The Plaza Mayor & old town
The colonial heart — balconied palaces, the cathedral and the changing of the guard at noon.
Lima
A Pacific capital of clifftops and ceviche
Best time
December – April
Gentle pace
2–3 slow days
Ideal for
Food lovers · City-break families · First-time Peru
Lima is the gateway to Peru and a destination in its own right — a Pacific capital of clifftop promenades, colonial squares and the best food in South America. The old centre is a grid of balconied churches; Miraflores sits on the cliffs above the surf; and Barranco is a bohemian quarter of street art and old bridges.
With children, walk the malecón above the sea, eat ceviche at a market table, watch the paragliders off the cliffs, and use Lima as a gentle, delicious first stop before the mountains.
Worth lingering over
The Miraflores malecón
Six kilometres of clifftop park above the Pacific — paragliders, playgrounds and the best sunset in the city.
A market food tour
Eat your way through ceviche, anticuchos and fresh fruit at Surquillo market with a local guide.
Hidden gem
Barranco at dusk
Most visitors stay in Miraflores, but the neighbouring district of Barranco — Lima’s old seaside resort, now its bohemian quarter — is the city’s secret. Wander at dusk past crumbling mansions, street murals and the wooden Puente de los Suspiros, then eat at one of the small cevicherías and gallery-bars that the locals keep to themselves. It is the Lima everyone wishes they had found first.