If you’d like to make the most of a free day in Lima, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with the ancient, colonial, and modern monuments of the city, hopefully taking in as much beauty, history and culture as possible. You can do this easily through a half-day tour which takes place twice a day, each morning and afternoon, or you can go the independent route.
Throughout Peru, Christmas Eve (Noche Buena) is most important, with a festive atmosphere in the streets, while Christmas day the cities appear deserted as most choose to spend the day with family and businesses stay closed. This dichotomy holds true in Lima, where on Christmas Eve, roving street vendors and pop-up street fairs suddenly appear from nowhere in great numbers, eager to showcase the year’s must-have toys and decorations.
It doesn’t matter if your passion is nature, popular art, or ancient cultures- Lima has a museum for you. In fact, the city has close to fifty museums dedicated to safeguarding and shared 3,000 years of Peruvian history. If you only visit one museum during your time in Peru, it’s best to make it one of the museums in Lima, as most cover all of the country’s regions. Which museum should that be? Here are our top picks:
Lima’s Parque de la Exposición, Exhibition Park, was built in 1872 for an international exhibition. Today, it’s a tranquil and scenic park boasting ample gardens, a lake and fountains alongside the city’s main art museum, a theater, pavilions, and an open-air amphitheater. It’s not just a peaceful park for lounging and people-watching; it also offers travelers a look into the artistic and cultural life of Lima.
If you don’t feel like dressing up for Halloween in Peru, don’t worry, there’s another option: Peru has celebrated Día de la Canción Criolla, Creole Music Day, on October 31st for the past 71 years. Here are our suggestions for how to have a memorable time celebrating the day in Lima at different price levels, from free to modest to expensive.