Things to do in Peru
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Vista al Mar
When the smell of garlic hits your nose on a Pacific sea breeze, you know you will dine well. Built into the clifftop and with its balcony dangling out over the sea, Vista al Mar is an elegant, modern restaurant serving a variety of meals and snacks. Fish and ceviche are wise options. It also does a great breakfast buffet at weekends. Watch for the occasional paraglider floating past along the cliffs.
reviewed
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Café Andino
This modern top-floor cafe has space and light in spades, comfy lounges, art, photos, books and groovy tunes – it’s the ultimate all-day hangout and meeting spot. You can get breakfast anytime (Belgian waffles – yum!) and this place is serious about its coffee, roasting its own. Ask Chris, the US owner, about information on trekking in the area and check out the message board for local info.
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The Inca Trail: 4-Day Trek to Machu Picchu
by Viator
The Inca Trail, known as one of the most sacred pilgrimages around the world, consists of a 4-day trek through the Urubamba Valley towards the citadel of Machu…Not LP reviewed
from USD$654.50 -
Chan Chan
Run by Italian chef Udo, this Italian eatery has a cozy atmosphere and lots of bright, white, curving adobe walls smartly decorated with tasteful art. The food here is great, the pizzas look like the real, thin-crust deal and the service is very attentive – it’s well worth the splurge. Get here early for a breezy patio seat. To find it, look out for the palm-frond-concealed frontage.
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El Cordano
A Lima institution since 1905, this old-world dining hall has, at some point or another, counted practically every Peruvian president for the last 100 years as a customer (the presidential palace is right across the street). It is known for its skillfully rendered tacu tacu (pan-fried rice and beans) and butifarra (French bread stuffed with country ham).
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Pachapapa
Invoking a rustic highland ambience, this open courtyard with wooden tables serves up well-prepared Peruvian classics, cooked over a wood fire or in clay pots. It’s also livened by a harpist on weekends. It’s a good spot to try buttered corn in herbs, aji de gallina or oven-fired trout. Cuy should be ordered in advance.
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Birding in Peru
Englishman Barry Walker, owner of the Cross Keys Pub, is a self-confessed 'birding bum' and the best resident ornithologist to give serious birders plenty of enthusiastic advice. He has also written a field guide, The Birds of Machu Picchu, and runs a tour agency, Birding in Peru, for bird-watching trips all around Peru, as well as into Bolivia and Chile.
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Mixtos
Tucked away in the alley behind the cathedral on the Plaza de Armas is this popular and quaint restaurant that serves mainly Italian and criollo (spicy Peruvian fare with Spanish and indigenous influences) seafood dishes. Try the enormous and flavorful sudado de pescado (fish stew) while enjoying the view from the outdoor balcony.
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La Rosa Nautica
Location, location, location. Though you can get the same (or better) seafood elsewhere for less, the views at this eatery on the historic pier are unparalleled. Go during happy hour (5pm to 7pm), when you can watch the last of the day’s surfers skim along the crests of the waves. Take a taxi to the pier and walk the last 100m.
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Café Café
- Lima, Peru
- Restaurants › Café
Café Café in Mártir Olaya advertises 120 different drinks, gourmet coffees, sandwiches and desserts. The other branch at LarcoMar branch, Malecon de la Reserva 610, is the place to see and be seen, with a great location looking directly out to sea and down to the surfers below; it's not for sufferers of vertigo.
reviewed
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Temple of Pachacamac Half-Day Tour from Lima
3 hours (Departs Lima, Peru)
by Viator
lt;div style="text-align: left;"gt;Join a half-day tour to the famous Pachacamac Temple, located only a short distance from Lima. Built by different leaders…Not LP reviewed
from USD$35.99 -
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Casa del Corregidor
The 17th-century Casa del Corregidor, one of Puno’s oldest residences, houses a cultural center where exhibitions, workshops and concerts take place. There’s also an art gallery and a bookshop. Its cafe-bar is a great place to hobnob with local expats and artists over a cappuccino and a pastry.
