Lima is the capital and largest city of Peru and one of the most visited cities in South America.
Lima is located in the valleys of the Chillon, Rimac and Lurin rivers on a coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It forms a contiguous urban area with the seaport of Callao.
The word Lima comes from the word Rimac, which in quechua, the official language in the Inca empire, means hablador or talkative. The city was largely rebuilt after earthquakes in 1687 and 1746.
Lima is the main gateway to Peru, a major city bustling with living history and movement. It is an ethnic melting pot, featuring pre Hispanic, colonial and modern elements. The metropolis is also surrounded by every aspect of Nature the sea, islands, mountains, desert and plant life.
If you are planning a trip or tour to Peru Lima will likely be on your itinerary. Getting to other popular tourist attractions in the country like Machu Picchu is easy.
There is a very active nightlife and cultural scene, as well as plentiful public transport options and non stop activities, a city of more than 8 million people.
Lima is not the most attractive of cities and arriving at the airport to the sight of crowds of people outside offering taxi and hotel services can be a shock to most tourists who are expecting pretty little Andean villages and Inca ruins.
The climate doesnt help either, with Lima being covered in a blanket of low cloud except for the months of January and February when the sun shines. However Lima does have some redeeming features, notably its many interesting museums and excellent restaurants and cafes.
Lima also has a good selection of accommodation at prices to suit most budgets.
Lima Travel Resources
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• Find cheap flights with Skyscanner.
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Lima Tours
• Find sightseeing tours & attraction tickets on GetYourGuide or Viator.
Where to Stay
Miraflores is a pleasant, higher-end area from which to experience a variety of attractions throughout Lima.
While many people wishing to stretch their money head towards the dirt cheap backpacker ghettos, the truth is, there are a number of affordable boutique establishments for those wishing to rest their heads in the more secure area of Miraflores.
One such establishment is Inkawasi, which offers affordable private rooms as well as dorm beds, all with a number of pleasant common areas. We paid roughly $30 for a private room which included a private marble tub with air jets. The downstairs common areas were full of art, carved dining room furniture and comfy chairs surrounding a large fireplace.
Best Places to Visit in Lima
Your first time in the city can be a bit overwhelming, especially if you’re unsure where to go.
This was certainly the case with me after making my way to Lima from Guayaquil, Ecuador. The city itself is quite large, and there are most definitely a few parts of town you’ll want to avoid for safety’s sake. Most first-timers take the whirlwind tour before heading up to Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley and Lake Titicaca.
While there’s certainly nothing wrong with this approach, it sadly leaves most tourists unaware of attractions like Pachacamac, the Monastery of San Francisco and the various Lima museums. In fact, Centro de Lima, otherwise referred to as the Colonial Zone hosts a number of historical sites and buildings that are often completely overlooked by tourists.
Here are my top tips for those who are wondering what to do in Lima, Peru.
Plaza Mayor in Centro de Lima boasts the National Cathedral of Lima and the Palacio de Gobierno. Formerly referred to as the Plaza de Armas de Lima, the Plaza Mayor in Centro de Lima is classic vintage Lima. One of the main attractions in Plaza Mayor is the National Cathedral of Lima. While many consider it a bit stark, the architecture is interesting. It’s also the resting place of Francisco Pizarro, whose sarcophagus is worth a look-see as long as you’re going to be in the neighborhoods. Families traveling with children may want to include this stop if their children have been studying Incan history.
The other imposing structure along Plaza Mayor is the Palacio de Gobierno, or presidential palace. Originally built as the home of Francisco Pizarro himself, the building now serves as home to the Peruvian president and the country’s executive branch of government. It’s an impressive structure with a number of beautiful rooms worth seeing, not the least of which is the Golden Hall, which was modeled after the Versailles Hall of Mirrors.
Centro de Lima is home to numerous other attractions that are within easy walking distance of Plaza Mayor. One of these attractions is the church and monastery of San Francisco. The building’s exterior architecture is quite detailed if somewhat worn (at the time of our visit), with a picturesque interior housing a number of impressive art works and decorative elements.
