Experience the best of Cochabamba

Cochabamba lies in a broad valley at about 2,500 metres, ringed by the Andean peaks of Tunari National Park. Its mild, dry climate has earned it the nickname City of Eternal Spring. The Plaza 14 de Septiembre, shaded by palms and framed by the cathedral, is the centre of the old city, and the Palacio Portales, a grand 1920s mansion built for the tin magnate Simón Patiño, stands among gardens to the north.

On San Pedro hill, the Cristo de la Concordia looks over the city, standing a little taller than the statue in Rio de Janeiro. La Cancha, a sprawling open-air market, sells everything from potatoes to textiles. The Tunari range rises behind the city to peaks above 5,000 metres, and Toro Toro National Park, with canyons and dinosaur footprints, lies to the south.

Cochabamba is regarded as the food capital of Bolivia. Silpancho, a breaded beef cutlet over rice and potatoes topped with a fried egg, is the city's own dish, and chicharrón of pork and chicha, a fermented maize drink, fill the lunchtime tables.