Lima, Peru Travel Guide: Sights, Food & Best Time to Visit

Lima, the capital of Peru, spreads along the desert coast of the Pacific where the Rímac River meets the ocean. Founded by Francisco Pizarro in 1535 as the “City of Kings,” it became the seat of the Spanish Viceroyalty of Peru and for nearly three centuries was the richest and most powerful city in South America. Its colonial heart, with carved wooden balconies, baroque churches and grand plazas, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, while pre-Inca adobe pyramids still rise between modern apartment blocks across the city.

Today Lima is a sprawling metropolis of around ten million people perched on dramatic cliffs above the Costa Verde, and it is the natural gateway to Peru: almost every international visitor lands at Jorge Chávez International Airport in neighbouring Callao before flying roughly an hour and a quarter south-east to Cusco, Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley. Many travellers spend a day or two here first – Lima sits at sea level, so it is the ideal place to rest before heading into the Andes – and discover why the city is widely celebrated as the culinary capital of Latin America. On Palace Tours journeys such as the Hiram Bingham luxury train, the Belmond Andean Explorer and our Best of Peru itineraries, Lima is where the adventure begins.

What to see in Lima

• Plaza Mayor (Plaza de Armas) – The historic main square where Lima was founded, framed by the Cathedral, the Archbishop’s Palace with its ornate wooden balconies, and the Government Palace, where the changing of the guard takes place around midday.
• Basilica and Convent of San Francisco – A masterpiece of Lima baroque famous for its Moorish-style carved ceilings, a remarkable colonial library and the eerie underground catacombs that once served as the city’s cemetery.
• Museo Larco – Set in an 18th-century mansion surrounded by flowering gardens in Pueblo Libre, this private museum holds one of the finest collections of pre-Columbian art in the world, including gold and silver work and Moche ceramics.
• Huaca Pucllana – A great adobe pyramid built by the Lima culture around 1,500 years ago, standing right in the middle of the Miraflores district; guided tours explain the ceremonial site, and the terrace restaurant is lovely at dusk.
• Miraflores and the Malecón – Lima’s elegant seaside district, with a clifftop promenade of parks, the mosaic-covered Parque del Amor and views of paragliders drifting over the Pacific.
• Barranco – The city’s bohemian quarter, full of colourful republican-era mansions, street art, galleries and bars; cross the wooden Puente de los Suspiros (Bridge of Sighs) and visit the MATE photography museum.
• Circuito Mágico del Agua – A park in the Parque de la Reserva with a series of illuminated fountains, best visited in the evening when the water and light shows are running.
• Pachacamac – About 30 km south of the centre, this vast sanctuary of temples and pyramids was a major pilgrimage site for over a thousand years before and during the Inca era.

What to eat in Lima

Lima’s food scene is the reason many visitors come. Start with ceviche, the national dish of fresh raw fish cured in lime juice with red onion, chilli and sweet potato, traditionally eaten at lunchtime in a cevichería. Try causa limeña (layered yellow potato with chicken or seafood), lomo saltado (stir-fried beef that shows the Chinese-Peruvian chifa influence), creamy ají de gallina, and Nikkei dishes blending Japanese and Peruvian flavours.

On the street, look for smoky anticuchos (grilled skewers of marinated beef heart) and picarones, sweet-potato and squash doughnuts drizzled with chancaca syrup. For dessert there is suspiro a la limeña, a rich caramel custard topped with port meringue. To drink, order a pisco sour, the iconic grape-brandy cocktail, a glass of purple-corn chicha morada, or the bright yellow soda Inca Kola.

Shopping & crafts

The Indian Markets on Avenida Petit Thouars in Miraflores gather crafts from across Peru in one place: alpaca and baby-alpaca knitwear, woven textiles, ceramics, silver jewellery and retablos. Barranco’s design shops and galleries are the place for contemporary Peruvian art, while Larcomar, built into the Miraflores cliffs, offers upscale boutiques with ocean views. Peruvian silver, fine Pima cotton and alpaca make excellent keepsakes.

Best time to visit

Lima enjoys a mild desert climate and almost never sees rain. The southern-hemisphere summer, roughly December to April, brings sunshine and beach weather. From about May to November the city is often covered by the garúa, a cool grey coastal mist, though temperatures stay comfortable. Because the Andes have their dry season over the same months, Lima is easy to combine with Cusco and Machu Picchu at any time of year.

Good to know

• The currency is the Peruvian sol; cards are widely accepted in Miraflores and Barranco, but carry small notes for markets and taxis.
• Drink bottled or filtered water rather than tap water.
• Use registered taxis or ride-hailing apps, and allow plenty of time for Lima’s heavy traffic, especially to and from the airport.
• Reserve popular restaurants well ahead – several of Lima’s dining rooms rank among the best in the world.
• Spending a night or two in Lima at sea level before flying to Cusco (about 3,400 m) helps your body adjust to the altitude.

Ready to discover Peru? Palace Tours combines Lima with Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu aboard luxury trains. Call US/CA 1-800-724-5120, WhatsApp +1-786-408-0610 or International +1-609-580-1372.