Other attractions in Lima include the Government Palace, the Cathedral and the Municipal Palace are located around the square. Churches and Monasteries, these churches house the mortal remains of the local saints, gorgeous sculptures, wood carvings, and other pictorial work of inestimable value.
Museums and Mansions which some of these buildings exhibit beauty Colonial architecture. As a whole, the group gives the visitor a complete view of the history of this country, from Inca times to our days. These buildings also hold millenary pieces of pottery, textiles, gold and silver pre Hispanic work, Colonial and Republican work in silver.
The district of Miraflores is modern and has a daily intense commercial, cultural and artistic activity. Site where many discotheques, restaurants, and casinos are located. The Green Coast is a row of beaches that crosses six districts. Sea lovers, swimmers, surfers.
Archaeological sites, such as Huallamarca and Pucllana are worth checking out whilst the Pachacamac ruins are massive, and a must-see attraction when visiting Lima. Most tourists head immediately to the mountains to experience the archaeological sites of the Inca, Pachacamac offers an impressive day excursion much closer to town.
I did it on foot and got there by public microbus, but it was definitely hot and a minivan between some of the more distant parts of the Pachacamac ruins would have been helpful. That being said, I had a massive case of the flu at the time, so perhaps touring the site while healthy and during cooler weather would have left me with a differing opinion.
That being said, the ruins at Pachacamac are definitely worth the day trip and best experienced with a knowledgeable guide before heading to the Museo de la Nacion to see the miraculously-saved Idol of Pachacamac itself.
Hopefully, at this point, wondering what to do in Lima, Peru is no longer a concern. While there are many other attractions to enjoy in the city, as well as a thriving nightlife scene, these travel tips should have you feeling prepared for a proper launch into your tour of Peru.
Below I have put together some more recommendations for museums, shopping and where to eat out.
Summer in Lima
If you are going to be in Peru for summer one of the best places in Lima is Barranco. This is a beautiful district with beachfront hotels and parks overflowing with flowers. During the day you can lay on the beach and at night you can enjoy a bite to eat at a local restaurant. After that, there’s always a disco, bar or musical show you can go to!
Best Museums in Lima
In a capital city as old as Lima, Peru, you’ll certainly find no shortage of museums. If you have a week or two to spend in the city, then by all means cross as many of them off your list as you can. If you’re on the three day plan however, you’ll need to narrow things down a bit.
There are a number of Lima museums you won’t want to miss.
The Larco Museum
The Larco Museum wins the prize for the most unique pottery collection. If erotic art is something you’re interested in, and you’ve always been passionate about pottery, then Lima’s Larco Museum is a must-see attraction. Located in a pleasant, historical building not far from the Museo de la Nacion, this erotic pottery collection boasts several hundred thousand pieces of ceramic art celebrating the sensual elements of the human experience. Warning: If you’re touring this museum with children, you’ll definitely want to make sure you’ve had “the talk” before you arrive. That being said, it’s unbelievably diverse and an interesting way to spend an afternoon.
The Lima Museum
The Lima Museum, otherwise referred to as the Museo de la Nacion, should not be left off your tourist itinerary. Pairing stark, cavernous concrete spaces with ancient Incan artwork and pottery, makes the Lima Museum one of our world favorites. Their use of space to showcase such their giant pottery pieces, Incan mummies, golden artefacts and the incredible Idol of Pachacamac is, in our opinion, inspired. While many museums are overfilled with items and can overwhelm visitors, Lima’s Museo de la Nacion strikes a restful balance that allows tourists to fully appreciate the items on display.
Lima Gold Museum
The Lima Gold Museum is certainly well stocked, and of interest to jewelry enthusiasts and metal artists. With an extensive collection based around this one type of artifact only, the Lima Gold Museum, is worth a look if you have a bit of extra time on your hands. The venue also has an extensive collection of antique weapons, which is usually a hit with military history buffs.
Shopping
Allow for shopping and cinema time at Larcomar. This luxury shopping area is set into the side of a cliff in Miraflores, offering movies, dining and shopping venues. While obviously designed for the traveler with discriminating tastes, it’s possible for the mid-range adventure crowd to enjoy Larcomar as well.
