Lima in a day

Lima, the capital city of Peru is the main gateway for people travelling to Peru. While few people prefer to completely skip it by taking a domestic flight directly from Lima airport, many people spend a day or two in the city before heading to the popular tourist destinations.

Where to stay?

I stayed in Miraflores, a posh district in Lima. Miraflores has several hotels and restaurants at all ranges. It is far from both Lima airport (1 hour drive) and downtown (30 minutes drive) but it is one of the safe areas for tourists to stay. Neighbouring Barranco is another nice area to stay.

Airport to Miraflores

The cheapest and convenient way is to take Airport Express Lima. You can make advance booking at their website (https://www.airportexpresslima.com ). After the customs, go to their booth and show the ticket. They will then guide towards the bus. The guide in the bus helps the passengers to get down at their stops. The bus has Wi-Fi and USB charging port. The cost of one way ticket is 8$ for non Peruvian traveler.

 

If you are landing after midnight, it is better to ask hotel to arrange for a taxi or use reliable service like Green Taxi. The area surrounding the airport is not considered safe and hence it is not a good idea to just take a taxi from the road.

Travelling within city

I travelled to downtown from Miraflores and used Metropolitano – a bus rapid transit system. Metropolitano card was needed for travelling on the bus. This was an overhead for me as I was using it only once to go to downtown and come back. But the same card can be used by multiple people at one time. I requested the staff who in turn asked one of the passenger to swipe the card for me. I paid to the passenger directly. The bus service is frequent but is generally crowded but thanks to dedicated line the travel time is shorter.

 

Other buses may not be very easy to use if you are not local. Google maps does not route for public transportation in Lima.

Places to see

I started my Lima tour by visiting the tourist information centre in Miraflores. I joined their 9:50 AM walking tour to Lima downtown. That was a good start to understand the history and culture of Peru in general and Lima in specific.

Plaza San Martin

Within the historic centre of Lima, this place was inaugurated in 1921 in celebration of 100th anniversary of the Independence of Peru. Surrounded by neocolonial styles of European architecture, it is a nice place to visit.

Jiron de la Union

A pedestrian walkway, it is lined on both sides by buildings dating to 18th century. An important building in the street is the Church of the Merced. The street links Plaza San Martin with Plaza de Armas.

Plaza de Armas

Every city in Peru has the central square – called as Plaza de Armas. In Lima, the Plaza de Armas was the birthplace of the city. It is surrounded by by the Government Palace, Cathedral of Lima, Archbishop’s Palace of Lima, the Municipal Palace, and the Palace of the Union.

 

The change of guard in the Government Palace happens at 12 in the noon.

 

A block away is the literature building and San Francisco Basilica.

 

We walked further ahead to Parque de la Muralla, where the remains of the city’s ancient wall is still seen. The prominent San Cristobal Hill Site Museum can be seen over the shanty town of Rimac.

Miraflores boardwalk

The stretch next to the ocean is filled parks and shopping area. It is a great experience to walk next to the ocean. Lima city is on the cliff next to the ocean.

 

The large “the kiss” sculpture is a famous landmark in this area.

 

A lighthouse overlooks the ocean.

 

This part of Lima is also known for adventurous activity. I could see many people paragliding. The waves of the Pacific ocean is also conducive for surfing.

Circuito magico del Agua

The musical fountain is said to be very nice in the night but I could not visit it due to lack of time.