Lima has the grandest food scene in Latin America. You can eat everything in Lima! The City is a fusion of Amazon, Inka, and the modern world. Lima is a sizable city with many variations and attractions! In the end, it is all about what you want to experience in the city? All the choices are in Lima, Peru. There are must-see things in Lima as in any capital of the world. Don’t miss them.
Important things are: 7 Tasty Places to Eat in the City.
When it Comes to 7 Things to Do in Lima,
My number One Thing is the Food Scene that LIMA is Rocking!
When it comes to South America, Lima is maybe the best city when it comes to having many hot names on the list of Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Lima & Walking the Neighborhoods
Lima is an excellent city for walking, and everything can be easily walked to when being in the neighborhood. Did you know thatLima is the second-highest populated desert City in the world after Cairo?
When I stayed in Miraflores, I used the public transportation – Metropolitano System to go into the City Center of Lima. When I was in Barranco and Miraflores, I just walked around.
Or there was this one time I did take a taxi because I was tired of walking. . .
7 Great Things to Do in Lima
No need for more than 2-3 days when exploring Lima in Peru. It is a great city, but it’s easy to cover and discover. I will give seven essential things to do in Lima when being there for a short time or maybe just layover with connecting flight further on in South America. Lima is one of the biggest connecting hubs between Europe and South America.
I had five days in Lima, that gave me time even to charge my battery and not rush it. I could have quickly done it with only 48 hours. In fact: My German friend used a half-day waiting for his connecting flight to Germany. We did a lot on those eight hours he was in Lima. If you are the machine, it is possible to discover a significant part of Lima in a short time.
1. The Lima Gourmet Company
If you have a short time, the Gourmet food tour is a must do! A great introduction to the food scene of Lima and the neighborhoods; Miraflores and Barranco. The Lima Gourmet will show some of the main attractions in Lima. Make you dive into the fantastic food scene of Lima. At the end of the tour; you will know how to make Ceviche and Pisco Sour.
The last stop is a gourmet Peruvian lunch and dessert with the pre-Incan ruins at La Huaca Pucllana. The Lima Gourmet Company is a bit expansive but again its great value for your money. I don’t regret it, even do it was a bit broad for my backpacking budget.
2. La Huaca Pucllana (Museo de Sitio)
La Huaca Pucllans is a great site to discover. I went there with the Lima Gourmet Company. If more time, I would have used it at La Huaca Pucllana and entered the ruins and walked around, and discover more of its history.
Having a gourmet Peruvian lunch and dessert with the pre-Incan ruins at La Huaca Pucllana wasn’t a bad choice either. It is pretty spectacular because when having a perfect meal you are also indulged in the mesmerizing view of the ruins.
3. Discovering Miraflores with WiFi Everywhere
It is very commercial and has casinos, fancy hotels, great shopping, and tourists. Miraflores has a bit of everything; I don’t think I’m lying when I’m saying it’s the posh area of Lima. I had two days in Miraflores.
In Miraflores walk the beautiful boardwalk with the view of the Pacific ocean. Or hit the beach, either by yourself or by surfing. I was more than happy with just the promenade (Saving the beach time for Galápgos) Stopping at Larcomar Shopping Center for some fresh juice and a nice place to relax before going to Miraflores Central Park aka Kennedy Park and visiting 50 cats.
4. Barranco and the Bohemian Lifestyle
In a 10 min taxi drive from Miraflores, you have Barranco the pure soul of Lime. In Barranco, everything is more authentic and bohemian in the atmosphere. Barranco is the area where the local lives and this is where you go and eat with the Peruvians next to your table. I loved walking around in Barranco and discovering all the great places to eat and enjoying the neighborhood.
In the old streets of Barranco, there is a bridge – Puente De Los Suspiros. There is a tradition, that if someone crosses the bridge without breathing the first time it sees its, he or she will have a wish granted. The bridge is the spot where the locals and tourists encounter. Often there is live music playing. It is an excellent area for walking and photography.
