Lima is a huge city with more than 9 million inhabitants. Named the city of Los Reyes, Lima is currently the only capital in America on the shores of the sea, which together with its fantastic gastronomy, make Lima one of the most visited capitals in South America.
In this post I tell you about its essential places to visit, with a list of the 50 best things to do in Lima.
50 BEST THINGS TO DO IN LIMA, PERU
1. The Plaza de Armas in Lima
It is the center of all the colonial buildings and from here you can take a tour of all its most emblematic places in the center. This square, also known as the Plaza Mayor, is an authentic beauty, and you will realize it as soon as you set foot in it. You can visit the Government Palace and the Cathedral of Lima. Or just sit on one of the benches and look around you. It is always lively and with people on the move.
If you are in this area when the changing of the guard, stay to see it!
To get to know the Plaza de Armas and the surroundings I recommend doing it with a guided tour, there are two options:
2. The Cathedral of Lima
In the same Plaza de Armas is the Cathedral of Lima. It is one of the most beautiful cathedrals in all of Peru! It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991 and National Cultural Heritage since 1972.
Construction began in 1535 and its works were completed in 1649. It is in a Renaissance and neoclassical style. Next to the Cathedral you will find the Archbishop's Palace and the Parroquia del Sagrario.
3. Basilica and convent of Our Lady of Mercy
In the historic center of Lima is this Basilica. It is in the Churriegueresque baroque style, in a beautiful salmon pink tone and was built in 1535. The Minor Basilica and the Convent have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991.
4. Torre Tagle Palace
Right next to the cathedral is this Palace. Built during the viceroyalty of Peru, it currently serves as the main headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Peru.
5. Governor's Palace, You must see the changing of the guard!
The best thing about the Government Palace is the changing of the guard. It is every day at 12 noon. and 2 Sundays a month there is a changing of the guard on horseback in the Plaza de Armas. You can not lose this! It is one of the essential things to do in Lima.
6. The Basilica and the Convent of San Francisco de Lima
This Basilica in a yellow tone, is located very close to the Plaza de Armas. Located in what is considered the historic center of Lima. It is Baroque in style and was built in 1535, the same year that the works on the Cathedral of Lima began.
7. Catacombs of the Convent of San Francisco
If you are a bit macabre hehe you will like this site. In the Convent Catacombs there are a lot of bones, skulls... The strangest and most peculiar thing is the way they were placed.
8. Larco Herrera Museum
The Larco Museum was founded in 1926 by Rafael Larco Hoyle. Here are one of the most important collections of pre-Columbian Peru.
The museum is located in an old viceregal mansion from the 18th century and is surrounded by gardens.
You can visit the museum on your own or with a guided tour. Up to you!
Guided visit to the Larco Herrera Museum (Includes pick up at the hotel, guided visit and entrance to the museum)
9. Museum of Gold of Peru and Weapons of the World
If you like museums and have time, this museum is one of the most interesting in Lima. The museum has more than eight thousand pieces that show what the customs and beliefs of the Peruvian pre-Columbian cultures were like.
In addition, during the tour you will find all kinds of textiles and utensils of the time, mummies and funerary bundles, you will be able to admire the impressive work of the precious metal goldsmiths of the pre-Inca cultures of the north coast of Peru. Masks, bracelets, necklaces...
You can visit the museum for free or with a guided tour:
Guided tour of the Museum of Gold of Peru and Weapons of the World (includes hotel pick-up, guided tour and entrance to the museum)
10. San Martin Square
It is located in the historic center of the city and is an essential stop. This square was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988. It is close to the Plaza Mayor in Lima and you can get here by walking. Its central monument is made in homage to the liberator José de San Martín, manager of the independence of Peru.
11. Basilica and Convent of Santo Domingo
Although this basilica and convent is popularly known by the name of Santo Domingo, its real name is Minor Basilica and Maximum Convent of Nuestra Señora del Rosario. It is in the Rococo and Mudejar style, and was built in the 16th century. This beautiful basilica is pinkish in color with white details such as the portico, window moldings and arches.
12. Disconnect in the El Olivar park in San Isidro
This small park has an artificial lake and is an excellent idea to disconnect from so many visits. It is a park full of trees and birds. And it is a good option to visit it in summer to protect yourself from the heat.
