Why Honeymoon in Sucre
Sucre is the most romantic city in Bolivia. It earns that by being calm. The streets of the historic center are clean, orderly and lined with whitewashed mansions, many with carved wooden doors and courtyards full of flowers. You can walk almost everywhere. In the evening the main square, Plaza 25 de Mayo, fills with couples and families.
The climate helps. Days are typically mild and sunny, without the bitter nights of the altiplano, so you can eat outside and sleep well.
There is plenty to see without hurrying. Churches and convents hold fine colonial art. Museums cover Bolivia's independence and Indigenous textiles. Just outside the city, a quarry wall holds one of the largest collections of dinosaur footprints in the world.
Sucre is also a bargain. Boutique hotels in restored mansions cost a fraction of what similar stays charge in Cusco or Cartagena. Good dinners are inexpensive.
Most of all, it is a pleasant place to simply be together for a few days. That is rare on an adventurous trip like Bolivia.
When to Go
Sucre's climate is temperate year-round, with daytime temperatures usually in the upper 60s to low 70s.
The dry season, roughly May through October, brings sunny days and clear skies. Nights are cool, especially in June and July, when they can fall into the 30s or low 40s. Most hotels are not heated, so ask for extra blankets or a room with a heater. This is also the best season to combine Sucre with the Uyuni circuit and Lake Titicaca.
The wet season, roughly December through March, brings afternoon rain and occasional heavy storms. The countryside turns green, which is lovely, but rain can affect day trips and roads. It is also mirror season at the Salar de Uyuni, so many couples visit Sucre in January or February on the way to the salt flats.
Sucre's festivals are worth noting. The anniversary of the 1809 uprising on May 25 brings parades. The Virgen de Guadalupe festival in September fills the streets with costumed dancers. Book ahead for those dates.
Where to Stay
Stay in the historic center, within a few blocks of Plaza 25 de Mayo. Everything is walkable. The streets are pleasant in the evening.
The best hotels are in colonial mansions with courtyards, terraces and views over the white rooftops. Parador Santa María La Real, a restored eighteenth-century house near the main square, is one of the most romantic choices, with arched corridors, antiques and a rooftop. Several other boutique hotels offer similar character with a dozen or so rooms each, many with terraces facing the cathedral towers.
For quieter nights and a view, look up the hill toward La Recoleta. Hotels and guesthouses there are a short uphill walk from the center and sit close to the best sunset viewpoint in town.
Rooms vary a lot in colonial buildings, so look at photos carefully and ask for one with windows onto the courtyard or the street rather than an interior room.
Prices are modest. Even the top hotels in Sucre usually cost much less than comparable stays in Peru's colonial cities. Expect roughly $100 to $250 a night for the best boutique rooms and much less for charming midrange places.
Romantic Things to Do
Walk up to the Recoleta viewpoint in the late afternoon. Arched stone walkways frame the city. A café on the terrace is a pleasant place to watch the sun set over the rooftops.
Visit the Casa de la Libertad on the main square, where the Bolivian declaration of independence was signed in 1825. The guided tour is short and interesting.
Climb to the rooftop of the Convento de San Felipe Neri. The view across the white domes and red roofs is the classic picture of Sucre.
Head to Cal Orck'o, a few miles outside the city, to see thousands of dinosaur footprints on a towering limestone wall at the Parque Cretácico. Guided walks get you closer to the tracks.
On a Sunday, take a day trip to Tarabuco, about an hour and a half away, for a market where Yampara communities sell woven textiles.
For something unusual, visit the Castillo de la Glorieta, a pink fantasy palace on the edge of town.
In the evening, share a long dinner in one of the colonial restaurants near the plaza.
Getting There and Around
Sucre's Alcantarí International Airport (SRE) is about 30 to 40 minutes from the center by car. It has domestic flights from La Paz, Santa Cruz and Cochabamba, most under an hour. Coming from the US, the easiest route is to fly to Santa Cruz and connect to Sucre, which also helps you adjust to altitude gradually.
By road, Potosí is about three hours away on a paved highway. Uyuni is a longer drive of roughly seven or eight hours via Potosí, so many couples fly or break the journey in Potosí. Roads can be affected by blockades, so keep plans flexible.
In the city, walking is the best way to get around the historic center. Taxis are cheap and plentiful, but agree on the fare before you get in or ask your hotel to call one.
For day trips to Tarabuco, Cal Orck'o or the Maragua crater, hire a private driver or join a small tour. Your hotel can arrange both.
Leave a buffer day before international flights, since domestic schedules can change.
Food and Drink
Start the morning with a salteña, Bolivia's juicy baked empanada filled with meat, potato and a little sweet broth. Locals eat them mid-morning and the trick is to bite the top and sip the filling without spilling.
Sucre is famous for chocolate. Several family-run chocolate shops near the main plaza sell bars and bonbons. Some offer tastings. A box makes a good gift for the people who helped plan your wedding.
At the Mercado Central, juice stalls blend fresh fruit smoothies in big glasses for very little money. Upstairs, simple counters serve local lunches.
Try chorizos chuquisaqueños, the spicy local sausages that are a Sucre specialty. Mondongo, a pork and chili stew, is the dish of local celebrations.
In the evening, restaurants in the colonial center serve Bolivian and international dishes in candlelit courtyards. Order a bottle of wine from Tarija, Bolivia's high-altitude wine region in the south, where vineyards grow some of the highest grapes in the world. Singani, a grape brandy, is the national spirit.
Honeymoon Tips
Use Sucre to adjust to the altitude. At about 9,200 feet it is high but manageable. A few days here make La Paz and Uyuni much easier. Take the first afternoon slowly and drink plenty of water.
Pack layers. Days are mild, but evenings can be cold. Many older hotels have no heating. Ask for an electric heater or extra blankets.
Carry cash in small bills. Larger hotels and restaurants accept cards, but markets, taxis and smaller shops prefer cash. The exchange situation in Bolivia has been unsettled. Change money at reputable exchange houses.
Many museums close for a long lunch break and some close on Mondays. Check hours before you go.
Sucre has many Spanish schools. A couple of private lessons together can be a fun honeymoon activity that makes the rest of the trip easier.
Protests and road blockades occasionally affect the city. Ask your hotel about current conditions before setting out on day trips.
