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Blog | Lima By Walking | Free Walking Tour
Blog | Lima By Walking | Free Walking Tour
The question of many people: What to do in Lima?
Even if you travel solo, with family or friends; here are our recommendations for the Best Things to Do in Lima.
⭐⭐⭐Top-rated Things to Do in Lima
Visiting the Historic Centre is definitely one of the Things to do in Lima, specially for travellers looking to get envolve in the day-by-day life of a city with over 10million people.
Declared World Heritage Site of UNESCO in 1991, the iconic Spanish Architecture of the City Centre is capturing your attention undoubtly. The Main Square (Plaza de Armas) with Spanish balconies in all its buildings; Plaza San Martín and Gran Hotel Bolivar in honour to the Liberators of South America; or Jirón de la Unión (main shopping street) with Art Deco and Art Nouveau Architecture are awaiting for you.
In the last few years many streets in ‘El Centro’ became pedestrian and joining a Walking Tour in Lima tip-based is the best option you might choose. The local guides are always the perfect way to get all the details of a city with a complex but fascinating history such as Lima.
Once in the Historic Centre, you can make a stop in San Francisco Church to visit the famous Lima Catacombs, the place where the neighbours of Lima were burried in the basement of the Monastery in the old Roman Style.
Another attraction is also the Library which, according many fans of Harry Potter, is pretty similar to Hogwarts Library.
Lima Catacombs offers tours in English and Spanish and it’s open 7 days a week. You can buy the tickets at the same location.
Visiting Convento de Santo Domingo is also one of the ‘Best things to do in Lima’.
The biggest attraction is the Bell Tower of more than 40meters height to have the perfect view for pictures and clips in the Historic Centre of Lima.
Also you can learn more about the Peruvian saints like Santa Rosa de Lima and the first black saint of the Americas: San Martín de Porres.
Convento Santo Domingo opens monday to sunday from 9am until 5:30pm. Tours avilable in English and Spanish
China Town or Barrio Chino is the place in Lima where the chinese migrants opened their first own business, especially restaurants.
The first chinese migrants arrived to the country in the 1850’s to work as cheap labour force in the farms of cotton and sugar in the coast of Peru.
Since the 1930’s many peruvians and tourists visit China Town to get inmerse into the chinese culture in Peru.
What to do? Have lunch in one of the chifas (chinese – peruvian restaurants), buy some Asian products or have some pictures in their colourful streets. Definitely a place to visit during your stay in Lima.
Miraflores and barranco are the most lively places in Lima and riding a bicycle is the best way to enjoy the best highlights of the city’s boardwalk.
A Bicycle Tour can be one of the Best things to do in Lima. The beautiful views along Lima’s Pacific coastline, the Park of Love, the Bridge of Sighs and the amazing street Art along Barranco.
The caothic traffic in Lima might be a problem, but you have nothing to worry about; all these highlights are totally connected Bike lanes to ride without problems.
Parque de la Reserva or popularly known as The Magic Water Circuit, is a fantastic public park that host a total of 13 cibernetic fountains; where the lights, water and music combine themselves to perform a majestic show.
The Magic Water Circuit opens everyday from 3pm to 10pm. We recommend you to visit the Park once the sun goes down and you can enjoy a special show at the Main Fountain at 6:50pm, 7:50pm and 8:50pm.
The entrance is only 4 soles per person. Tickets are available online or at the same location.
In the last few years, Lima has turned into the None official Gastronomy Capital of Latin America. From restaurants considered in the List of the best ones in the World until casual and cozy places where you can just show up for a nice and tasty meal, in Lima you could always enjoy a large variety of dishes.
Starters as Causa Limeña or Papa a la Huancaina; Main courses such as Lomo Saltado, Ceviche or the classic Arroz con Pollo; and don’t forget the dessert like Picarones or Mazamorra Morada.
In Lima you can always enjoy the most traditional dishes of Peru. So we leave you here our Updated List of The Best Restaurants in Lima. Places for enjoying the best Peruvian food with an excellent quality/Price relation.
Officially Lima was founded in 1535 by the Conqueror Francisco Pizarro; but the history of the City started centuries before the arrival of the Spanish.
