Stand on the Malecón in Miraflores in the late afternoon and the city arranges itself for you: the Pacific below, the Costa Verde stretching away toward Chorrillos, and the towers of the historic downtown somewhere behind you. Lima rewards travellers who give it more than a stopover.
This guide suits anyone with a day or two to spare, whether you are passing through on the way to Cusco or settling in for a longer stay. It covers the sights and experiences the sources describe, grouped so you can plan a route rather than a checklist.
Top things to do in Lima
1. The historic downtown
The historic downtown is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it is the natural starting point for understanding the city. Give it a half day rather than an hour.
Combine it with the Mirabus road train, which runs around the main sights of Centro, if you want to cover the ground without walking every block.
2. Huaca Pucllana
Huaca Pucllana is a pre-Inca temple of the Lima culture, located in the Miraflores district and one of the most popular attractions in the city. It is open every day except Tuesday and Sunday, from 09:00 to 15:30, and a guided tour is required.
Entry is 15 soles per person. Because it closes in the mid-afternoon and shuts on two days of the week, slot it into a morning rather than leaving it for the end of the day.
3. The Circuito Mágico del Agua
The Circuito Mágico del Agua, or Magic Water Tour, is a fountain and light display in the Parque de la Reserva and Parque Fermín Tangüis. It is a light display, so it is best seen after dark.
Pair it with an evening in the centre rather than trying to fit it into a daytime walking route.
4. The Costa Verde
The Costa Verde is Lima's green coast, stretching between San Miguel and Chorrillos. It gives you the ocean edge of the city in one continuous stretch.
Use it as the backdrop to a Miraflores afternoon, or as the setting for the beach activities below.
5. Barranco, Miraflores and Santiago de Surco
These three districts are the tourist-friendly ones, and they are where you will spend much of your eating, walking and evening time. Barranco in particular appears again in the food and museum listings below.
Treat them as a cluster rather than separate excursions, and plan your days around whichever one you are sleeping in.
6. Museo Rafael Larco
The Museo Rafael Larco is in Pueblo Libre, alongside the Museo nacional de Arqueología, Antropología e Historia. Pueblo Libre is also where you find the Cruz del Viajero, a monumental Christian cross dating from the era of the Conquistadores.
Because the museum and the historical sites of Pueblo Libre sit in the same district, combine them into a single outing.
7. Museo Pedro de Osma
The Museo Pedro de Osma is in Barranco, which makes it easy to fold into a Barranco day alongside the district's food tours and evening atmosphere.
Pair it with a walking food tour in Barranco so the district's streets and its museum share one trip across town.
8. Museo nacional de Arqueología, Antropología e Historia
This museum is in Pueblo Libre, the same district as the Museo Rafael Larco and the Cruz del Viajero. If you are interested in the pre-Inca and colonial layers of the city, this is the district to set aside time for.
Do not try to see it in the same block of time as Huaca Pucllana; they are in different parts of the city and both deserve unhurried attention.
9. Museo de Arte
The Museo de Arte is on Paseo Colón, which puts it within reach of the historic downtown rather than the coastal districts.
Combine it with a downtown morning, since both sit on the same side of the city.
10. Lima's historical churches
The churches named in the sources are Lima's Cathedral, Santo Domingo (associated with San Martín de Porres), Santa Rosa (associated with Santa Rosa de Lima), Nazarenas (Señor de los Milagros) and San Francisco. Several of them sit in or near the historic downtown.
Group them into a single walking stretch of the centre rather than visiting them one per day.
11. Parque Kennedy
Parque Kennedy sits in the centre of Miraflores, right in the entertainment district, and is known for the large number of cats that used to live there. The Mirabus tourist information booth is in this park and is open every day from 09:00 to 19:00.
Use the park as your orientation point in Miraflores, and pick up your Mirabus tickets while you are there.
12. Parque del Amor
The Parque del Amor, or Lovers' Park, is in Miraflores. It sits on the same coastal edge as the Costa Verde and the Malecón.
Fold it into a Miraflores coastal walk rather than making a separate trip.
13. Mirabus bus and road train tours
Mirabus runs various themed day and night bus tours of Lima and the surrounding region, including excursions to Caral and Pachacamac, and also operates a road train around the main sights of Centro. The information booth in Parque Kennedy is open every day from 09:00 to 19:00.
Most bus tours are 70 soles for adults, 50 soles for children aged 4 to 10, and free for under-4s; the city centre road train is 5 soles for adults, 3 soles for children aged 4 to 10, and free for under-4s. Other prices run from 10 to 220 soles per person. Tickets for the Mamacona show are also available here.
14. Pachacámac
Pachacámac, in Lurín, is a sacred pre-Inca citadel and is described as roughly half an hour from Miraflores. Mirabus includes excursions there among its tours.
Behind Pachacámac is Mamacona, where you can see a live show with the Caballo Peruano de paso and the Marinera dance. Tickets for that are available through Mirabus at the central park of Miraflores.
15. Food and bike tours
Bike Tours of Lima, at Calle Bolivar 150 in Miraflores, runs public and private bicycle, walking and food tours with English-speaking guides; prior booking is required. The Lima Gourmet Company, also in Miraflores, combines a city tour with a visit to a local market, a hands-on cooking class and Peruvian dishes, and is pitched at travellers without much time. Exquisito Perú, on Av Grau 715 in Barranco, runs interactive walking food tours and also operates in Arequipa and Cusco.
Folkloric dance shows are another option, with lunchtime and evening performances and dinner or lunch included. Book ahead for any of these, since the bike tours in particular require it.
If you only have one day
Morning: Start at Huaca Pucllana in Miraflores, since it opens at 09:00 and closes at 15:30, and remember it is closed on Tuesdays and Sundays. From there, walk the Miraflores coastal edge, taking in the Parque del Amor and the Costa Verde.
Afternoon: Head to the historic downtown and its UNESCO-listed streets, visiting Lima's Cathedral, San Francisco and the other historical churches, and the Museo de Arte on Paseo Colón. If you would rather cover the centre without walking every block, take the Mirabus road train around the main sights of Centro.
Evening: Finish at the Circuito Mágico del Agua in the Parque de la Reserva and Parque Fermín Tangüis, where the fountains are lit after dark. If you have energy left, Parque Kennedy in Miraflores is the entertainment district and a natural place to end the night.
Frequently asked questions
When can I visit Huaca Pucllana?
It is open every day except Tuesday and Sunday, from 09:00 to 15:30. A guided tour is required, and entry is 15 soles per person.
Do I need to book tours in advance?
For Bike Tours of Lima, prior booking is required. The company runs Monday to Friday 09:30 to 18:00 and Saturday and Sunday 09:30 to 14:00.
Where can I get information and tickets in Miraflores?
The Mirabus tourist information booth is in Parque Kennedy and is open every day from 09:00 to 19:00. Tickets for the Mamacona show are also available there.
Which districts should I base myself in?
Barranco, Miraflores and Santiago de Surco are the tourist-friendly districts. Miraflores puts you close to Huaca Pucllana, Parque Kennedy, the Parque del Amor and the Costa Verde, while Barranco is where you find the Museo Pedro de Osma and Exquisito Perú.
Pick your district, book the tours that need booking, and start shaping your days around the places above.