Latin America’s Most Visited City- What to Do in Lima Peru
Since last year, Lima is the ost visited city in Latin America. The City of Kings (as Lima is affectionately known by the limeños) surpassed the region’s other popular cities, including Buenos Aires, Mexico Cancún, Punta Cana, Río de Janeiro, and Sao Paulo. Although being the gateway to a country boasting wonders such as Machu Picchu, the Nazca Lines, and Lake Titicaca certainly helps greatly, the city itself is a wonderful surprise for who take the time to explore Peru’s capital…
Visitors in Lima tend to flock to the upscale Miraflores district, which boasts green seaside cliffs, a buzzing restaurant and nightclub scene, pre-Incan ruins, and more parks than any other area of Lima. Here you will find the city’s best ceviche in restaurants such as Gaston Acurio’s La Mar, the best stuffed churros at iconic Manolo’s, and a plethora of Peruvian-Chinese joints known as chifas. Artisanal markets offer goods from the Peruvian jungle, Andes, and coast, while Larcomar mall caters to a more exclusive clientele. Near Love Park, one can tandem paraglide off of the cliffs with no experience and little money, while at Kennedy Park roving performance artists and a pop-up market provide a lively air and free entertainment.
Although sometimes overlooked, you’ll find the artistic district of Barranco, once the city’s cradle of bohemian culture, right next to Miraflores. If you are walking along the Malecón, the boardwalk along the cliffs, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, you only need to continue until arriving at its rows of colorfully painted homes. You can walk along the wooden bridge of sighs, or at the same point you can descend a winding stony staircase to the beach.
Although it may seem cheesy, a visit to the city’s Magical Water Circuit is a relaxing and economical way to spend an evening. The fountains’ different designs are innovative and artistically designed, with some of the fountain’s utilizing lights, music, film projection, or interactive elements. Sometimes the park hosts musical concerts or food fairs, which adds another level of entertainment if you’re lucky enough to catch one.
In the city center, the key sites to visit are the stately Government Palace, where you can watch the changing of the guard, the Basilica Cathedral with its altar of Peruvian saints, and San Franciso Monastery with its extraordinary collection of ancient texts and its fascinating catacombs with meticulously arranged bones.
Without a doubt, if you only visit one museum in Peru, you should make it the Larco museum, which showcases 3,000 years of artifacts from the Moche, Nazca, Chavín, Huari, Chimú, and Inca cultures. Also of note are its well-known collections of precious gold and silver artifacts and its pre-Columbian erotic ceramics. They are also one of the world’s few museums that allow visitors into its storeroom, which houses 45,000 more archeological objects for study. However, if you’ve time to soak in some culture, the MALI art museum is a nice visit too. Its exhibitions range from artwork from native Peruvian tribes to 18th century newspaper clippings.
If you’re looking for a well-located hostel in Lima, stop by Pirwa Inclan B&B, which offers both communal dorm rooms and private rooms with private bath. Or, contact Pirwa Hostels’ travel department, Pirwa Travel Service, at pirwatravel@gmail.com for assistance with transport, entrances, guided excursions, and more.