walk from the centre. It really fills up around 1am and plays well-loved local and international hits.
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Chifa New Hong Kong
Great value authentic Chinese food with huge portions. Watch your head on the ceiling upstairs though!
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Solarsa Tour
Reliable travel agent; also run culturally-sensitive trips to Jalq'a villages.
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Parque Cretácico (Cal Orck'o)
It seems that 65 million years ago the site of Sucre's Fancesa cement quarry, six kilometers from the centre, was the place to be for large, scaly types. When the grounds were being cleared in 1994, plant employees uncovered a nearly vertical mudstone face bearing over 6000 tracks - some of which measure up to 80cm in diameter - from over 150 different species of dinosaur.
While you once could go right up to the tracks, these days you have to be content with gazing at them from the brand-new Parque Cretácico (Cal Orck'o). This slick, family-friendly visitors centre has a couple of dozen scary life-size models of dinosaurs, as well as an audiovisual display and a restaura…
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Museo de la Catedral
This museum - Museo de la Catedral holds one of Bolivia’s best collections of religious relics. There are four sections, ritually unlocked as your visit progresses. In the entry room is a series of fine religious paintings from the colonial era. Next, a chapel has relics of saints, and fine gold and silver chalices. The highlight, however, comes in the Capilla de la Virgen de Guadalupe, which was completed in 1625. Encased in the altar is a painting of the Virgin, the city’s patron. She was originally painted by Fray Diego de Ocaña in 1601, but the work was subsequently coated with highlights of gold and silver and adorned in robes encrusted with diamonds, amethysts, pe…
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Museo de la Catedral
The four sections in the museum are unlocked as your visit progresses to reveal Bolivia's best collections of religious relics. In the entry room is a series of religious paintings from the colonial era. Next, a chapel has relics of saints, and fine gold and silver chalices. The highlight, however, is the Capilla de la Virgen de Guadalupe, completed in 1625.
Encased in the altar is a painting of the Virgin, the city's patron, and a woman of means. She was originally painted by Fray Diego de Ocaña in 1601. The work was subsequently coated with highlights of gold and silver and adorned in robes encrusted with diamonds, amethysts, pearls, rubies and emeralds donated by wealt…
reviewed
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Museum of Religious Art
Located in the Santa Clara Convent, this museum of religious art, founded in 1639, contains several works by Bolivian master Melchor Pérez de Holguín and his Italian instructor, Bernardo de Bitti. In 1985 it was robbed, and several paintings and gold ornaments were taken. One of the canvases, however, was apparently deemed too large to carry away, so the thieves sliced a big chunk out of the middle and left the rest hanging. The painting has been restored but you can still see evidence of the damage. Guides may also demonstrate the still-functional pipe organ, which was fabricated in 1664.
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Museo de la Recoleta
Overlooking the city of Sucre from the top of Calle Polanco, La Recoleta was established by the Franciscan Order in 1601. It has served not only as a convent and museum but also as a barrack and prison. The highlight is the church choir and its magnificent wooden carvings dating back to the 1870s, each one intricate and unique, representing the martyrs who were crucified in 1595 in Nagasaki. The museum is worthwhile for its anonymous sculptures and paintings from the 16th to 20th centuries, including numerous interpretations of St Francis of Assisi.
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Museo de los Niños Tanga-Tanga
On the same square as La Recoleta, and set in a beautiful building, this excellent interactive children's museum focuses on renewable energy sources. Highlights include the botanical gardens and explanations of Bolivian ecology. The museum also hosts cultural and environmental programs, including theater performances and ceramic classes. The attached Café Mirador is a great place to relax while enjoying the best view in town.
The adjacent Ananay handicrafts shop sells unique high-quality artesanías, including especially cute children's clothing.
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Cementerio Municipal
The enthusiasm surrounding Sucre's Cementerio Municipal seems disproportionate to what's there. There are some arches carved from poplar trees, as well as picturesque palm trees and the mausoleums of wealthy colonial families, but it's a mystery why it should inspire such local fervor. To enliven the experience, visit on a weekend when it's jam-packed with families, or hire one of the enthusiastic child guides for a few bolivianos.
You can walk the eight blocks from the plaza south along Junín, or take a taxi or micro A.
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Musef
Housed in the impressive former Banco Nacional building, this new museum brings together a series of fascinating displays that vividly illustrate the great diversity of Bolivia’s ethnic cultures. On the ground floor is a professionally presented display of masks with over 50 original examples, some of which you wouldn’t want to bump into in a dark alleyway. The other permanent display deals with the Uru-Chipaya culture, with reconstructions of village life and exhibitions of artifacts used in their daily life.
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Iglesia de Santa Mónica
The Iglesia de Santa Mónica was begun in 1574 and was originally intended to serve as a monastery for the Ermitañas de San Agustín. However the order ran into financial difficulties in the early 1590s, resulting in its conversion into a Jesuit school. The interior is adorned with mestizo carvings and the courtyard is one of the city’s finest. The church now serves as a civic auditorium and is only open to the public during special events.
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Iglesia de San Francisco
The Iglesia de San Francisco was established in 1538 soon after the founding of the city, but was turned over to the military in 1809. The soldiers weren’t big on maintenance and it fell into disrepair before eventually being reconsecrated in 1925. Its most interesting features are its mudéjar (Moorish) paneled ceiling and the Campana de la Libertad, Bolivia’s Liberty Bell, which called patriots to revolution in 1825.
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Museum of Indigenous Arts
This superb museum of indigenous arts is a must for anyone interested in the indigenous groups of the Sucre area, focusing particularly on the woven textiles of the Jalq’a and Candelaria (Tarabuco) cultures. It’s a fascinating display, and has an interesting subtext: the rediscovery of forgotten ancestral weaving practices has contributed to increased community pride and revitalization.
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Central Market
The Central Market is home to some gastronomic highlights. Don't miss the fresh juices and fruit salads - they are among the best in the country. The vendors and their blenders always come up with something indescribably delicious - try jugo de tumbo (unripe passion-fruit juice). Upstairs, you'll find good, filling, cheap meals in sanitary conditions (for a market, anyway).
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Locot’s
Relaxed and attractive, this bar-restaurant is in an interesting old building, with candlelit tables and original art on the walls. It offers a limited choice of Bolivian, Mexican and international food, including vegetarian, and a gringo-friendly vibe. Based here is Locot’s Aventura (www.locotsadventure.com) that offers hiking, biking, horse-riding and paragliding.
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Cathedral
Sucre’s cathedral dates from the middle of the 16th century and is a harmonious blend of Renaissance architecture with later baroque additions. It’s a noble structure, with a bell tower that is a local landmark. Inside, the white single-naved space has a series of oil paintings of the apostles, as well as an ornate altarpiece and pulpit.
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