Visiting Lima? Don’t Miss Bohemian Seaside Barranco
With its colorful colonial homes, exuberant gardens, and rocky paths leading right down to the sea, Barranco is Lima’s most picturesque neighborhood. The name means ravine, and describes the area well, as it’s characterized by rocky cliffs whose flower-lined paths lead down to the beach. Like San Blas in Cusco, Barranco has a long history of serving as the city’s artistic and bohemian district. Over the last centuries and into the present day, it has served as home to many of Peru’s leading intellectuals, artists, musicians, and designers.
You can easily reach Barranco from Miraflores, the most popular neighborhood for travelers, simply by walking along the Costa Verde, the pedestrian path which leads along the green cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. From there, you can walk down to the sea along the scenic walkway known as Bajada de los Baños. Willow trees, olive trees, and bougainvilleas provide color. Here, it’s easy to see why this area, originally populated by fishermen, became so popular with Limeño aristocracy as a summer resort in the past, and why it attracts surfers today.
Stop by the “Taste of Barranco” food fair, which takes place each weekend in the afternoons at the corner of Av. El Sol Oeste and Av. General Jose de San Martin. Varied dishes are offered at reasonable prices on outdoor tables, while local musicians play. If you can’t visit the fair, consider sampling visiting one of the neighborhood’s many Peñas offering traditional Peruvian food and criollo folkloric music shows on Friday and Saturday nights. In general, you can’t go wrong with the area’s many seafood dishes in the afternoon or a nice stew such as ají de gallina in the evening.
As evening falls, it’s the ideal time to visit the wooden Bridge of Sighs (Puente de Suspiros), which crosses over that walkway leading down to the sea, and Paseo Chabuca Grande. Chabuca Grande is one of Peru’s most beloved criollo singers, and an adopted barranquina. She wrote and performed many Afro-Peruvian songs and Peruvian Waltzes. In fact, it was her song the Bridge of Sighs that caused the bridge to be known forevermore by that name. The tradition is to hold one’s breath the first time you cross the bridge, in order to win fulfillment of a wish. Chabuca’s statue still holds court in a park on the far side of the 19th century bridge.
A few blocks from the bridge, you’ll find the MATE, one of the Lima’s newest but most popular art museums. This popularity is mainly due to its large permanent collection of Peruvian photograph Mario Testino’s work, although it does present temporary exhibitions showcasing of the city’s most contemporary artists.
If you need some more guidance, the Tourism Office in the Parque Municipal’s library can help you get oriented for free, or you can pay 5 Peruvian soles to take a 30 minute tour departing from the park at 3pm, 4pm, and 5pm. It will give you a nice overview of the area, if you aren’t bothered by the ridiculous appearance of the train-styled bus.
Like Miraflores and Lima’s city center, the Barranco district is a part of the City of Kings that you need to experience in order to truly know the city. With its colorful homes, its intriguing walkways and public art, and its thriving culture, Barranco is always a pleasant area in which to spend an afternoon.