Cochabamba

Busy, buzzy Cochabamba is one of Bolivia’s boom cities and has a distinct, almost Mediterranean vitality that perhaps owes something to its clement climate. The spacious, ever-expanding new-town avenues have a wide choice of restaurants, eagerly grazed by the food-crazy cochabambinos, and the bar scene is lively, driven by students and young professionals. It's also the base for outdoor adventures further afield, including trips to Parque Torotoro. You could easily find yourself staying a lot longer than planned.

The city’s name is derived from the Quechua khocha pampa, meaning 'swampy plain.' Cochabamba lies in a fertile green bowl, 15.5 miles (25km) long by 6.2 miles (10km) wide, set in a landscape of fields and low hills. To the northwest rises Cerro Tunari (16,568ft (5050m)), the highest peak in central Bolivia.

Explore Cochabamba

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Palacio Portales
Nothing symbolizes Bolivia's gilded mineral age like tin baron Simón Patiño's European-style Palacio Portales. Though he never actually inhabited this…
C
Cristo de la Concordia
This immense Christ statue standing atop Cerro de San Pedro (2800m) behind Cochabamba is the second largest of its kind in the world. It's 44cm higher…
C
Convento de Santa Teresa
The noble, timeworn Convento de Santa Teresa is straight out of a Gabriel García Márquez novel. Guided tours (around 45 minutes) of this gracefully…
V
Villa Albina
If you haven’t already had your fill of Simón Patiño’s legacy in Oruro and Cochabamba, you can visit Villa Albina in the village of Pairumani and tour the…
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La Cancha
Sprawling, chaotic and claustrophobic, Cochabamba's main market, while lacking an attractive mise-en-scène, is nevertheless a colorful place to wander…
M
Museo Arqueológico de la UMSS
The Museo Arqueológico provides an excellent overview of Bolivia’s various indigenous cultures. The collection is split into three sections: the…
L
La Angostura
This artificial lake on the ever-expanding southern outskirts of Cochabamba is a popular spot for cochabambinos. However, the lake itself is not an…
C
Catedral Metropolitana
On the arcaded Plaza 14 de Septiembre, Cochabamba's cathedral is the valley’s oldest religious building, begun in 1542 as a tiny stone-and-adobe structure…
I
Iglesia y Convento de San Francisco
Constructed in 1581, the Iglesia y Convento de San Francisco is Cochabamba’s second-oldest church. However, major revisions and renovations occurred in…

P
Palacio Portales
Nothing symbolizes Bolivia's gilded mineral age like tin baron Simón Patiño's European-style Palacio Portales. Though he never actually inhabited this…
C
Cristo de la Concordia
This immense Christ statue standing atop Cerro de San Pedro (2800m) behind Cochabamba is the second largest of its kind in the world. It's 44cm higher…
C
Convento de Santa Teresa
The noble, timeworn Convento de Santa Teresa is straight out of a Gabriel García Márquez novel. Guided tours (around 45 minutes) of this gracefully…
V
Villa Albina
If you haven’t already had your fill of Simón Patiño’s legacy in Oruro and Cochabamba, you can visit Villa Albina in the village of Pairumani and tour the…
L
La Cancha
Sprawling, chaotic and claustrophobic, Cochabamba's main market, while lacking an attractive mise-en-scène, is nevertheless a colorful place to wander…
M
Museo Arqueológico de la UMSS
The Museo Arqueológico provides an excellent overview of Bolivia’s various indigenous cultures. The collection is split into three sections: the…
L
La Angostura
This artificial lake on the ever-expanding southern outskirts of Cochabamba is a popular spot for cochabambinos. However, the lake itself is not an…
C
Catedral Metropolitana
On the arcaded Plaza 14 de Septiembre, Cochabamba's cathedral is the valley’s oldest religious building, begun in 1542 as a tiny stone-and-adobe structure…
I
Iglesia y Convento de San Francisco
Constructed in 1581, the Iglesia y Convento de San Francisco is Cochabamba’s second-oldest church. However, major revisions and renovations occurred in…

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Cochabamba.

See
Palacio Portales
Nothing symbolizes Bolivia's gilded mineral age like tin baron Simón Patiño's European-style Palacio Portales. Though he never actually inhabited this…
See
Cristo de la Concordia
This immense Christ statue standing atop Cerro de San Pedro (2800m) behind Cochabamba is the second largest of its kind in the world. It's 44cm higher…
See
Convento de Santa Teresa
The noble, timeworn Convento de Santa Teresa is straight out of a Gabriel García Márquez novel. Guided tours (around 45 minutes) of this gracefully…
See
Villa Albina
If you haven’t already had your fill of Simón Patiño’s legacy in Oruro and Cochabamba, you can visit Villa Albina in the village of Pairumani and tour the…
See
La Cancha
Sprawling, chaotic and claustrophobic, Cochabamba's main market, while lacking an attractive mise-en-scène, is nevertheless a colorful place to wander…
See
Museo Arqueológico de la UMSS
The Museo Arqueológico provides an excellent overview of Bolivia’s various indigenous cultures. The collection is split into three sections: the…
See
La Angostura
This artificial lake on the ever-expanding southern outskirts of Cochabamba is a popular spot for cochabambinos. However, the lake itself is not an…
See
Catedral Metropolitana
On the arcaded Plaza 14 de Septiembre, Cochabamba's cathedral is the valley’s oldest religious building, begun in 1542 as a tiny stone-and-adobe structure…
See
Iglesia y Convento de San Francisco
Constructed in 1581, the Iglesia y Convento de San Francisco is Cochabamba’s second-oldest church. However, major revisions and renovations occurred in…

Guidebooks

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