“Huaca” is the given name for the Ceremonial and administrative site of different pre-hispanic cultures. Visiting these sites allow us to know more of the organization and daily life of the different cultures, even until the Incas.
Visiting Huaca Pucllana in Miraflores, you have the chance to see all the different uses this site had in the past, according the moment and the culture established in this place.
To visit this archaeological site you have to book previously. The official link here.
Huaca Huallamarca was inhabited even until the Inca Period.
Located in San Isidro, the new financial area of Lima, so you will have the chance to see the interesting contrast between the prehispanic legacy and the modern buildings in the city.
At this In-situ museum you will see pottery, textiles and different articles to understand the daily life of the ancient inhabitants of Lima.
You can buy the tickets at the same place.
Lima, with its large coastline, offers you the chance to interact with the Pacific ocean and ride your first waves.
The beaches here provide a large range of waves and excellent conditions for surfing all year long. Even if you haven’t surfed before or you already had some skills, taking surf lessons is one of the things to do in the city.
Playa Makaha and Playa Waikiki in Miraflores; or Playa Yuyos in Barranco are the popular beaches for those trying surf for the first time.
For those into history, Larco Museum offers one of the biggest collections of pottery, textiles and jewelry with more than 5000 years of Prehispanic past, from the first cultures inhabiting Peru until the Inca Period.
Definitely one of the most impressive Museums in South America. Open from 10am until 7pm and you could buy the tickets at the same place or at the Official Site here.
Another interesting option is the Museum of Archeology, Anthropology and History of Peru.
Considered the oldest museum in the country (1822), this place offers you an open view of the whole History of Peru: The preInca cultures, the Inca Empire, The Colonial period, The Independence Process, The Pacific War against Chile in the 1870’s and the history until the XX Century.
It’s definitely Worth it. You can buy the tickets at the same museum.
From all the neighbours in Lima, Miraflores and Barranco are the ones providing a large variety of options for those expecting to enjoy the Nightlife in Lima.
From cozy bars with quiet live music until the best clubs with trendy music for dancing all night long, there is always an option for you. Even if you are a solo traveler or with a group of friends.
if you want to enjoy some Pisco sours: República del Pisco and Mercado San Ramón are the options for you.
Barbarian and Barranco Beer Company; definitely our recommendation for those more into Craft Beer.
Bizarro and Lima bar are the trendy clubs if what you are looking for is dancing with the new friends you make in the city.
The Pacific Coastline of the city offers a unmatched expertise: Paragliding in Lima; perfect for those who enjoy some adrenaline from the sky.
The city provides excellent conditions to enjoy unbeatable views from high up in the sky all year long. Paragliding lasts about 12min flying over the modern skyscrapers of the city and the Pacific Ocean. You won’t regret it, Just do it!
Sea Lions are animals from cold water environment and Palomino Islands, about 6 miles away from the Coast of Lima, are the ideal locations to see this animals in their wildlife.
Visiting palomino Islands in a boat trip is going to an adventure in a surreal place, dipping into the waters of the Pacific Ocean to enjoy a close experience with these playful animals.
You want a nice memory? they can also record this experience with a GoPro!
The trip takes about 3 hours, also enjoying the views of San Lorenzo: the biggest Island of Peru; and El Fronton: the Peruvian Alcatraz, a former prision until the 80’s.’
If you are a big fan of Viewpoints then visiting Morro Solar is definitely for you. The modern buildings of Miraflores, the hardworking class around the hill and the Pacific Coastline of Lima; you can see all at once going up this hill.
Morro Solar is an iconic mountain with a height of 250m. In the place you will find the Statue of Jesus, such as Rio de Janeiro; the Monument to the dead soldiers during the War against Chile; and a cross full of lights that you can spot any evening along the boardwalk.
The mountain is located about 20min away from Miraflores or Barranco and even if the place is not considered super dangerous, we recommend you to go with some friends and specially in the mornings for a better view.
There’s not public transport going up to the hill but Taxi Apps like Uber, Cabify, etc. work perfectly in Lima.
We truly hope this Lima by Walking’s updated list of The Best Things to do in Lima can help you to enjoy the city at its best; regardless if you are visiting Lima solo, with family or with friends.
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