Lima Travel Guide

Tourist Guide

Exposition Park showing a fountain and a park as well as a large group of people
Lima showing interior views, religious aspects and a church or cathedral
Lima which includes street scenes and a skyscraper
Exposition Park featuring outdoor art, flowers and a park
Lima which includes a pond and a sunset as well as a large group of people

Lima Travel Guide Video

Spanish colonial houses, exquisite food, musicians in traditional dress, oceanfront entertainment and fine museums make the Peruvian capital a feast for the senses. 

Enjoy a culinary and cultural experience in bustling Lima, where the desert meets the coast, where ancient history mixes with 21st-century entertainment and where Peru’s poor hope to get rich.

The settlement along the Rímac River was once inhabited by Incas and earlier civilizations. After the Spanish founded Lima in 1535, they ruled for over 300 years. Today, nearly a third of Peru’s 30 million residents live in the capital. From the slums on the Cerros (hills) and the colourful colonial mansions, to the Catholic churches with Moorish roofs and Chinatown’s red gate, Lima’s urban sprawl is diverse. 

Explore Lima’s colonial past in the central Plaza de Armas. A grand palace with marching guards, an ornate cathedral and a 17th-century fountain define this historic square. Sit on a bench and people-watch or browse nearby souvenir shops for brightly colored souvenirs. Tour the Convento y Museo de San Francisco and its 16th-century catacombs. Ride in a horse-drawn carriage or set out on foot and follow the shopping avenues to the monument-rich Plaza San Martin.

Take a metered taxi to the Museo Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera in the Pueblo Libre district to see pre-Columbian art, including Moche ceramics from over 2,200 years ago. For oceanfront entertainment, head south to Lima’s fashionable neighbourhoods Miraflores and Barranco. Try Peru’s staple seafood dish ceviche or the alcoholic drink pisco sour.

In summer, ocean breezes provide a welcome reprieve from Lima’s desert air and smog. Winter days are mild, but often overcast. Because most Peruvians are poor and Lima attracts the wealthy, crime is an issue. Use the lockers and taxi service of your hotel and stick to the tourist areas.

Lima’s Jorge Chavez International Airport has connections to major global destinations. With daily planes and buses leaving from Lima for the surfing beaches of the Pacific Ocean, the lush Amazon jungle and the snow-capped Andes mountains, this fascinating city is just the start of your Peru adventure.

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Reviews of Lima

4
Top destination
5 - Excellent
12
5 - Excellent 27%
4 - Good
21
4 - Good 48%
3 - Okay
11
3 - Okay 25%
2 - Disappointing
0
2 - Disappointing 0%
1 - Terrible
0
1 - Terrible 0%

4/5 - Good

Verified traveller

We would love to return to this place of happy and friendly people

5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveller

Really enjoyed our time in Lima, walking Miaflores and the historic area, having a pisco sour at Hotel Bolivar and more.

3/5 - Okay

A

Was happy to fly out to cuzco. Lima didnt look very nice

4/5 - Good

Verified traveller

A lot of traffic so allow extra time everywhere you go.

5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveller

Lima is a great South American City! You have a fair bit to do you just have to look for it! The gyms in Lima are expensive and do not do trials :( but we found a sweet Yoga joint and it was a decent price too! I would recommend a 4 day stay here.

5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveller

Good mix of old and new. Nice people

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