Lima Sights

  1. Arms Museum

    The Arms Museum, housed in the top half of the Museo de Oro del PerÚ, is reputedly the largest in the world and even those with no interest in guns can't fail to be fascinated by the mammoth collection of ancient and bizarre firearms. Look for the 2m-long blunderbuss with a 5cm bore and a flaring, trumpetlike muzzle. Though it looks more suitable for hunting elephants, this 19th-century gun was supposedly a mere duck-hunting rifle.

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  2. Asociación Museo del Automóvil

    The Asociación Museo del Automóvil has an impressive array of 64 classic cars (mostly imported) manufactured between 1901 and 1973. They were collected and restored by millionaire Jorge Nicolini. The collection includes a Cadillac Fleetwood used by no less than four Peruvian presidents. English-speaking guides are available.

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  3. Bullfight Museum

    Located just north of the Río Rímac, the Bullfight Museum is at the Plaza de Acho, Lima's bullring. It boasts all manner of matadors' relics, including a holed and bloodstained costume worn by a Spanish matador who was famously gored and killed in the Lima bullring years ago - score one for the bulls! There are also paintings and drawings of bullfighting scenes by various artists, notably Picasso.

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  4. Casa Aliaga

    Casa Aliaga is another of Lima's most historic houses, furnished completely in the colonial style. It stands on land given in 1535 to Jerónimo de Aliaga, one of Pizarro's faithful 13 followers and has been occupied by the Aliaga family ever since. The house can be visited only by appointment or through local tour agencies.

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  5. Casa de la Riva

    Casa de la Riva is run by the Entre Nous Society. It's a handsome mansion with an elegant porch and windows built in the 18th century. Outside you can see beautiful carved wooden balconies, while inside the rooms remain little changed since the colonial era.

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  7. Casa de Oquendo

    Casa de Oquendo is a 19th-century house with a lookout tower from where you can see the port in Callao.

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  8. Casa de Ricardo Palma

    The Casa de Ricardo Palma was the home of the Peruvian author of that name from 1913 until his death in 1919.

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  9. Casa de Riva-Aguero

    Casa de Riva-Aguero houses a small folk-art collection. The rest of the house is shown only by appointment.

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  10. Casa Pilatos

    The easiest mansion to visit is Casa Pilatos , which houses the National Culture Institute; simply knock on the door and a guard will usually let you in for a look around.

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  11. Convento de los Descalzos

    At the end of Alameda de los Descalzos, an attractive if somewhat forgotten avenue, is the typical meditation convent and museum, Convento de los Descalzos , run by the Descalzos ('the Barefooted,' a reference to the Franciscan friars). Visitors can see old wine-making equipment in the 17th-century kitchen, a refectory, an infirmary and the typical cells of the Descalzos.

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  13. Daytona Amusement Park

    Daytona Amusement Park, though lacking the major-league thrills, has laser quest, go-cart racing, minicars and you can even go paint-balling.

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  14. Fuerte Real Felipe

    This historic fort at Fuerte Real Felipe was built in 1747 to guard the coast against pirates and corsairs, and is where the Spanish royalists made their last stand during the battles of independence in the 1820s. It still houses a small military contingent, complete with an assault course and the soldiers' fútbol (soccer) pitch. Visits are by guided tours in Spanish only. Note that the nearby dock area is a rough neighborhood.

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  15. Fundacion Museo Amano

    The Fundacion Museo Amano has a fine private ceramics collection following the development of pottery through Peru's various pre-Columbian cultures, including the Chimú and Nazca cultures. It specializes in the little-known Chancay culture, from which it has a remarkable collection of textiles. The one-hour tours are available for small groups only (no individuals or large groups) at , and on weekdays; make an appointment in advance.

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  16. Huaca Huallamarca

    Also known as Pan de Azúcar (Sugar Loaf), the Huaca Huallamarca is a highly restored Maranga adobe pyramid dating from AD 200 to 500. Walking up to the ceremonial platform provides a novel perspective on contemporary San Isidro.

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  17. Huaca Pucllana

    Easily accessible, the Huaca Pucllana is an adobe pyramidal structure dating back to AD 400 and remodeled over three centuries. Though vigorous excavations continue, the site is open to regular guided tours (in Spanish) and there's a tiny museum with finds and a reconstructed burial.

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  19. Iglesia de la Merced

    The Iglesia de la Merced has a multilayered history. It was built on the site of the first Mass celebrated in Lima (which was held in 1534), but the original church was soon replaced by a larger version. This in turn, was torn down, rebuilt in 1628, promptly flattened by the 1687 earthquake, then once again rebuilt.

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  20. Iglesia de las Nazarenas

    The most passionate of Lima's traditional religious feasts centers on the 18th-century Iglesia de las Nazarenas. A shantytown inhabited by liberated black slaves once sprawled on this site, and it was here that an ex-slave painted an image of the Crucifixion of Christ on a wall that miraculously survived when the area was leveled by the 1655 earthquake.

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  21. Iglesia de San Agustín

    Iglesia de San Agustín has been significantly altered over the years, though the churrigueresque (an elaborate and intricately decorated Spanish style) façade dates from the early 1700s. The church has limited opening times, but the drab interior is inferior to the elaborate exterior in any case.

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  22. Iglesia de San Pedro

    Iglesia de San Pedro is a small baroque church considered to be one of the finest examples of early colonial architecture in Lima. It was consecrated by the Jesuits in 1638 and has changed little since. The interior is sumptuously decorated with gilded altars, Moorish-influenced carvings and an abundance of beautiful glazed tilework.

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  23. Iglesia de Santo Domingo

    Iglesia de Santo Domingo is one of Lima's most historic churches, built on land granted by Francisco Pizarro to the Dominican Friar Vicente Valverde, who accompanied Pizarro throughout the conquest and was instrumental in persuading him to execute the captured and ransomed Inca Atahualpa. Construction began in 1540, though much of the interior was modernized late in the 18th century.

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  25. La Catedral

    This cathedral has had a potted history. Originally constructed in 1555, it was considered too small and had to be rebuilt. It suffered earthquake damage in 1687 and again in 1746, but today this majestic colonial church is sitting pretty, with interesting woodcarvings and original mosaics. There is a small museum and guided tours are available.

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  26. La Catedral de Lima

    The original La Catedral de Lima, on the southeast side of the Plaza de Armas, was deemed too small for its congregation within a single decade, and work on its successor began in 1564, which was still unfinished when it was consecrated in 1625. It was badly damaged in the 1687 earthquake and almost totally destroyed by another earthquake in 1746. The is based on the early plans.

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  27. Monasterio de San Francisco

    The Monasterio de San Francisco is famous for its catacombs and its remarkable library, where you can see thousands of antique texts, some dating as far back as the conquistadors. It also has a very fine museum of religious art.

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  28. Museo Banco Central de Reserva del Perú

    The Museo Banco Central de Reserva del Perú specializes in pre-Columbian archaeology, especially from the Vicus culture, and houses 19th- and 20th-century Peruvian art and an exhibit of Peruvian monies through the ages. Strolling casually in and out of the bank's old high-security vault also has a certain appeal. You need to show a passport or national ID card to get in.

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  29. Museo de Arte de Lima

    The Museo de Arte de Lima is housed in a very handsome building. It exhibits far more than art, and its collection ranges from colonial furniture to pre-Columbian artifacts, as well as canvases spanning 400 years of Peruvian art. Photography is not allowed. Temporary shows cost extra. There is a café and the cinema Filmoteca.

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