5. Free Walking Tour in City Center of Lima
In the City Center sign up for a free walking tour to get the history about the building and the famous sites of Lima. The free walking tour is something you should do because it is a beautiful walk with great architecture from Viceroyalty times and a view of today’s life. Plaza Mayor, the heart of Lima, and also is where your walking tour will start.
6. San Francisco, the Catacombs Where 75 000 Bodies Lie
I didn’t go to the catacombs, wasn’t sure if I was going to freak out or not. I decided to take a picture outside. It is a very famous site to visit. Feel free to get nightmares whenever you are in Lima.
7. Drink Pisco Sour and Eat Cecivhe
Why you have to do this? Because if not you haven’t been to Lima either in Peru. Have to stop, at La Mar De Gaston in Miraflores. La Mar is number 12 out of Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Seafood specialist Andrés Rodríguez hypnotize diners with a vast array of Ceviche. Have some Chalaca de Causas to cure any hangover of too many Pisco Sour.
Accommodation
I decided to stay in Barranco for charging some batteries after extending traveling in South America.
The Froguesthouse was the best thing for me at that moment. Big comfy, clean beds. Did I mention how friendly the people were there? They helped me out with any questions I had. They made my stay in Lima. An excellent place for staying and exploring in Lima. They love practicing in English with you! Even so, I was trying to practice Spanish. Safe neighborhood. I was traveling as a solo female traveler.
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10 Comments
Thank you for the kind words. You are completely spot on, English is my second language and I even have dyslexia. Writing is not the easiest task for me, but at the same time, I love sharing traveling tips anyway. I will see if my English friend will check my spelling. Thank you!
Hi Pauline. Thanks for all the info. It will be very useful when I arrive in Lima next week. A gentle suggestion: English might not be your first language. You could ask a fluent English speaker to check your spelling and correct some errors.
You are very welcome Lindsey 🙂 I really miss Argentina! Safe Travels to Peru!
I have read a ton of posts about Lima and yours was by far the most informative! I have all kinds of wonderful ideas of how to spend my time there thanks to your post – thank you!
Ja det er bare å glede seg Ingeborg!! 🙂 Barranco var det nabolaget med med mest sjel! Om du ønsker så kan jeg ordne slik at du kan treffe min venn Miguel som bor i Barranco, han har boode 2 år i Norge. Og elsker norske kultur, han er nå tilbake til Lima. Han vil nok gledelig vise deg rundt om han får praktisere litt norsk 🙂 Jeg trur ikke vegetar mat skal være et problem, kan hende det krever litt mer research:)
Lima var veldig kult og enormt mye god mat!!:) Om du ønsker så kan jeg ordne slik at du kan treffe min venn Miguel som bor i Barranco, han har boode 2 år i Norge. Og elsker norske kultur, han er nå tilbake til Lima. Han vil nok gledelig vise deg rundt om han får praktisere litt norsk 🙂
Virker som en bra by! Håper å få til en tur til Peru neste år… Og da står Lima på lista! 😀
Aaah, herlig! Nå gleder jeg meg virkelig til å dra til Peru til høsten! Barranco virker interessant – dit må jeg ta meg en tur! Godt å høre at det er mye god mat i Lima også. Det er viktig (bare det finnes vegetarmat også.. hehe).
Fantastisk Elisabeth!! 🙂 Ja maten var jo det beste med hele Lima 🙂 Jeg har så lyst å prøve paragliding, men det var jo den høydeskrekken da. Kan tenke meg det var en super kul opplevelse i Lima.
Var en god opplevelse 🙂
Maten var høydepunktet i Lima – og ja, jeg har spist cecivhe og drukket Pisco Sour! Jeg elsket Barranco. Vi bodde der 2 av nettene på et flott hotell. Ellers prøvde jeg paragliding like ved Parc del Amor og besøkte katteparken! Lima besøker jeg gjerne igjen!