7-Day Lima Itinerary

Land at Jorge Chávez and check in

Arrive at Jorge Chávez International Airport, transfer to Miraflores, and check into your hotel.

First pisco sour and ceviche taste

Order a classic pisco sour and a small plate of fresh ceviche to start the trip the Lima way.

Walk the Miraflores Malecón

Stroll the clifftop Malecón park trail with paragliders overhead and the Pacific crashing below.

Parque del Amor at sunset

Watch the sun drop into the Pacific from Parque del Amor's clifftop mosaic benches.

Plaza Mayor and the Presidential Palace

Take in the colonial facades ringing Plaza Mayor, including the Government Palace and Lima Cathedral.

Catacombs of San Francisco Monastery

Descend into the bone-lined catacombs beneath the Basilica of San Francisco, an old colonial burial site.

Jirón de la Unión pedestrian street

Wander the pedestrian Jirón de la Unión between balconied colonial buildings toward Plaza San Martín.

Anticuchos on a Centro side street

Try grilled anticuchos, skewered beef heart, from a street cart near the historic centre.

Huaca Pucllana adobe pyramid

Tour the stepped adobe pyramid of Huaca Pucllana, built by the Lima culture over 1,500 years ago, right in Miraflores.

Lunch at the on-site Huaca restaurant

Have lunch overlooking the ruins at the restaurant tucked beside Huaca Pucllana's excavated walls.

Larco Museum's gold and ceramics

Wander the Larco Museum's collection of pre-Columbian gold, textiles, and famed erotic ceramics.

Dinner in the Larco Museum gardens

Stay for dinner in the museum's bougainvillea-draped garden restaurant as evening falls.

Coffee in Barranco

Order a coffee at an indie Barranco café before the bohemian district's streets fill up.

Puente de los Suspiros walk

Cross the wooden Puente de los Suspiros, the Bridge of Sighs, said to grant wishes if crossed holding your breath.

Street art and galleries in Barranco

Wander lanes covered in murals and duck into contemporary art galleries housed in converted mansions.

Live music at a Barranco bar

Catch live Peruvian folk or jazz at a Barranco bar overlooking the cliffs toward the ocean.

Surquillo Market with a local chef

Explore the Surquillo Market's fish stalls and exotic fruits with a guide who knows every vendor.

Ceviche and pisco sour cooking class

Learn to dice fresh corvina and mix leche de tigre in a hands-on ceviche and pisco sour class.

Tasting lunch at a cevicheria

Sample causa, tiradito, and arroz con mariscos at a top Miraflores cevicheria.

Novo Andino tasting menu

Cap the food day with a tasting menu at a Novo Andino restaurant reinventing Andean ingredients.

Drive south to Paracas

Set off early on the roughly three-hour drive south along the coast to the desert town of Paracas.

Boat tour of the Ballestas Islands

Cruise past the Ballestas Islands, spotting sea lions, Humboldt penguins, and the mysterious Candelabra geoglyph.

Paracas National Reserve dunes

Drive through the red desert cliffs and dunes of the Paracas National Reserve along the Pacific.

Return drive to Lima

Head back up the coast to Lima, arriving in time for a late, easy dinner near the hotel.

El Olivar park in San Isidro

Walk beneath centuries-old olive trees in San Isidro's El Olivar park, planted by Spanish colonists.

Drive to the Pachacamac ruins

Head south of the city to the sprawling adobe temple complex of Pachacamac, sacred to pre-Inca cultures.

Explore the Pachacamac pyramids

Climb the Temple of the Sun at Pachacamac for desert views stretching to the Pacific coastline.

Dinner back in San Isidro

Return to San Isidro for a relaxed dinner at a restaurant known for Peruvian-Japanese nikkei cuisine.