Lima Itinerary

1. ~8:30aBreakfast & a pisco-country juice

   Tropical fruit you won't recognise — lúcuma, chirimoya, granadilla — with pan con chicharrón (pork sandwich) and a strong Peruvian coffee at a Miraflores café.

2. ~10:00aThe Malecón cliffs & Parque del Amor

   The clifftop coastal park above the Pacific — paragliders launching off the bluffs, the Gaudí-esque mosaic 'Park of Love,' and the surf breaks far below.

   
3. ~12:00pHuaca Pucllana

   A great adobe pyramid of the pre-Inca Lima culture rising in the middle of the modern district — a startling 1,500-year-old ruin among the apartment blocks.

   
4. ~1:30pCeviche at a cevichería

   The national dish at its source — fresh fish 'cooked' in lime leche de tigre with red onion, cancha corn, and sweet potato. A cevichería like La Mar is the benchmark; eat it at lunch when the fish is freshest.

5. ~4:00pA pisco sour & a paragliding option

   The frothy egg-white pisco sour at a clifftop bar — or strap in for a tandem paraglide off the Miraflores cliffs over the ocean.

   
6. 8:00pCentral ⭐⭐ (or Maido)Anchor table

   Virgilio Martínez's Central — repeatedly ranked the world's best restaurant — a tasting journey up the altitudes of Peru, ecosystem by ecosystem. Or Maido's Nikkei genius. Book months ahead; this anchors the trip.

   

Lima is the culinary capital of South America — eat ceviche at lunch (never dinner, by local rule) and book Central or Maido the moment your dates are set; they fill months out.

Day 1 in photos

1. ~9:00aPlaza Mayor & the colonial centre

   The UNESCO old town — the Government Palace (time the changing of the guard), the cathedral with Pizarro's tomb, and the carved wooden balconies overhead.

   
2. ~10:30aSan Francisco Monastery & catacombs

   The yellow baroque church and its bone-lined catacombs — tens of thousands of skulls and femurs arranged beneath the city, plus a stunning Moorish-tiled library.

   
3. ~12:30pLunch in Barrio Chino

   Lima's Chinatown invented chifa — Peruvian-Chinese cooking. Arroz chaufa and lomo saltado (the stir-fried beef that's now a national dish) at a classic chifa.

   
4. ~2:30pLarco Museum

   A pre-Columbian treasure house in a colonial mansion — gold and silver, Moche portrait pottery, and the famous erotic gallery, set in beautiful gardens.

   
5. ~6:30pAnticuchos at a street grill

   Skewers of marinated beef heart charred over coals at a Barranco or Surquillo grill — Lima's beloved evening street food, smoky and tender.

   

The historic centre is a morning's worth of grand colonial sights — the San Francisco catacombs are the highlight. Chifa in Chinatown is an essential, distinctly Limeño food experience.

Day 2 in photos

1. ~9:30aBarranco's lanes & the Bridge of Sighs

   The seaside artists' quarter — pastel mansions, the Puente de los Suspiros, and murals down every street; make a wish crossing the bridge holding your breath.

   
2. ~11:00aGalleries & artisan design

   Contemporary-art galleries (Mate, the Mario Testino museum) and design boutiques — alpaca textiles, silver, and Peruvian craft far beyond the tourist markets.

   
3. ~1:00pTiradito & causa lunch

   Tiradito (Nikkei sashimi-style fish in aji sauce) and causa (layered potato terrine) at a Barranco restaurant — the lighter, elegant side of Lima's cooking.

   
4. ~3:30pA cacao or pisco tasting

   A bean-to-bar chocolate workshop with Peruvian cacao, or a pisco tasting flight learning the grape varieties of the national spirit.

   
5. ~6:00pSunset over the Pacific

   A clifftop or rooftop bar in Barranco for the sun sinking into the ocean, pisco sour in hand — the city's golden hour.

   

Barranco is the most charming district to wander — galleries, bars, and the sea. It's also Lima's nightlife heart, so it's an easy place to slide from sunset drinks into dinner.

Day 3 in photos