Santhu
Lima is a capital city of Peru often recognised as the biggest and one of the most visited cities in South America. Despite its vastness, Lima is well known for its excellent outdoor activities and boasts different neighbourhoods for exploring.
Each thing you’re going to make here offers different side of Lima city, ranging from crazy cliff drops, crowded streets to high modern buildings. After reading this article you’ll be much blessed to pack your backpack to this most underrated and budget friendly destination in the entire South America continent.
Related Search: Things to Do in Oaxaca.
Is Lima Peru Safe?
Before starting your travel journey here in Lima, Peru it is very crucial to ask yourself how safe this city is to travel. According to local government data and previous visitors’ experience we can say Lima is generally safe to roam even for solo visitors.
But here you need to be aware that not every place in Lima is safe, neighbourhoods like San Isidro, Barranco and Miraflores are recognised as more safe to travel. These places are perfect for things to do, finding shops, restaurants and find attractions/ friendly neighbourhoods.
If you’re going to bustling markets, nightlifes or any crowded places, be aware of your belongings. Pickpocketing and bag snatching are more common especially in crowded places. If you feel anything uncomfortable, call the local cops or tourism police immediately.
To escape any sort of travel scams or to maintain safety throughout the Lima travel journey, it is better to choose the most reliable transportation options like Uber, Taxi Green or Cabify. However try to consult any local or authorised travel guides for travel in the most crowded or high risk areas.
Things to Do in Lima, Peru
1. Take a Free Walk Tour
Starting your trip in Lima, Peru by taking a free walking tour could be the most unique thing to do. Since Lima is wide and huge so you can walk any corner of the city. Free walking is not just budget friendly moreover it may be a great way to see every corner of the city.
Since not every place in Lima is friendly to wander, let’s start to make your free walk tour from neighbourhoods like Barranco, Miraflores or San Isidro. Choose a valid guide along with you to help you to understand a brief overview about places you’re heading on and how to maintain safety measures at Plaza de Armas, parks and Government Palace.
If you’re confused or stressed to find which is the best tour guide will make my free walking tour more fun, don’t worry choose ‘Strawberry Tours’. But we personally recommend you to book at ‘Lima by Walking’, where visitors allow to ask questions or interact with guides about places.
Make sure that, if you’re booking any guided tour, do not forget to give any tip at the end of your tour, since they solely rely on this kind of income.
2. Explore Barranco
The most visited place in the entire Lima city, travelers can enjoy top class neighbourhoods, beautiful street arts, artistic wall of cobblestone streets, restaurants and a number of bars. However, the place is even filled by a ton of coffee shops, colorful buildings and art murals, which make our trip more colorful and worth exploring.
Taking a bike for rent is a great idea to explore Barranco. Since Barraco is a large neighbourhood and it is difficult to explore just by walking or taking any public transportations. Bike tours allow visitors to see vibrant murals/colorful buildings, bohemian streets and visit Bridge of Sighs in a very convenient way. Bikes even help you to cover Miraflores and Barranco’s ocean views too.
Places you should cover while taking a bike ride are Barranco Museco De Arte Contemporaneo, Jade Rivera Museum, Barranco Organic Market, Central restaurant (one of the popular reasturent in Lima city) and Crem Dela ice cream shop.
3. Spend More Time with Lima Historic Centre
Historic Centre of Lima is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, witnessing the city’s vibrant colonial buildings such as Plaza Mayor and Government Palace and architectures like Cathedral of Lima.
Spread across 280 hectares of land built by the Franscisco Pizarro in 1535. Today this centre is recognised as a well preserved Spanish colonial architectures, churches, convents and unique wooden balconies. Often called the “City of Kings”, most of its architects rely on Spanish architecture, especially its Colonial Grandeur built in the 16th century to escape from earthquake by their brilliant resistant techniques.
Torre Tagle Palace and Manuel Atalia Palace are must see historic centres attractions. Do not forget to appreciate its unique architecture, colonial beauties and intrinsic artistic works.
4. Eat Ceviche and other Peruvian Cuisines
While exploring historic Lima town it is a fantastic idea to eat mouthwatering Ceviche dishes during your free time. The most renowned dish is purely made by the fish which was cured by the lemon. Mangos Restaurant in Miraflores and La Cabta Rana in Barranco neighbourhood are the most visited restaurants in Lima to try Ceviche. And remember to try this most loved food you need to wait outside restaurants especially during peak season.
However, despite Ceviche, Lima is a place where you can try other popular Peruvian cuisine options. The city boasts the country’s great dishes like Lomo Saltado, Causa Limena, Aji de Gallina and Anticuchos. Whilst do not forget to taste Disco Sour- Peru’s national cocktail, Chicano and Chicha Morada (non-alcoholic), each are unique in nature and blend sweet and added with traditional touches.
