“We came for three nights and stayed nine”

Marta and Tomás arrived from Chile with La Paz penciled in as a three-night stop on the way to Uyuni. They left nine days later, having rebooked the salt flats twice.

“The first morning we walked to the market for marraquetas and coffee, and by the time we got back we were already talking about extending,” Marta says. “The apartment felt like a home we'd borrowed from a friend — the nook by the window in the evening was the hardest thing to leave.”

Their highlights, in their own order: the red cable-car line at golden hour, a Diana Tours day trip to Valle de la Luna and the mountains, and a long final dinner at Café del Mundo with the guest list of recommendations we'd left on the kitchen table.

We hear versions of this story often enough that we stopped being surprised. La Paz rewards the travelers who give it time — and a calm, warm base to come back to at 3,650 meters doesn't hurt either.