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Unofficial subregion of Lima, Peru
Photo: Harley Calvert - User: (WT-shared) Harleyca at wts wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
From the travel guide. Select a place for details, a map and what is nearby.
The main seat of the Congress of the Republic of Peru. Completed in 1908.
Glass-covered shopping arcade. A 19th-century copy of one in Brussels.
San Fernando Faculty of Medicine
Part of the National University of San Marcos, the building requires ID for entry. There is a botanical garden at the rear, and some nice old buildings.
Visited by the likes of John Wayne and Orson Welles in times gone by.
Museo del Convento de San Francisco de Asis de Lima, The Franciscan Monastery or Catacombs
Fans of colonial churches will be pleased with the architecture of this well-known church in downtown Lima. However, the more compelling reasons to visit this cathedral include underground catacombs featuring over 25,000 real human skeletons (buried between the late 16th and early 19th centuries) arranged in artistic patterns, and also a beautiful library with mysterious, oversized books and spiral staircases in Harry Potteresque form.
Construction began in 1535 and completed in 1649. It is dedicated to St John, Apostle and Evangelist.
Convento de los Padres Franciscanos Descalzos
Tourists have access by the museum entrance.
Estacion Cultural Desamparados, House of Peruvian Literature
Centro Cultural ENSABAP
Features a museum and library.
Casa de Rada
The changing of the guard at 11:45 can be seen from the Plaza Mayor.
Roman Catholic diocese headquarters.
El Museo de la Casa de la Gastronomía Peruana
A small collection of archaeological artifacts from sites around Lima.
Has permanent and temporary exhibits of Peruvian art, covering pre-Hispanic, colonial, republican and modern art.
Instituto Riva Agüero
An interesting collection of popular arts, including masks and costumes from current festivities in the Andean region. The Institute is housed in a very old colonial townhouse. One of few of its kind open to the public.
A representative sample of Peruvian art of all time, from millenary times to the 21st century: archeology, traditional folk art and republican painting rooms. The beautiful former central bank building was completed in 1929.
Sala Numismática y Sala de Acuarelas Pancho Fierro
Brain Museum
The only museum about brains in Latin America.
Museo del Convento de los Descalzos, Museum of the Barefoot Friars
This museum has an immersive exhibit about the history of Lima from independence to the present.
Centro de Estudios Historicos Militares
Parque de Lima
Features a large fountain, Japanese gardens, Teatro La Cabana. Museo Metropolitano de Lima is in the south east corner and Museo de Arte de Lima is in the north of the park.
Features a fountain and is home to the Museo Militar and the Museo de Arte Italiano.
Circuito Magico del Agua
Re-opened on July 27, 2007, with 13 fountains and a Guinness World Record for the highest public fountain at over 80m tall. Best time to go is right at sunset and stay till dark to see all the lights in full effect in each one of the fountains. The laser show at the Fuente de la Fantasia fountain lasts about 30 minutes.
Features three monuments and a clock tower. There is some street art across the street from the southeast corner of the park.
Plaza de Armas
This is the main square of downtown Lima. In the Spanish tradition, it's bordered in four sides by Government/Presidential Palace or Palacio de Gobierno, the Cathedral and Archbishop's Palace, the Municipalidad or City Hall, and assorted businesses.
Plaza Francisco Bolognesi
A large round park with a statue in the center, surrounded by curved buildings. A few blocks west of Parque de la Exposición.
A large round park with a statue in the center, surrounded by curved buildings. Similar to Plaza Bolognesi.
A beautiful plaza in the historical district of Lima. A walk along Jirón de la Unión will take you to the Plaza de Armas and past many historical buildings.
Art gallery, museum, library and a theatre across the street.
Centro de Investigaciones de Zonas Aridas, Universidad Nacional Agraria
Natural history.
Chinese
Seafood
Peruvian
Criollo
Traditional Peruvian food.
Delicious Italian food.
Chicken, chips, salad, steak, desserts, delivery.
Roast chicken, chips, salad, steak, desserts, delivery.
Pizzas, pastas, chicken, grilled meat, buffets.
It's the only hostel in the Historic Center and in front of the Museum of Art. It is in a fantastic colonial mansion. It blends the comfort of new amenities and services with the old charm of colonial architecture. It's clean and with English speaking and well-educated staff which is really helpful in a city where not many people speak English.
The cocktail Pisco Saur was invented here. Royalty stayed here, and the Rolling Stones had to leave for bad behavior.
Looks nice, in central Lima.
Traditional hotel with wide range of accommodation options. Lots of rooms including dorms starting at 18 soles/night, although prices for all rooms have almost doubled in the past year. Internet cafe and travel help on site. Rooms a bit outdated at times but decorated with paintings, a minimal amount of furniture and the occasional Greek statue. This family run hotel/hostel is full of greenery and generally has guests from all over the world. The restaurant serves only breakfast which can be inconvenient if you want to sit anywhere outside your room after 11:00. The crowd of guests is a great mix of different cultures and backgrounds. It can get a bit noisy with traffic around the downtown area and the constant bird noise from the two parrots who live in the rooftop courtyard. The wifi is unreliable and only reaches a few rooms.
A large, very good value hotel located in the Santa Beatriz neighborhood, near to the water fountain park. One block from Arequipa, the boulevard that runs between downtown and San Isidro/Miraflores. A large supermarket, cinemas, bars and restaurants are a few blocks away. Clean, modern rooms with cable TV, WiFi, etc available for S/40.
Clean, modern rooms with cable TV and WiFi.
A crazy indoor market. Buy cheap clothes, CDs, DVDs, software, games, shoes, backpacks, spirits or perfumes. Most things are counterfeit, but nevertheless of good quality. There are several similar markets in, or near, central Lima.
Plaza Vea, Oechsle, Saga Falabella, Cineplanet, shops, food court.
Plaza Vea, Ripley, Oechsle, Saga Falabella, Promart, Cineplanet, shops, food court.
Plaza Vea, Ripley, Paris, Promart, Cineplanet, shops.
In Central Lima, Line 1 of the Metro has 5 stations. It runs every day from 06:00 to 23:00. You must purchase a rechargeable card for S/5.00 to use the service and each trip costs S/1.50.
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Articles and travel topics about Central Lima and Peru.
Nature & adventurePeru has some of the world's most spectacular national parks, protecting a range of different ecosystems including rain forests and cloud forests, remote beaches where sea turtles nest, dense jungles, and active…
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Food & drinkPeruvian cuisine is among the most varied in the world.
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ItinerariesThe Inca trail to Machu Picchu, the "Lost City of the Incas", is a world-famous 45 km (28 mi) trek in Peru. It's the best known part of the Inca road system, which was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2014.
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ItinerariesThe Inca Highlands, the center of Inca civilization in Peru, features numerous attractions, notably the world-famous Machu Picchu (the "Lost City of the Incas") and the Inca Trail which leads to it.
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