I found it to be a great place to spend a morning or afternoon if you aren’t really weren’t up for searching out unfamiliar tourist attractions. I’d had a blast in Peru, but was in fact exhausted after schlepping through the Sacred Valley and making a whirlwind pass through the area of Lake Titicaca.
Larcomar was just what the doctor ordered for my last afternoon in Lima. English language cinema, seaside seafood and a pleasant outdoor strolling area with benches and an ocean breeze.
Food and Drink
Although gastronomy has always been deeply rooted in Lima’s idiosyncrasy, the last decade have seen a huge leap in Lima’s dining scene. Not only Peru’s capital has become tapped with restaurants, both stylish and unpretentious, but many of them seem to be at full capacity all week long.
One possible explanation for the boom, besides obvious food quality, is international recognition. The Economist magazine, for example, reported in 2004 that Peru could “lay claim to one of the world’s dozen or so great cuisines”.
Norman Van Aken, one of Florida’s most gifted chefs, acknowledged that Peruvian cuisine was possibly the most enticing of those he had studied. And Patrick Martin, academic director of Le Cordon Blue, said that one of the reasons for having a branch of the school in Lima was the excellent quality of local cuisine.
“Better late than never”, believe most people from Lima, increasingly proud of the exceptionality of their gastronomic heritage. However, notwithstanding general contentment, they are still demanding and hard-to-please, and expect the best from their favourite restaurants and chefs. This, too, contributes to gastronomic excellence. Indeed Peruvian cuisine, though hardly noticed abroad until most recently, is one of the World’s most varied and delicious.
Two aspects converge to give Peruvian cuisine an uniqueness that few other enjoy. The first is Peru’s huge biodiversity. The country is home to 80 of the world’s 104 different biological zones, which assures a remarkable assortment of fresh ingredients. Potatoes and hot peppers from the Andes, fish and seafood from the Pacific Ocean, mangoes and limes from the coastal valleys, bananas and manioc from the Amazon jungle: a chef’s only problem is abundance of choice.
Second, Peruvian cuisine is the quintessence of cultural fusion. Ever since the first blending between Inca and Spanish traditions, local cooks have skilfully incorporated the flavours and techniques of the many immigrants that disembarked in Peru’s ports, such as Italian and French. However, the strongest influences didn’t arrive from Europe, but from Africa, China, and Japan.
Although restaurants in Lima offer the most varied and covers a wide range of cuisines, Ceviche-diced raw fish marinated in lime juice and hot peppers – is surely number one on the list of dishes you must taste. There is at least one cevichera in every neighbourhood, so it won’t be hard to find one. Our suggestion goes to superb Pescados Capitales, a lunch-only cevicheria in Miraflores.
A second must goes to Asian restaurants in Lima, both Chinese and Japanese, which, predictably, have a strong Peruvian influence. Chinese restaurants -known as Chifas-, can be counted by the hundreds. Usually down-to-earth neighbourhood eateries, these offer a fare rich in seafood and chicken.
Japanese restaurants and sushi bars, on the contrary, are less widespread, and more upscale and expensive. Their forte is a year-round supply of the freshest and most variegated seafood, which is delightfully transformed into sushi, sashimi, and rolls. Our favourites are Wa Lok for Chinese, and Matsuei (where Nobuyuki Matsuhisa, Nobu’s chef and owner, perfected his skills) for Japanese.
A word for Lima’s Criollo restaurants. Their cuisine is a vivid and tasty demonstration of the rich cultural fusion undergone by Peruvian gastronomy over the centuries. Besides the obvious Spanish and Andean fusion (a.k.a. Criollo), in their menus you’ll discover much Africa (tacu-tacu and anticuchos), China (lomo saltado), and Japan (ceviches and tiraditos).
One last recommendation for a fun place that I tried out was Si Senor Restaurant in Miraflores. It was within walking distance of Inkawasi, and had some unusual menu items to go along with the traditional offerings you’d expect from a Mexican dining establishment.
Of course, there are a number of local markets as well for fresh authentic local cuisine, if whipping up something simple back at the hotel is what you prefer.
Bon appetit!