What to see, where to stay and the best time to visit Potosí, Bolivia.
Photo: Jbmurray / Wikimedia Commons
Potosí is a Bolivian city of about 189,652 people, and most visitors come for its colonial historic centre. The main sights sit close together around Plaza 10 de Noviembre, including the cathedral, the Casa Nacional de Moneda (National Mint) and the Santa Teresa and San Francisco convents. First-timers usually stay in Centro Histórico, and backpackers often choose Calle Bolívar. Outside the city, the Ojo del Inca at Tarapaya makes an easy side trip. The best months to visit are May and August.
Plan a full day for the historic centre. The National Mint alone takes 2–3 hours, and most other sights take 1 hour or less. Add half a day if you want to visit the Ojo del Inca.
Historic centre
This large colonial building once minted the silver coins of the Spanish Empire. Today it is one of Bolivia's most important museums, with original minting machinery, colonial art and displays on the city's silver history. Visits are by guided tour.
Historic centre
The main square is the heart of the old city and a good starting point for exploring. It is surrounded by colonial and republican buildings, including the cathedral, and is a pleasant place to sit and watch local life.
Historic centre
The cathedral stands on the main square and has a neoclassical interior. Climbing the bell tower gives wide views over the rooftops of the old city towards Cerro Rico.
Historic centre
This Carmelite convent is now a museum with guided tours through cloisters, cells and rooms full of religious art. It gives a clear picture of the closed life of the nuns who lived here in colonial times.
Historic centre
The Franciscan convent holds a museum of religious paintings and sculpture. Tours usually include the crypts and the roof, which offers some of the best views of the city and Cerro Rico.
Historic centre
This church is known for its carved stone façade in the Andean mestizo baroque style, which mixes European and indigenous symbols. The doorway is the main reason to visit and is a classic example of Potosí's colonial architecture.
Historic centre
The ornate bell tower of the former Jesuit church is one of the city's landmarks. Visitors can climb it for views across the historic centre.
Tarapaya, outside the city
Ojo del Inca is a round, warm-water lagoon in a volcanic crater outside Potosí. Locals and visitors come to swim and relax, and it makes an easy trip after the cold of the city.
Average weather and our month score, from 10 years of climate data.
| Month | High / low | Rain days | Sunshine | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 13°C / 5°C | 25 days (167 mm) | 11.0 h/day | 4.5/10 |
| February | 13°C / 5°C | 24 days (147 mm) | 10.3 h/day | 4.3/10 |
| March | 13°C / 4°C | 23 days (117 mm) | 10.6 h/day | 4.3/10 |
| April | 14°C / 4°C | 9 days (37 mm) | 10.7 h/day | 6.0/10 |
| Best month: May | 14°C / 1°C | 1 day (5 mm) | 10.8 h/day | 7.5/10 |
| June | 13°C / 0°C | 1 day (1 mm) | 10.7 h/day | 7.3/10 |
| July | 13°C / 1°C | 1 day (5 mm) | 10.8 h/day | 7.4/10 |
| Best month: August | 14°C / 1°C | 2 days (10 mm) | 10.9 h/day | 7.5/10 |
| September | 15°C / 2°C | 7 days (29 mm) | 11.3 h/day | 7.3/10 |
| October | 16°C / 3°C | 12 days (51 mm) | 11.7 h/day | 6.5/10 |
| November | 16°C / 4°C | 17 days (74 mm) | 11.7 h/day | 5.9/10 |
| December | 14°C / 5°C | 24 days (143 mm) | 11.0 h/day | 5.2/10 |
Highs of 12.9°C and rain on about 25 days (167 mm) make this the wettest month. Expect showers most days. Verdict: ok, score 4.5.
Still the rainy season: highs of 12.6°C, rain on about 24 days and 147 mm. Pack waterproofs for daily showers. Verdict: ok, score 4.3.
Highs stay at 12.6°C, with rain on about 23 days (117 mm). Rain is still frequent but slowly easing. Verdict: ok, score 4.3.
The rains fade. Highs reach 13.7°C and rain falls on about 9 days (37 mm). Nights cool to 3.5°C. Verdict: good, score 6.
Dry and clear, with highs of 13.6°C and rain on just 1.4 days. Nights drop to 1.4°C, so bring warm layers. Verdict: best, score 7.5.
The driest month, with under 1 rain day and 1 mm. Highs are 12.8°C, but nights fall to 0.4°C. Verdict: good, score 7.3.
Dry with rain on about 1 day. Highs reach 13.2°C and nights sit near 1°C, so evenings are cold. Verdict: good, score 7.4.
Highs of 13.9°C, rain on about 2 days and 10.9 sun hours. Nights are near freezing at 0.6°C. Verdict: best, score 7.5.
Warmer days, with highs of 15.2°C, and rain on about 7 days (29 mm). Nights are milder at 2.1°C. Verdict: good, score 7.3.
