Lima
In an 18th-century viceroy’s mansion, this museum offers one of the largest, best-presented displays of ceramics in Lima. Founded by pre-Columbian…
Must-see attractions in Lima
Lima
One of Lima’s most historic religious sites, the Iglesia de Santo Domingo and its expansive convent are built on land granted to the Dominican friar…
Lima
This indulgent series of illuminated fountains is so over the top it can’t help but induce stupefaction among even the most hardened travel cynic. A dozen…
Lima
The well-designed Fundación Museo Amano features a fine private collection of ceramics, with a strong representation of wares from the Chimú and Nazca…
Lima
Known locally as MALI, Lima’s principal fine-art museum is housed in a striking beaux-arts building that was renovated in 2015. Subjects range from pre…
Lima
Superstar graffiti artists are helping to revive the rough neighborhood surrounding Casa Ronald, a 1920 architectural masterpiece. Now a center for…
Lima
Lima’s 140-sq-meter Plaza de Armas, also called the Plaza Mayor, was not only the heart of the 16th-century settlement established by Francisco Pizarro,…
Lima
Housed in a pristine 19th-century mansion with Spanish tile floors, this worthwhile private museum showcases a vast collection of minerals, as well as…
Lima
Located on the 1st floor of a towering and dark office building, this contemporary-art museum has a glass facade that reveals just enough of the stark…
Lima
This bright-yellow Franciscan monastery and church is most famous for its bone-lined catacombs (containing an estimated 70,000 remains) and its remarkable…
Lima
To the northeast of Plaza de Armas is the block-long Palacio de Gobierno, a grandiose baroque-style building from 1937 that serves as the residence of…
Lima
One of Lima’s most storied churches was part of a 17th-century shantytown inhabited by former slaves. One of them painted an image of the Crucifixion on a…
Lima
Located near the Óvalo Gutiérrez, this huaca is a restored adobe ceremonial center from the Lima culture that dates back to AD 400. In 2010 an important…
Lima
An ambitious state project to preserve the memory of victims of violence during Peru's tumultuous period from 1980 to 2000. This new postmodernist museum…
Lima
Housed in a graceful bank building, the Museo Central is a well-presented overview of several millennia of Peruvian art, from pre-Columbian gold and…
Lima
Housed in a lovely beaux-arts mansion surrounded by gardens, this undervisited museum has an exquisite collection of colonial furniture, silverwork and…
Lima
During the 17th century, the heart of Lima was ringed by a muralla (city wall), much of which was torn down in the 1870s as the city expanded. However,…
Lima
This cultural center focuses on the arts, particularly technology and digital formats. Though it's part of the largest Spanish multinational and housed on…
Lima
Though quite small, this is a wonderful museum dedicated to the work of world-renowned photographer Mario Testino, a native of Peru and a barranquino. The…
Lima
The permanent collection at MAC is a quick study but visiting exhibits, such as a David LaChapelle retrospective, are major draws. There's also a good on…
Lima
This small 17th-century church is considered to be one of the finest examples of baroque colonial-era architecture in Lima. Consecrated by the Jesuits in…
Santuario de Santa Rosa de Lima
Lima
Honoring the first saint of the Americas, this plain, terracotta-hued church on a congested avenue is located roughly at the site of her birth. The modest…
Lima
Next to the Palacio Arzobispal, the cathedral resides on the plot of land that Pizarro designated for the city’s first church in 1535. Though it retains a…
Lima
Built in the early 20th century, Plaza San Martín has come to life in recent years as the city has set about restoring its park and giving the surrounding…
Lima
The first Latin Mass in Lima was held in 1534 on a small patch of land now marked by the Iglesia de la Merced. Originally built in 1541, it was rebuilt…
Museo Nacional de Antropología, Arqueología e Historía del Perú
Lima
Trace the history of Peru from the pre-ceramic period to the early republic. Displays include the famous Raimondi Stela, a 2.1m Chavín rock carving from…
Lima
In the 1820s the Spanish royalists made their last stand during the battle for independence at this historic fort, which was built in 1747 to guard…
Lima
This church has an elaborate churrigueresque facade (completed in 1720), replete with stone carvings of angels, flowers, fruit and, of course, St…
Lima
Located inside a little-visited 18th-century Jesuit church, this monument pays tribute to Peruvian battle heroes, from Túpac Amaru II, the 18th-century…
Lima
One block west of cuadra 12 off Av Arequipa, south of the Parque de la Reserva, the 100-year-old Museo de Historia Natural, run by the Universidád de San…
Lima
The most immaculate of Lima’s historic casonas was completed in 1735, and features an ornate baroque portico (the best one in Lima) and striking Moorish…
Lima
Just north of MALI, the Museo de Arte Italiano exhibits a tepid collection of 19th- and 20th-century Italian art. Its best attribute is the glittering…
Lima
A block west of the main plaza, look for this renovated, narrow wooden bridge over an old stone stairway that leads to the beach. Especially popular with…
Lima
Housed in a historic 16th-century building where liberator of Peru General San Martín once slept, this cacao museum, with other outlets around the city,…
Lima
Protected from the ocean breeze by a colorful wall of mosaics, this park in Miraflores is the ideal place to walk hand in hand with that special someone…
Lima
This tranquil park, a veritable oasis in the middle of San Isidro, consists of the remnants of an old olive grove, part of which was planted by the…
Lima
Originally known as Parque de la Exposición, this revamped park has gardens and a small amphitheater for outdoor performances. Two of Lima’s major art…
Lima
In a brutalist concrete tower, this museum provides a cursory overview of Peru’s civilizations, from Chavín stone carvings and the knotted-rope quipus …
Lima
At the end of the attractive Alameda de los Descalzos, all but forgotten is this 16th-century convent and museum, run by the Descalzos (‘the Barefooted,’…
Lima
Innocuously tucked on a side street by the post office, Casa Aliaga stands on land given in 1535 to Jerónimo de Aliaga, one of Pizarro’s followers, and…