Make the Most of Your Layover in Lima

Frequent business travelers have made the capital city of Peru the most visited city in the country, even more than Cusco. Also boosting its numbers, Lima is a layover city on many flights throughout Peru and South America. While we think Lima is worth an official visit, you can still take in some of the sights and sounds of the City of Kings even if you don’t have more a full day to spare.

Staying in the airport during long layovers or unexpected flight cancellations or delays isn’t ideal- one can only fill the hours visiting souvenir shops, reading, or attempting to sleep in some uncomfortable corner. These waits can extend to 10 hours or more! If you have enough time between flights to leave the airport, consider exploring one of the following:

• Join a guided bus tour of the city- many take only two hours!
• Head for the colorful, palm-lined historical center of the city, which boasts impressive colonial-era sights such as the Government House, Santo Domingo Church, the Mail Palace, the Archbishop’s Palace and the Cathedral.
• Enter San Francisco Monastey of ancient texts, among other sections.
• Explore the Larco Museum of Pre-Columbian Art. This is the mecca for relics from Peru’s ancient cultures, such as the Mochica, Huari, Paracas and Inca. It’s famous for its large collection of erotic ceramics and for allowing visitors to enter it’s huge storerooms where pieces still under study and not on official display can be seen.
• Walk through Chinatown. This small neighborhood harkens back to the massive influx of Asian immigrants in the 19^th century. If you’re hungry, there’s a plethora of affordable Chinese-Peruvian restaurants, which are known as chifas.

• Take a taxi to Miraflores District (where Pirwa Inclan B&B is located) to walk along the malecón verde, the path through the gardens and parks that wind along the seaside cliffs. Between the lighthouse, Love Park and its huge statue, the paragliding launch site, and small gardens, it’s a picturesque excursion. Miraflores has some great ceviche restaurants as well. Check this older post all about what Miraflores has to offer.
• Hit bohemian Barranco district- it was named one of the top ten “hipster neighborhoods” in the world. This may not endear it to everybody, but it’s colorful, with great food and cafés, and numerous parks and art galleries. You can hold your breath and make a wish while crossing the Bridge of Sighs (a local superstition for wish-fulfillment) and take the path down to the beach. We wrote about Barranco in detail here.