The warmest month, with highs of 15.9°C. Rain returns on about 12 days (51 mm), with 11.7 sun hours. Verdict: good, score 6.5.
Highs of 15.8°C, but rain now falls on about 17 days (74 mm) as the wet season builds. Verdict: ok, score 5.9.
The rainy season is back: highs of 14.3°C and rain on about 24 days (143 mm). Expect frequent showers. Verdict: ok, score 5.2.
Climate averages 2015–2024 · Best time to visit Bolivia →
The best areas to base yourself and who each one suits.
Good for first-timers, sightseeing
The old colonial grid around Plaza 10 de Noviembre holds the main churches, the Casa Nacional de Moneda and most tour agencies for the Cerro Rico mine trips. You can walk to almost everything, which matters at this altitude. Streets are steep and narrow, and traffic and horns can be loud in the daytime.
Good for budget travellers, backpackers
This long street runs east from the centre and has many simple guesthouses, cafés and small shops. It is a short walk to the main square and the markets. Some buildings are old and poorly heated, so nights can feel very cold indoors.
Good for food lovers, local life
The streets around the central market are busy from early morning with food stalls, juice sellers and everyday shopping. Staying here gives you cheap meals and a real view of daily life, still close to the historic sights. It is crowded and noisy, and quieter rooms are harder to find.
Good for couples, quieter stays
The area around the San Francisco church and convent, on the southern edge of the centre, feels calmer than the main square in the evening. The rooftop of the convent gives good views over the city and Cerro Rico. Getting back here means walking uphill, which is tiring at high altitude.
Good for short stopovers, early buses
The district around the new bus terminal, north of the centre, suits travellers arriving late or leaving early for Uyuni, Sucre or La Paz. It has a few practical places to sleep and eat. It is a taxi ride from the historic centre and has little character for longer stays.
Typical journey times and fares from the airport and other cities.
| Route | By | Time | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sucre → Potosí Direct buses take about 3 h. There are about 13 departures a day between 6:00 and 19:00, run by companies including Trans Emperador. Potosí buses use the new terminal on Av. Las Banderas. A 2014-era traveller blog gives the fare as Bs 30; check current prices. Shared taxis are also available. | bus | 3 h | 30 BOB ↗ |
| Potosí → Uyuni 204 km on a paved road, about 3 h. Leaves from Potosí's old bus terminal on Av. Universitaria. A traveller report says Uyuni–Potosí buses leave around 9:00–9:30 and 18:00–18:30. Fare not found. | bus | 3 h | – ↗ |
A thick, spicy corn soup served with a very hot stone dropped into the bowl, so it bubbles at the table. It is a Potosí classic, usually eaten at lunch in local restaurants and market stalls.
Baked pastries filled with a juicy stew of meat, potato and peas, slightly sweet and spicy. Locals eat them as a mid-morning snack, and many places sell out before lunch.
Small pieces of fried dough served with honey or sugar syrup. They are a popular sweet in Potosí and often appear at festivals and family celebrations.
A hot, thick drink made from purple corn and spices, served with a large fried pastry filled with cheese. It is a common breakfast in markets, welcome on cold highland mornings.
A hearty highland stew of lamb with potatoes, chuño (freeze-dried potatoes) and a spicy sauce. It is a filling lunch dish that suits the city's high, cold climate.
Best: May, Jun, Jul, Aug
Best: May, Jun, Jul, Aug
Best: Jun, Jul, Aug
May and August are the best months to visit Potosí, both with a score of 7.5. They are among the driest months of the year. May has 1.4 rain days and 5 mm of rain, and August has 2.1 rain days and 10 mm. Days are cool, with highs of about 13.6–13.9°C. Nights are cold, with lows of 1.4°C in May and 0.6°C in August.
January is an ok month for Potosí, with a score of 4.5, but it is the wettest month of the year. Expect about 25.3 rain days and 167 mm of rain. Temperatures stay cool, with highs of 12.9°C and lows of 4.6°C. The data still shows 11 sun hours a day, so there are often dry breaks between showers.
Potosí is cold at night in June and July, with lows close to freezing. June has the coldest nights of the year, at 0.4°C, and July drops to about 1°C. Daytime highs are 12.8°C in June and 13.2°C in July. These months are very dry, with only 0.7 rain days in June and 1 in July, so pack warm layers rather than rain gear.
The rainy season in Potosí runs from December to March. Each of these months has between 22.6 and 25.3 rain days and 117–167 mm of rain. April and November sit in between, with 9.1 and 16.5 rain days. From May to August it hardly rains at all, with 2.1 rain days or fewer each month.
2 days is enough to see Potosí's main sights. The National Mint (Casa Nacional de Moneda) alone takes 2–3 hours. The Santa Teresa and San Francisco convent museums take 1–2 hours each. The cathedral and Plaza 10 de Noviembre take about 1 hour each. Plan another half a day for the Ojo del Inca at Tarapaya, outside the city.
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