Sucre

By plane

Since the government of Bolivia pulled the plug on the national carrier, Lloyd Aero Boliviano, no international airlines currently serve Sucre's Lajas Tambo airport. Aerosur, a former domestic carrier, has also now gone out of business, leaving TAM - which is run by the Bolivian Air Force and flies to all the major cities somewhat unreliably. The best bet these days is Boliviana de Aviación BoA, which provides flights via their hub in Cochabamba.

The airport is about 10 km from the center. Transportation to the center is either by taxi Bs. 30 or by Micro. Micros do not drive up to the airport but only pass by it. Walk to the road passing by the airport, cross it, and wait for Micro 1 which is going to Av. Hernando Siles for Bs. 2. The airport is notorious for closures in inclement weather. Sometimes no flights arrive or depart for several days! It is always worth checking ahead before arriving as the airport has limited waiting areas. It does have several shops, including a shop selling the chocolate the city is locally famous for.

By bus

The bus terminal is about 2 kilometers from the city center. A taxi to the centre should cost 4 Bs. This is per person not per vehicle. If you are not comfortable sharing a taxi, you should make this clear.

The official prices for buses to and from Sucre are as follows.

La Paz - Sucre: minimum 45Bs, normal bus 69Bs, semi-cama 90 Bs, full cama 135Bs.

Oruro - Sucre: minimum 30Bs, normal bus 50Bs, semi-cama 60Bs, full cama 95Bs.

Potosí - Sucre: minimum 10Bs, normal bus 17Bs, semi-cama 25Bs, full cama 35Bs.

Santa Cruz - Sucre: minimum 35Bs, normal bus 80Bs, semi-cama 90Bs, full cama 110Bs.

Cochabamba - Sucre: minimum 30Bs, normal bus 52Bs, semi-cama 60Bs, full cama 100Bs.

Tarija - Sucre: minimum 60Bs, normal bus 83Bs.

For buses to Uyuni, Tupiza and the Southwest, change in Potosí.

Buses leave hourly for Potosí and take 3-4 hours you can also take a taxi for about 35Bs per person, it will take about two hours and the driver will go very very fast.

All other destinations are an overnight ride away. Buses to La Paz or Cochabamba take about 12 hours. Buses to Santa Cruz take about 14 hours and pass through Samaipata.

The roads out of Sucre are fairly rough, with the exception of the road to Potosí, which you also take to reach Oruro or La Paz. For this reason think hard about upgrading to a semi-cama or full cama bus - which are provided only by Trans Copacabana M.E.M. not the various other "Copacabana" operators and El Dorado. Other operators which claim to offer "full cama" seats are lying. The overnight normal bus to Cochabamba is definitely not fun.

Tickets generally only go on sale the day that the bus will depart although El Dorado will sell you a ticket the day before, so to be sure of getting a seat you need to arrive at the terminal before midday. Many tour agencies will offer to book tickets ahead for you, but understand that this is not how things are normally done in Sucre, so expect to pay more, and make sure you check whether you need to redeem the ticket from the agency for a ticket from the bus line. If buying at the terminal itself, make sure to go to the operator's office inside the terminal - the touts in the car park outside are usually genuine, but have been known to "double sell" seats.

Whichever route you take or level of bus you opt for, do not expect to find a toilet on board unless you travel with the most expensive operators - and ask to make sure in any case. Do expect the bus to stop in the middle of the night somewhere close to a cheese vendor, and to see half of the male passengers lined up to relieve themselves against a convenient wall.