13. Parque de la Exposición
If we start talking about parks, the Parque de la Exposición is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful in the city. And it is due to its beautiful garden areas and the monuments that you find in it.
The Parque de la Exposición was declared Cultural Patrimony of the Nation on July 5, 2006 and its surroundings are the Museum of Art of Lima, the Metropolitan Museum of Lima, the Museum of Italian Art, the Center for Historical-Military Studies and the Higher National School of Dramatic Art.
14. Park of Legends
The park of legends was founded in 1964. The name comes from 10 Inca and pre-Inca legends that were illustrated by Sabino Springett and placed on some walls at the entrance, which were removed around 2008 and are currently preserved. only the texts in the Patio de Leyendas, inside the Cultural Park.
The exhibits are divided into: Archaeology, Botany, Zoology. The Park houses 54 archaeological remains including monuments, temples, walls, roads, paved canals, etc. The huacas stand out: Tres Palos, La Cruz, San Miguel and La Palma. All these monuments are part of a large pre-Hispanic urban center, which has a sequence of occupations for more than 2,000 years.
If you want to visit the Parque de las leyendas you should know that you will spend at least 4 hours here touring the grounds. Keep this in mind to organize your tour of Lima!
15. Museum of the Nation
If you still haven't gotten bored of museums, the Museo de la Nación is in third place on the list in terms of the most visited museums in Lima. I couldn't visit it due to lack of time and I preferred to visit the two museums that I told you about before, the Larco Museum and the Gold Museum. But if you do visit it, tell me about your experience!
16. Las Aguas Magic Circuit
This park is located in the Santa Beatriz neighborhood and is an essential thing to do in Lima. You can not lose this!
You access the park by paying an entrance fee of 4 soles. (1 euro) and you can tour the entire park enjoying its fountains.
The shows at the main fountains take place at 7:15 p.m., 8:15 p.m. and 9:15 p.m.
You can get here by taxi (agree on the price first before getting in). The best idea is to ask for the one-way taxi at the hotel, where the receptionist will tell you the real price you must pay (not the inflated price) so you will have a reference of what to pay when you leave the park.
If you travel in summer (from December to the end of March) bring clothes that can get wet. You will end up soaked.
17. Huaca Huallamarca
Huaca Huallamarca, is a pre-Hispanic construction in the shape of a pyramid trunk, located in the district of San Isidro. This archaeological monument in the middle of the city, does nothing but stand out with the modern buildings that surround it.
If you want to visit it, you must pay a stay of 5 soles, for adults and they have other lower prices for retirees and children. There is also a museum with recovered material; textiles, musical objects, agricultural objects, ceramics…
18. Palomino Islands
If you want to disconnect a bit from the city and you feel like doing an activity that you are in contact with nature, from Lima they make excursions of about 3 hours to the Palomino Islands. Where you can see birds, sea seals, penguins...
19. Enjoy Peruvian cuisine
Peru year after year is recognized worldwide for being one of the countries with the best gastronomy. Although in all of Peru you will eat great, not only in Lima.
The most expensive areas in the center of Lima to eat, as is logical, is in the historic center. All the restaurants that surround the main square usually have European prices on their menus.
If you want to eat cheaper, you can move away a bit or if you are staying in Miraflores (the area that I most recommend for looking for a hotel) let yourself be guided by the hotel receptionists. In Miraflores we ate very well and at relatively low prices.
20. Take a Peruvian cooking class and/or tastings
And speaking of eating... if you like to cook or like to eat, there are interesting gastronomic activities in Lima:
21. House of Aliaga
Casa de Aliaga is a colonial-style building located in the historic center of Lima.
It was built in 1536. It belonged to Don Jerónimo de Aliaga y Ramírez. It was destroyed by the Lima earthquake of 1746 and rebuilt by Juan José Aliaga y Sotomayor. It has been reformed over the years, which is why they determine that the building is eclectic in style, it has a visible mix of Renaissance, Mannerist, Baroque or Neoclassical styles.
Throughout the visit you will be able to see its 18 rooms and its patios. At present it is a house museum, open to the public, where all the details are very well preserved. From classic furniture, works of art, moldings on the doors with relief details, precious stained glass windows, original tiles from the first construction...
