Public transit just shouldn’t be this much fun. But in La Paz, it is.Brought to the capital by former president Evo Morales, the Mi Teleférico system of aerial cable cars has accidentally become one of the city’s great tourist attractions, offering panoramic views and a way around the steep city valleys without losing one’s breath. Eleven lines connect the collective from El Alto down to Zona Sur.
Helping Hands
Color-coded maps make it fairly easy to get around and attendants are at every station to help scan tickets and answer any questions.
Local Flavor
The Yellow and Red lines connecting El Alto remain the most popular, by far. Sometimes you’ll find yourself sharing a car with a cholita or businessperson on their way to work; other times it may be a gaggle of students on their way home from class (Bolivian students pay half fare). Mi Teleférico is a rather unique system and a wonderful way to explore La Paz – as the old airline commercials once said, the only way to fly.
Bird's-Eye Views
The steepest descents – and the most breathtaking – are on the Purple line from El Alto down to the Obelisk station, and combining Sopocachi’s Yellow and Green lines for a hair-raising jaunt down to Irpavi and the Zona Sur. Observing the soccer games and traffic from this vantage point is a startling revelation. On the Sky-Blue line connecting the Green to downtown, you can check out the incredible layout of the Christmas Fair and its hundreds of multicolored shacks from above; similarly, you can view the Alasitas Fair in January. If you want to see some cholets without walking the streets of El Alto, quite a few are visible from the Blue line.