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Manhattan Restaurant
This sophisticated, mellow hideaway has good menús, as well as a happy hour from 17:00 to closing time at 19:00. The tasty sopa a la criolla (mildly spiced, creamy noodle soup with beef and peppers) and the escalope pollo con verdana (chicken escalopes) make for a filling meal.
reviewed
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Inka Panaka
Along an alleyway west of the plaza, this ambitious and artistic restaurant has just a half dozen candlelit tables at which you can fork into novoandina (Peruvian nouvelle cuisine) fare, including delicious breakfasts, steaks and desserts. There's a chill-out soundtrack and artisan crafts for sale.
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Plaza de Armas
Also called Plaza Mayor, the 140-sq-meter Plaza de Armas was once the heart of Lima. Though not one original building remains, the impressive bronze fountain in the center is its oldest feature, erected in 1650, and its oldest building is the cathedral, which was reconstructed after the 1746 earthquake.
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Amazonas Explorer
Offers excellent two- to 10-day mountain-biking adventures; great for families, with kids’ bikes available.
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Xocolatl
- Lima, Peru
- Restaurants › Other
Run by pastry chef Giovanna Maggiolo, Xocolatl is a sleek chocolatier specializing in contemporary Peruvian sweets, some sporting designs inspired by pre-Columbian textiles. Expect fillings such as coffee, pisco and Ranfañote, a traditional dessert made with coconut, molasses and nuts.
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Marcelo Batata
A sure bet for Peruvian food, often with an added twist. The chicken soup with hierba Luisa, a local herb, is exquisite, and that’s only the start of an eclectic fusion menu. You might also want to sample their daring array of cocktails from the rooftop deck – the city views make it the best outdoor venue in Cuzco.
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Homeland Of The Incas
21 days (Lima)
by Intrepid
Learn about Nazca's ancient mummies, Search out Andean condors, Hike the Colca Canyon, Visit the coca museum in Cuzco, Visit a local community in the Sacred…Not LP reviewed
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Machu Picchu Express
7 days (Cuzco)
by Intrepid
Explore Cuzco's historic centre, Speak Quechua with the Sacred Valley locals, See the sunrise over Machu Picchu , Peruse Peru’s colonial and Incan…Not LP reviewed
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Indio Feliz
It’s hard to overstate the pleasure that can be derived from this multi-award-winning restaurant. Of course, hospitality is the strong suit of French cook Patrik, but the food does not disappoint. Start with sopa criolla, a potent and flavorful broth, served with hot bread, homemade butter and optional chilis. There are also nods to traditional French cooking – like Provençal tomatoes, crispy-perfect garlic potatoes and a melt-in-your-mouth tarte aux pommes.
The candlelit decor shows the imagination of a long-lost castaway with imitation Gauguin panels, a carved figurehead damsels, colonial benches and vintage objects. The S50 menú is an extremely good value for a…
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Qorikancha
If you visit only one site in Cuzco, make it these Inca ruins, which form the base of the colonial church and convent of Santo Domingo. Qorikancha was once the richest temple in the Inca empire; all that remains today is the masterful stonework.
In Inca times, Qorikancha (Quechua for ‘Golden Courtyard’) was literally covered with gold. The temple walls were lined with some 700 solid-gold sheets, each weighing about 2kg. There were life-sized gold and silver replicas of corn, which were ceremonially ‘planted’ in agricultural rituals. Also reported were solid-gold treasures such as altars, llamas and babies, as well as a replica of the sun, which was lost. But within months…
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La Leña
This is the most lavish place around (check the waterfall at the entrance) to sample parrilladas (grills), as well as the usual chicken dishes in the company of well-heeled, carnivorous locals. Several branches are found city-wide and it does delivery.
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Zig Zag
The upscale sister of Crepisimo, this European restaurant inhabits a two-story colonial house with an iron stairway designed by Gustave Eiffel. The expensive menu features decadent fondues, carpaccio, stone-grilled steaks and other South American game dishes.
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La Trattoria del Monasterio
A helping of epicurean delight has descended upon the Monasterio de Santa Catalina. The menu of Italian specialties was created with the help of superstar Peruvian chef Gastón Acurio, and is infused with the flavors of Arequipa. Reservations are essential.
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