5. Appreciate Vast Art Collections at Larco Museum
If you love to see unique artistic works and artifacts then Larco Museum in Lima is an ideal place to visit. Currently the museum is a house of around 45,000 pre Columbian artifacts things like ceramics even including dates back to Inca periods.
But an interesting fact we have to learn here is that Larco Museum holds vast collections of Moche Portrait Vessels. Have you heard the name Moche Portraits? It’s unique and rare ceramic bottles created by the Moche culture which highlights human faces or faces of warriors and elite males from this community. It is also great place to spot an erotic art gallery which highlights sexuality, fertility and even some ancient Peruvian erotic pottery stuff.
Museum founded by Rafael Larco Hoyle in 1926, today it not just limits its features to physical artistic works, moreover offers online catalogue, easy physical access and boasts romantic restaurants and Cafe which serves local snacks, sandwiches and appetizers.
6. Stroll along the Malecon
Walking along the Malecon cliffside is not just great things to do, moreover it is the most relaxing and mind healing experience to backpackers. Lima Malecon is a 10 km of coastal cliff offers scenic views of the ocean, parks and some crazy outdoor activities.
While walking along these coastal cliffs you have the opportunity to go through Lima’s districts like Miraflores, Barranco and San Isidro. However your walking journey is so blessed to cover surrounding landscapes, Pacific views, scenic coffee shops and cultural stopping points. Malecon in Miraflores is more beautiful and insist you to bring your camera to capture more breathtaking pictures and views of the Pacific Ocean. Surely visitors would appreciate the stunning scenic settings and epic landscaped parks of Malecon in each step.
7. Take Leisurely Stroll in Miraflores
As we discussed earlier Miraflores is one of the safest places in Lima, Peru. Visiting Miraflores is a good choice, especially walking its broadwalks. Broadwalk helps visitors get a close up view of surrounding cliffs above the ocean, epic view of coastlines, and breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean.
If you’re coming with your partner, walk Parque del Amor, which is often reserved for lovers to spend more time with their partner. Take a stop at Huaca Pucllana ruins where backpackers could find some pre-inca ruins and to get perfect clicks to your camera.
Your total 10 kilometres of walking journey in Miraflores can witness even shopping centres and cafes especially in Larco Avenue where visitors dine and drink with perfect Pacific Ocean views. Looking to do your evening walking or leisure stroll amidst any scenic views choose Miraflore’s boardwalk, since it is safer, pedestrian friendly and blessed by the large avenues.
8. Discover the Pachacamac Ruins
Take a rented car or bike to travel to Pachacamac Ruins located 40 kilometers from the southeastern part of Lima. Surely your journey will be more value for your money and time, vast numbers of pyramids, plazas, temples and pre Inca ruins spread across its overall 600 hectares of land.
Pachacamac Ruins is the place where first Incas were settled around A.D 200 and their legacy passed over next 1,200 years, so today we can see most of the ruins belong to Inca civilisations. But according to Inca peoples “Pachacamac” believed to be a god who protects and controls earthquakes and any other natural uncertainties. Keep 15 soles or $5 dollars to discover entire Pachacamac Ruins. If you want to explore Pachacamac Ruins with guided tours then it is a better idea to keep additional amounts.
9. Feel the Magic Water Circuit
Looking to do something different to explore in Lima, Peru then choose to attend the city’s vibrant Magic Water Circuit. Often called as Parque de las Aguas, available to visitors within the Parque de la Reserva in Lima. Which was primarily built to exhibit colorful light and water shows especially during night time by its magical water fountains.
Family friendly attraction in Lima city which opened during 2007, but today its choreographical light shows across 13 cybernetic fountains leaves visitors in awe inspiring situations. Each show is mixed with music, water, sound and laser light effects that makes us feel the dance of water in a more feel good way. Each show covers 30 minutes and its majestic geysers rise over even 80 meters high. Every Tuesday to Sunday show will run until 10 PM, as usual entry ticket is mandatory, you can buy its gate or its official website or you can also book guided tours to enjoy in a more comprehensive way.
10. Try Snorkeling With Sea Lions
One of the unique things to do in Lima, Peru, swinging along native sea lions will be a more fun and exhilarating moment in your entire Lima trip. Yes, Palomino Island is a place where you can meet sea lions while swimming/ snorkelling in water.
Once you step into the water you’ll be surrounded by the sea lions and these Sea Lions will come close to you and touch you. Take a life jacket (available to all sorts of visitors like solo, couples and even family) and dive into water to explore more than 8000 sea lions. Do not worry about any sharks, predators or even any hazardous sea species, there is no such kind of uncertainty exist. However if you’re booked a guided tour to Palomino Island through wander free Peru platforms they help to find sea lions while you making boat rides.
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For Your References: 1. Peru Travel Website.
2. Bikes for Rent in Lima: Go Go Biking.
3. Best Restaurants in Lima, Peru.
4. Popular Peruvian Dishes to Try.
