Known as the 'City of Eternal Spring' for its mild year-round climate, Cochabamba sits at a gentle 2,560 metres, far easier on your lungs than La Paz. It is Bolivia's culinary capital and home to the enormous Universidad Mayor de San Simón, giving it a young, energetic feel. Prices are among the lowest you'll find anywhere, and the valley setting is lovely.

• Bolivia's food capital, at a lower and gentler altitude than La Paz
• One of the cheapest cities in South America, so your money goes a very long way

Life centres on the public UMSS and the private universities, with student bars and cafés clustered around El Prado and the Recoleta district. Chicha, the fermented-maize drink served in local chicherías, is a cultural rite of passage, though the café and craft-beer scene is growing fast. Weekends often mean a trip up to the giant Cristo statue or out to the valley towns.

• Head to the bars and restaurants around Recoleta and El Prado for a night out
• Try chicha at a traditional chichería, marked by a white flag outside the door
• Ask the Cochabamba Studcasa group about language exchanges and weekend hikes with other students

Cochabamba is remarkably cheap, with a comfortable student month costing around €350–600 including rent. The almuerzo, a set two-course lunch, costs barely more than a euro, and market produce is a fraction of European prices. Bolivia runs almost entirely on cash, so keep bolivianos on you.

• A room in a shared flat runs roughly 800–1,500 bolivianos a month
• Eat the daily almuerzo set lunch for a euro or two at any neighbourhood comedor
• Withdraw cash and pay for nearly everything in bolivianos, as cards are rarely accepted

Students rent rooms in shared houses or with families, often near the universities in Queru Queru, Cala Cala or the centre. Deals are usually informal and arranged directly, so viewing in person and negotiating the rent face to face is normal. A homestay is a great way to fast-track your Spanish.

• Search Facebook groups like 'Alquileres Cochabamba' and university noticeboards for rooms
• Cala Cala and Queru Queru are safe, leafy areas popular with students
• A family homestay speeds up your Spanish, so ask the Cochabamba Studcasa group for recommendations

There is no metro, so the city moves on trufis (shared route taxis) and micros (small buses), which are dirt cheap once you learn the numbered routes. A modern commuter train, the Tren Metropolitano, links the valley towns. For door-to-door trips, radio taxis are inexpensive and safer at night.

• Flag down a numbered trufi or micro along its route and pay the flat fare in coins
• Use the Tren Metropolitano to reach valley towns like Sacaba and Quillacollo
• Book a radio taxi by phone for late nights rather than hailing on the street

The vast, free Universidad Mayor de San Simón (UMSS) dominates, with the private Universidad Católica Boliviana (UCB), Universidad Privada Boliviana (UPB) and Univalle offering smaller classes and more structure. Bolivian terms typically run February to June and August to December, and teaching is in Spanish.

• UMSS is the big public option, while private universities like UCB and UPB suit those wanting smaller cohorts
• Most teaching is in Spanish, so line up a language course if you need one

Nationality matters more here than in most of the region. EU, UK, Canadian and Australian passport holders enter visa-free for up to 90 days per year. US citizens are the big exception: Bolivia requires them to buy a visa, currently around 160 dollars, available on arrival with documents or from a consulate and valid for several years.

For a full semester or year, everyone should sort a student visa (a visa de objeto determinado for study). It needs an acceptance letter, proof of funds, an apostilled birth certificate, a criminal-record check and often a yellow-fever certificate. You typically enter, then regularise your stay with Migracion inside the country with your university's help. Start the apostilles early, because Bolivian paperwork is slow and bureaucratic.

• Tourist entry (EU/UK/CA/AU), up to 90 days per year, visa-free
• US citizens, paid visa (around US$160) required, on arrival or via consulate
• Student visa (visa de objeto determinado), for a full semester, arranged with your university
• Yellow-fever certificate, often required, especially for lowland areas

This is the place to eat in Bolivia. Silpancho, pique macho, salteñas and anticuchos are local staples, and the sprawling La Cancha market is one of South America's largest. Meals are hearty, cheap and central to social life, and you'll quickly find a favourite market stall.

• Try silpancho and pique macho, two Cochabamba classics, at a market comedor
• Get lost in La Cancha, the huge open-air market, for food, textiles and everything else
• Grab salteñas mid-morning, the juicy baked pastries locals eat as a snack

The Centro around Plaza 14 de Septiembre is the historic core. Recoleta is the upmarket dining and nightlife zone, Cala Cala and Queru Queru are leafy and residential, and the Zona Norte climbs towards the hills. The busy, working-class south is where you'll find La Cancha.

• Centro for history and convenience near the main plaza
• Recoleta for restaurants, cafés and nightlife
• Cala Cala or Queru Queru for quiet, green streets close to the universities

The valley and the Andes beyond offer superb weekends. Torotoro National Park, four to five hours away, has dinosaur footprints, caves and a dramatic canyon, while the lush Chapare jungle around Villa Tunari is a warm, green escape. Closer in, the Sunday market town of Cliza and the Inca ruins of Incallajta are easy day trips.

• Book a weekend tour to Torotoro National Park for dinosaur tracks and the Umajalanta caves
• Head down to Villa Tunari in the Chapare for jungle rivers and wildlife
• Visit Tarata or Cliza's Sunday market, or the Inca site of Incallajta, for a day out

Even at Cochabamba's moderate altitude, take your first days slowly and drink coca tea if you feel the effects. Carry small-denomination cash because change is often scarce, keep valuables discreet in La Cancha, and learning a few Quechua greetings will win you instant warmth in the valley.

• Ease into the altitude for a day or two, and sip mate de coca if you feel light-headed
• Carry small notes and coins, as vendors rarely have change for large bills
• Watch your bag in the crowds of La Cancha, and learn a Quechua greeting or two