Travel with us and experience Peru like never before!
View tours →
If you are short on time and don’t want to risk your personal security or deal with confusing public transport, your base of operations must be Miraflores. It is the district best prepared to welcome international tourists, full of vigilant security cameras, money exchange houses with excellent rates, hotels fitting every budget, and direct connection to the ocean cliffs.
The mandatory route starts at Kennedy Park (world-famous for hosting dozens of very well-fed stray cats) and heads straight down to the Costa Verde cliffs. This pedestrian walk allows you to stretch your legs after a long flight, breathe the clean Pacific air, and gently begin your physical acclimatization to the South American climate without suffering the harsh blows of the high Andean altitude.
Do not try to walk the entire city in a single day; it is geographically impossible. Focus heavily on this tactical circuit that perfectly blends archaeology hidden in the middle of the city, brutal food, and stunning colonial history.
A kilometers-long boardwalk right over the dirt cliffs overlooking the sea. The famous Parque del Amor (Love Park), with its walls covered in colorful mosaics (heavily inspired by Gaudí’s art) and the huge “The Kiss” statue, is the perfect place to watch a deep orange sunset fall over the ocean while paragliders fly right above your head.
Pre-Hispanic ruins completely surrounded by modern glass buildings? Yes, that is Lima. This massive adobe pyramid was built long before the mighty Inca Empire even existed. Doing the guided tour at night, when the ruins are fully illuminated, and finishing with dinner at the high-end restaurant located exactly inside the archaeological complex, totally justifies your stay in the capital.
Right next to Miraflores is the Barranco district, the beating heart of urban art, independent galleries, and bars playing the best Peruvian beats. Cross the “Bridge of Sighs” holding your breath. Put your headphones on and feel the Latin rhythm before you go out to explore its beautiful, colorful old mansions.
You simply cannot go to Cusco to see Inca ruins without first understanding what the viceregal era that conquered them looked like. The Main Square (Plaza Mayor), the extremely creepy Catacombs of the San Francisco Convent (where you will walk right over real colonial-era human bones), and the huge carved wooden balconies are pure history you cannot miss.
An open-air shopping mall built literally hanging off a cliff facing the roaring sea. Beyond the pure luxury, this is your logistical lifesaver: here you can safely withdraw money from ATMs, buy that warm jacket you forgot to pack for the freezing Andean cold, and get external power banks for your camera before heading up into the mountains.
If you are traveling with your family or young children, the Parque de la Reserva at night is mandatory. It holds a Guinness World Record for having the largest fountain complex in a public park anywhere in the world. The laser show projected onto the soaring water is breathtaking. Just be prepared to leave soaking wet if you run through its water tunnels.
Lima’s traffic is sadly famous worldwide. Attempting to go from the Historic Center back to Miraflores in the middle of rush hour on your own can easily consume three hours of your life inside a taxi. Trying to squeeze the city into a disorganized, self-guided tour will only guarantee you arrive completely exhausted and heavily stressed to the Andean leg of your trip, drastically increasing the chances of suffering severe altitude sickness as soon as you step into the Cusco airport.
The most economical and safe strategy is to book a structured service. Having someone pick you up on time at the chaotic airport, transfer you safely directly to your hotel in Miraflores, provide you with the best historical tours without waiting in lines in the suffocating Lima summer, and above all, linking your entire journey south (Ica, the dunes, Paracas) before taking the flight to the mountains, is the absolute guarantee of success for your vacation.
Don’t burn out your brain dealing with sketchy taxis and schedules. Check out this perfect 11-day itinerary where our expert operators take you safely from the streets of Lima, through the hot deserts of Ica, all the way to the entrance of Machu Picchu and the majestic Lake Titicaca.
