Historic places in Sucre

Historic places in Sucre

1. See

   Cal Orck'o

   Parque Cretácico

   More than 5,000 dinosaur footprints imprinted on a 70 degree sloping wall of a limestone quarry, which used to be a lakeshore. This is the world's largest set of dinosaur tracks, and includes many different species (though contrary to rumors, none of them are T. rex, which only lived in North America). To visit the footprints and the museum that accompanies them, you can take the Dinobus at 09:30, 11:00, 12:00, 14:00, 15:00; return times 10:00, 11:30, 13:30, 14:30, 16:00, 17:00. This red double-decker bus leaves from the front of the cathedral at Plaza 25 de Mayo (Bs. 15 round-trip, 30 min) - come a few minutes early and you'll see it waiting there. Or take Bus 'H' or Bus number '4' that leaves every 5 minutes and returns every 5 minutes from the dinosaur park and to the city (Bs. 1.5, 45-60 min). You can take this bus from Arenales street at the corner of Junin street, one block from 25 de Mayo square. Alternatively, you can get there by taxi at whatever time you want for a bit more money. A guided visit takes about 1½ hr and is included with admission. Only the guided visits at 12:00 and 13:00 get to go down into the quarry to see the footprints up close; otherwise you'll just be able to look at them from a distance. You need closed shoes to go down the quarry. The park also includes two museum exhibits, a cafe, and a collection of pretty good life-size dinosaur sculptures.

   Tue–Fri 09:00–17:00, Sat Sun holidays 10:00–18:00; tours to the footprints are at 12:00 and 13:00 only·Foreigners Bs. 30, plus an extra Bs. 5 if you want to take pictures

2. See

   Casa de la Libertad

   This museum is in a well-restored and maintained convent from the colonial era. The chapel was the meeting hall where Bolivian independence was declared on 25 May 1825. The museum includes a number of paintings and objects related to Bolivian history, especially to the independence movement, and the struggles breaking away from Spanish domination.

   Mon-Fri 08:30-12:30 and 14:30-18:30, Sat Sun 09:00-13:00·Bs. 30 foreigners, Bs. 20 for Bolivianos

3. See

   Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe

   Its construction started in 1551 and took almost a century. Ecclesiastical painting in adjacent rooms and a pleasant small plaza past the entrance into the museum.

   Bs. 30 foreigners, Bs. 20 for Bolivianos

4. See

   Glorieta Castle

   Castillo de la Glorieta

   Fascinating place with a fantastic story behind it. The castle was home to Francisco and Cotilde, the prince and princess of Glorieta, as proclaimed by Pope León VIII in 1898. The pope was so impressed by the couple's reputation for charitable and humanitarian works that he named them prince and princess. The pink castle is hard to miss, with its imposing towers, each reflecting a different architecture and mood. The "Prince's Tower" reflects Russian themes, the "Princess's Tower" reflects Chinese themes with its pagoda-like structure, and the third, presumably shared, is a Gothic structure. Influences of other European styles are found in different areas of the castle. Guided tours are in Spanish and are available each hour except 13:00.

   Wed-Sun 09:00-16:00 (closed Mon Tue)·Bs. 29 (foreigners), Bs. 10 (Bolivians), Bs. 10 (photo permit)

5. Do

   La Recoleta

   Walk up Calle Dalence ("Pantaleón Dalence"), Grau, or Calvo ("Daniel Calvo") from the central plaza to La Recoleta, a spot up on a hill with a plaza and old buildings. Although there are often events here, as well as a monastery (Convento de la Recoleta), church and museum, the main attraction is definitely the view of Sucre from the Mirador Cafe. The drinks and food here are of European price level. Adjacent Hotel Kolping also has excellent views and a lunch buffet. If you don't want to pay, there are nice views from the plaza itself. At the entry to La Recoleta there is a small but rich market where native people sell weawings and handicraft.

6. See

   Museo del Tesoro

   The museum's valuable collections show the history of silver and gold in Bolivia, and the evolution of the famous jewelry from Sucre. The museum has a section dedicated to the mining and jewelry of the “ametrine”, a beautiful gem that only exists in Bolivia. The museum also has a store with some good values.

   09:00 - 12:30 and 15:00 - 18:30·US$4

7. See

   National Military History Museum

   Museo Histórico Militar de la Nación

   The military museum has a big collection of Bolivian and international weaponry. It is really interesting if you know a thing or two about weapons and if you can understand some Spanish. They do not offer guided tours. In their collection they have a jet engine, airplanes, miniatures, typewriters, a parachute, engines, all sorts of artillery including very rare ones. They also have a room dedicated to their combat history. During the Pacific war, Bolivia lost its access to the Pacific Ocean. In the last room, you will find a roll with thousands of letters from children asking their sea back.

   Mon-Fri 09:00-11:30 & 15:00-17:00; Sat 09:00-12:00

8. See

   Plaza 25 de Mayo

   The heart of Sucre, surrounded by the cathedral, the office of prefecture, the town hall, the historic Casa de la Libertad, as well as a swag of restaurants and bars. Get a shoe shine (don't think that wearing flip-flops you will deter the shoe shine kids), use the free Wi-Fi, grab some snacks, or just watch the world go by. The lion-flanked statue is of Mariscal Jose Antonio Sucre, Simon Bolivar's right hand man and the first president of Bolivia.

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Sucre (CC BY-SA 4.0).