The 11 Best Things To Do in Lima, Peru
by Rebecca Hollman
updated May 1, 2019
Lima, Peru
Lima is Peru’s capital and largest city. Home to roughly 9 million people, it is Peru’s largest city and the third largest city in the Americas behind São Paulo and Mexico City. Lima is a massive, sprawling city but the most popular districts are the downtown historical center, the Miraflores barrio and the Barranco barrio. Downtown is known for it’s cathedrals, historical buildings and museums, Miraflores is known for it’s fine dining and ocean views (Lima is the only western facing capital in the world on the coast), and Barranco is known for it’s street art, coffee shops and Bohemian vibes. You could easily spend weeks, hell even years, in Lima and never get bored but I’ve summarized the tops things for tourists to do in Lima here.
Table of Contents
The Best Things to Do in Lima, Peru
Best Things to Do in Miraflores - Lima, Peru
Miraflores is the upscale and trendy neighborhood of Miraflores - with some of the most expensive restaurants in South America and an abundance of stuff to see. It is the most common tourist area of Lima and is therefore where most people end up staying. Miraflores is pretty spread out and you will likely need to take an Uber/taxi within Miraflores to reach the different attractions. Barranco is about 15-20 minutes away from Miraflores and the downtown historic district is about 30 minutes away from Miraflores.
1. Walk Along El Malecón
ABOUT: Miraflores is located along the coast and one of its most popular attractions is El Malecón. This multi-purpose path runs for kilometres along most of the Costa Verde. It is a great path for walking, running, biking, skateboarding, etc. and is great for people watching and for watching the sunset over the ocean. You can walk along the path for almost the entirety of Miraflores, heading into Barranco, and so it’s a great way to spend the day covering lots of ground of Miraflores. Hop off and back on at any point. You can also veer off and take a bridge across the main highway down to the ocean at multiple points to watch the surfers and the waves crash. There are also a good amount of cafes and restaurants located along the path.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE MALECON DE MIRAFLORES HERE
2. Hang Out With The Cats of Kennedy Park
ABOUT: Parque Kennedy is a cool area of Miraflores in its own right, hosting a market in the park and a pop-up book store. However, the big appeal of this little park is the hundreds of stray cats that call it home. The cats are cared for and fed by a volunteer group. Stopping by this park to eat lunch, cat watch and people watch is a must for any animal lover. The cats come out around sunset and into the evening so don’t expect to see too many during the peak of the day.
3. Explore Huaca Pucllana
ABOUT: Huaca Pucllana is a unique site since it is the home of ancient ruins perfectly preserved in the heart of Miraflores. Huaca Pucllana was built by the Lima people around 400 AD and was a ceremonial center as well as a site for public meetings. The name “huaca” means sacred and is found in the name of most ruins and “pucllana” is derived from the word for game, meaning this area was a place where sacred games were played in a type of ritual. The site is interesting because of its perfectly stacked clay bricks that make up the structures. Each of these bricks was made by hand and the mud was harvested from the surrounding area. The structures were built in layers over thousands of years and across multiple generations of Lima peoples, each adding on more structures. The Huaca Pucllana ruins are open Wednesday - Monday 9 AM to 5 PM (closed Tuesday). The entrance costs S/15. Half price admission also exists for children under 12 and senior citizens.
LEARN MORE ABOUT HUACA PUCLLANA HERE
4. Surf at Costa Verde
ABOUT: Surprisingly, some of the best surf in Peru is right in the heart of the capital city along the Costa Verde. There are a few popular surf spots along the coast of Lima but one of the most accessible is Punta Roquitas - right in Miraflores. Other relatively close spots include La Herradura, which is a left point break off a cliffside that offers one of the best waves in all of Peru, and Playa Waikiki, which is without a doubt one of the best breaks for beginners. There are many other breaks within an hour or two drive from Lima, mostly in the area of Punta Hermosa.
Best Things to Do in Barranco - Lima, Peru
Barranco is the Bohemian and artsy area of Lima, with many museums, restaurants, cafes and history. If you are staying in Barranco then it is easy to walk around the area, otherwise you would need to Uber/Lyft/taxi from Miraflores, as they are about a 15-20 minute drive apart. You could easily spend a few days roaming around this area. Definitely make a stop to the Testino museum, if nothing else.
5. MATE - Mario Testino Museum
ABOUT: Mario Testino is a famous Peruvian fashion photographer, known for photographing the likes of Princess Diana, Kate Moss, Madonna and more. The Mario Testino museum showcases some of his classic fashion photography, which utilize color and composition in a striking way, but also some of his more personal works. There are multiple rooms for fashion and then also a gallery of travel photography, a gallery of Princess Diana shots, and a gallery of traditional Peruvian costume and dance. MATE is open Tuesday—Sunday from 10:00 AM — 6:30 PM and is free to enter.
