The department of Cochabamba is known as the "breadbasket of Bolivia." Set in a fertile green bowl of rolling hills, inhabitants enjoy a warm, dry, and sunny climate. In Quechua the words ‘çocha' and ‘pampa' combine to form Cochabamba, which means swampy plain. The high level of economic activity has led Cochabamba to become the fourth largest city in Bolivia. This region is of vital importance to Bolivia for the agriculture in the Cochabamba Valley, as well as the cocaine in the tropical lowlands of Chapare. However, tourism adds little to the economy, as most visitors view Cochabamba and its surroundings as more of a layover between the Antiplano and the tropical lowlands. This allows for many off-the-beaten-track opportunities.

Busy Cochabamba feels more like an overgrown village than a modern urban center. The city is growing and much the new construction takes place in the shape of shiny new high-rise offices and apartments in the north, but the center retains much of its colonial feel. Many streets are lined with beautiful churches and colonial houses. To the south of the main plaza are a wide range of lively markets. Much of the city's population is poor, but parts of town have a prosperous feel. The new-town avenues have a wide range of restaurants and bars. Cochabamba is a very affordable city, with prices far below those in Sucre or La Paz.

Enjoy the attractive city center with the neoclassical cathedral dating from 1571, as well as several colonial churches such as Santo Domingo, San Francisco, Convent of Santa Teresa, and La Compania. While in the center, check out the most important museum in the city, Museo Arqueológico, which features a collection of prehistoric pieces, Amerindian hieroglyphic scripts and pre-Inca textiles. North of the center is the beautiful Plaza Colón lined with palms, trendy cafés, and restaurants. Cochabamba is the birthplace of Simón Patino, a tin baron, who built two houses in the city. One of these is now part of the Universidad de San Simón and the other is the Palacio de Portales. The mansion has a library, art gallery, extravagant gardens, Napoleonic and Louis XV furniture, and an educational and cultural center known as the Centro Cultural Pedagógico Simón J Patino. To the south of the city center are some of the best produce markets in Bolivia. La Cancha and Mercado Incallacta are worth checking out for fruit, vegetables, and souvenirs. To the east of the center is Cerro de San Pedro, a hill which houses the enormous statue of Cristo de la Concordia. Ride the cable car or venture up the stairs to the statue which you can climb into to stare from Christ's chest. The statue is claimed to be the largest depiction of Christ in the world, and it gives an overview of the lovely city of Cochabamba.

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