Oruro outside carnival season is a city for committed travellers rather than casual tourists. The mining history is sobering and genuine. The Santuario del Socavón and the museum beneath it are the main draws, but the market and the simple fact of being in a functioning Bolivian altiplano city at 3,700 metres have their own value.
Come during Carnaval de Oruro (February or early March) and the calculation reverses completely — this is one of the great festivals in South America and worth planning a trip around.