To book the visit you can do it from the official website and it costs 30 soles (about 8 euros).
22. Cross the bridge of sighs
In the neighborhood of Barranco is this beautiful bridge.
23. Visit and wander through the Barranco neighborhood
Until a few years ago (on my first trip to Peru 10 years ago) it was not recommended to go through this area and even less alone.
Currently the Barranco neighborhood is one of the most popular and most visited. Its facelift and its color that shines through all the buildings, makes thousands of tourists who travel to Lima fall in love with this part of the city.
You can tour this neighborhood with a free tour or do it for free. I recommend that if you are clear that you want to do the tour, book it in advance, as it sells out easily.
24. Tour of Barranco and Callao
If your time in Lima is limited and you no longer know where to scrape more hours from your trip, you can combine this tour that takes you to see the most emblematic places of Barranco and Callao.
25 and 26. San Isidro Market and Surquillo Market
If you are already readers of the blog, you will know that I love markets and I always try to visit them all. In Lima I have only been able to visit two of them. Going through its stops you will be able to see tropical fruits, you will be able to eat very cheaply on the spot, and you will live with the popular atmosphere.
27. Visit the Royal Felipe Fortress
The Real Felipe Fortress is a military building built in the 18th century in the bay of Callao. Currently it can be visited. Open every day (except Monday) from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
28. Inca Palace of Oquendo
This Inca Palace, are some ruins found in Callao. It is one of the most important archaeological sites in the city of Lima.
29. Huaca Pucllana
This archaeological site is located in Miraflores. It is one of the most essential places to visit in Lima.
In the enclosure there is a pyramid 25 meters high and a set of patios, squares and enclosures. It has an exhibition hall, tour circuit and other attractions. It has six hectares, but towards the decade of the forties of the 20th century the area tripled the current one; abandonment and lack of interest in the past meant that valuable evidence and smaller pyramids were destroyed for the construction of houses, avenues and parks. Since 1981 they have been fighting to maintain this place and expose it to the world.
30. Have a Pisco Sour
After a day touring the city like crazy, it's time to rest and you must try the Pisco Sour.
The Pisco Sour is considered the national cocktail of Peru, although the Chileans say the opposite and that this combination originally belongs to them. However, it is the most popular drink and you can try it anywhere in Peru.
It consists of a mix that contains: 3 measures of pure Pisco Quebranta, 1 measure of syrup, 1 measure of lime juice, 1/6 measure of egg white, 4 ice cubes, Angostura Bitters.
You can find some variants. I don't like alcohol, it was like drinking fire.
31. Indian Market
This market is located in Miraflores and if you want to buy a souvenir you can do it here. As in any part of Peru they do not have prices posted and usually start with a rising price. Here you must take out your weapons for haggling and find a price that seems fair to both of you. The receptionist at our hotel recommended us in the first counter offer to offer 70% less than what they were asking for, and that if after negotiating we got 50% less than what they had started asking us for, we had got the real price.
32. Maria Reiche Miraflores Park
This beautiful Miraflores park is located right on the cliff. From here the views are beautiful, especially at dusk.
33. The Kiss
This huge sculpture of two people kissing is located in Miraflores, in the park of love. You will find it along the promenade that runs parallel to the Miraflores cliff.
34. La Marina Lighthouse
Walking along the same promenade where the sculpture of the Kiss is located, you can reach the La Marina Lighthouse.
35. Beaches in Lima
If you are a lover of surfing or katesurfing in Lima you can practice it. There are two very famous beaches because their waves reach great size.
Waikiki Beach and Makaha Beach. Both are large, round stone beaches, not very comfortable for sunbathing, but great if you want to surf.
36. Our Lady of Fatima Parish
In Miraflores is the Parish of Our Lady of Fatima. It is a very simple church at first glance, but beautiful in a pastel yellow tone. Inside, its ceilings stand out. You must go visit her.
37. The Miraculous Virgin Parish
This Parish located in Miraflores, on the outside you can see its baroque style in earth-colored stucco. Once you enter you will find Renaissance details in its columns and ceilings. Personally, I prefer the interior of the Parish of Our Lady of Fatima.