6. Explore the Barranco Area
ABOUT: Barranco is the trendy and artsy neighborhood of Lima, with many designer stores, cafes and restaurants in converted old mansions. Spend a day walking around this area enjoying the historical buildings, museums, coffee shops, bars and the sunset over the Pacific Ocean. Barranco used to be the “seaside resort” for Lima’s wealthiest in the 1920s and exploring the brightly colored, massive mansions from the time period is one of the biggest draws of the area. Check out some of the best things to do in Barranco below.
Visit Vernacula - an old colonial mansion converted into an art gallery, design store and clothing shop
Walk Across the Puente de Los Suspiros (The Bridge of Sighs)
Watch impromptu theatrical or musical performances in the main square
Go on a self-guided graffiti walking tour
Drink in a colonial mansion converted into a bar - try El Piselli or Ayahuasca (the bar not the drug)
Enjoy Peruvian coffee in an eclectic coffee shop - try Bisetti, La Bodega Verde, Twins Cafe and Sofa Cafe
Stroll along Avenida Saenz Peña and look at the old colonial mansions in different stages of repair
Get your contemporary art fix at MAC Museum
Stroll in the steps of old time fashionable Limeños along the Bajada a los Banos
Best Things to Do in Downtown Lima District - Lima, Peru
The Plaza de Armas and the historic district is technically the heart of Lima but most people usually stay in Miraflores or Barranco. However, this area is quite far away from Miraflores or Barranco so I would suggest taking an Uber/Lyft/taxi to the area as traffic is quite bad and there is little to no parking. I would spend a whole day in this district of Lima, walking around the Plaza de Armas and Union Street, visiting some of the museums in the area and going to the catacombs of San Francisco.
7. Museo Nacional de Arqueologia, Antropología, e Historia del Perú
ABOUT: The National Museum of Archeology, Anthropology and History of Peru is the first museum in Peru; also the largest and oldest. It was the only museum that Peru had in the first hundred years of the Republic. It has more than 100,000 artifacts and covers the entirety of human history in what is now modern day Peru. The museum is open from Monday to Sunday from 8:45 AM to 5 PM (the last hour to enter and buy tickets is 4:30 PM). The museum costs S/.10 for adults, less for students, and it is S/.20 extra for a guide in English or Spanish. Some of the signage is in English, but not all, so it could be quite helpful to get a guide if you don’t feel comfortable reading Spanish.
8. Museo de Arte de Lima (MALI)
ABOUT: MALI is the art museum of Lima, holding the most representative art collection of Peru. It is located in the Palacio de la Exposicion, in the historic district of Lima. It has 34 galleries and temporary exhibitions that feature local and international artists. It is open from: Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M. Saturdays until 5:00 P.M. First Friday of each month until 10:00 P.M. Closed on: Mondays, Labor Day (May 1), Christmas (December 24-25), and New Year (January 1). The admission fee is S/.30 (Peruvian citizens and residents S/.15).
9. San Francisco Catacombs
ABOUT: The San Francisco catacombs are located deep within the Monastery of San Francisco - a beautiful cathedral in downtown Lima. The church was built in 1674 and has survived perfectly intact after several earthquakes - most likely because of its unique underground structure made of semi circle walls and circular wells which dissipated the energy of the earthquakes. The convent is known for its collection of over 25,000 books including many that are older than the Spanish Conquest. It contains the first Spanish dictionary published by the Royal Spanish Academy, as well as one of the first editions of the Bible. The church also has catacombs underground where over 25,000 people were buried. The skulls and bones of the buried are lined along the walls and in wells in the complex underground area of the catacombs. You can take a guided tour of the church, the convent and the catacombs. Tours leave every 30 minutes to an hour so you can just walk into the church and wait for the next tour to leave.
10. Plaza de Armas/Union Street
ABOUT: The Plaza de Armas is the original town square of Lima. This area is surrounded by buildings with beautiful architecture and buildings of importance. On all for sides of the main square are the government buildings, royal palaces and cathedrals of Peru. People sit in the Plaza de Armas and people watch all day. It is definitely worth a trip to the old district of Lima to marvel at the beautiful and magnificent buildings in the area. Coming out to the southwest of the Plaza is Union Street, a popular strip with tons of stores lined along the side. It is worth it to walk up and down this crowded street just to see all the people and the stores around.
Last But Not Least… Eat!
11. Eat!!
Lima is a foodie city and so one of the best things to do in Lima is just to eat! There are infinitely many amazing restaurants in the city and I’ve just picked out a handful of the best rated in each of the following areas. There are many more restaurants that are top rated and you could spend weeks in Lima eating at a new, amazing restaurant every single day.
BEST RESTAURANTS IN MIRAFLORES
Maido
Rafael
La Mar Cebecheria
Malabar
Amaz Restaurante
BEST RESTAURANTS IN BARRANCO
Central
Amoramar
Sibaris
Isolina
Hotel B
BEST RESTAURANTS IN LIMA DISTRICT
El Chinito
Other Notable Museums in Lima
Museo de Historia Natural
Museo de Arte Contemporaneo
Place of Memory, Tolerance and Social Inclusion (LUM)
Pedro de Osma Museum
National Museum of Peruvian Culture
Museo de Oro
Museo Nacional Afroperuano
Museo de la Inquisicion y del Congreso