38. Pachacamac
Tours leave from Lima to see the archaeological site of Pachacamac. Where are a series of ruins of the ancient Andean civilizations. If you have time, this visit cannot be missed.
39. Excursion to Caral and Bandurria
Although not as impressive as Pachacamac, Caral is the ruins of the oldest city in the Americas. There are few stones and two pyramids in the middle of the desert. The charm of this place is in itself, where it is located, in the middle of the desert and surrounded by mountains.
You can book your excursion from this link, if you are interested in including it in your route:
40. Nazca Lines from Lima
Although I personally recommend you include two or three days to the Pisco and Paracas area, from where you can visit the Nazca lines at a much lower price, apart from visiting what the area offers, if your time is limited you can visit the Lines de Nazca from Lima with a tour that will include transportation to there, a plane flight, a visit to La Laguna de Huacachina, among some other activities.
The origin and purpose of the famous Nazca Lines remains a mystery. We will learn about some of the hypotheses and the most recent scientific discoveries about these figures, while we admire the perfection of the immense traces in the desert of the Pampa de Nazca.
I talk to you about the Nazca Lines in another post, so you can learn a little more about this place.
41. Relax with an ice cream in the Domodossola park
This beautiful park in Miraflores is located on the cliff, with beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean. It is a very landscaped area and if you travel in the summer have an ice cream in the afternoon, enjoying the views and the cool weather is great. Here when we traveled there was an ice cream stand that for about 25 euro cents we had two scoops of ice cream, we turned purple, the coconut one was tremendous. If you go and find it, have an ice cream and send me a photo, I'd love to see you.
42. Larcomar shopping center
This shopping center in Miraflores is the meeting point for the youngest locals. Here you have restaurants (more commercial and international), shops, cinemas...
43. Excursion to Ica and Huacachina + Ballestas Islands
If you are not going to include nights in the Paracas area, you can visit the Ballestas Islands, the Huacachina Oasis and visit Ica, you can do it with a full day tour.
44. Visit the Pantanos de Villa if you like birds
Near the city of Lima are these swamps, with great fauna and vegetation, where you can see the great macá, the Andean coot, herons, egrets and the Peruvian pelican.
45. Paramotor flight over the Costa Verde
Are you an adrenaline junkie? This is your activity!
46. Enjoy a day at the beach
If you travel in summer and you fancy a day at the beach, Playa Agua Dulce is a good option, there are fewer waves and its sand is fine. If you go on a weekend this is packed, you almost have to ask for permission to get to the water, but it's a good idea if you don't feel like continuing to explore the city.
47. The Villa Farm
If you travel with children you must go to this place. It is thinking for the little ones and after a whole morning going around Lima the little ones may already be a little angry, especially if it is summer.
If you bring your little ones here as a surprise, you will once again be the best father/mother in the world.
48. Chinatown of Lima
I don't know what happens to me that without looking for them, the Chinese neighborhoods of any place appear in front of me while I wander the streets. Lima's Chinatown is not as spectacular as in other cities around the world, but it does have a very cool air. You can get here walking, and stay to eat or have a drink. Chinatown is right next to the historic center of Lima.
49. Presbítero Matías Maestro Cemetery
If you like cemeteries, the Presbítero Matias Maestro cemetery is more like one work of art after another than a cemetery itself (or so it seems real). Each tomb, each sculpture, its arches, the pantheons... wherever you look, it seems that you are in a museum.
It is a bit far away, so you will have to take a taxi. And if your taxi driver doesn't get lost and is good and goes direct, it will cost you a few soles.
50. Huaca El Paraiso
Finally, if you have time you can visit the Huaca El Paraiso archaeological site. It is the furthest site from the center, so you will have to take a taxi yes or yes. I didn't have time to visit it, but if you dare to come here, tell me how it is so I can write it down for my next trip to Lima.
And here is the list of the 50 things to do in Lima.
Do you want to know which are the best areas to stay? Do not miss the next post where I tell you; Which are the best areas to stay and some accommodation recommendations.
PLAN YOUR TRIP STEP BY STEP
I hope you enjoy your trip to Peru a lot and that this article has been useful to you. You can continue reading many more related articles on the blog.
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A hug and see you soon!