Lima

By far the most varied neighborhood for eating, Miraflores carries the breadth and depth of Peruvian cooking at every price range, from tiny comedores with cheap lunchtime menús to some of the city’s most revered gastronomic outposts. Pavement cafes are ideal for sipping pisco sours and people-watching.

Casual places with cheap menús abound on the tiny streets east of Av José Larco just off Parque Kennedy.

Barranco’s trendy bars and clubs are concentrated around Parque Municipal, which is thronged with revelers on Friday and Saturday nights.

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 collector Rafael Larco Hoyle in 1926, the collection includes more than 50,000 pots, with ceramic works from the Cupisnique, Chimú, Chancay, Nazca and Inca cultures. Highlights include the sublime Moche portrait vessels, presented in simple, dramatically lit cases, and a Wari weaving in one of the rear galleries that contains 398 threads to the linear inch – a record.

Situated about 31km southeast of the city center, the archaeological complex of Pachacamac is a pre-Columbian citadel with adobe and stone palaces and temple pyramids. If you’ve been to Machu Picchu, it may not look like much, but this was an important Inca site and a major city when the Spanish arrived. It was a ceremonial center for the Lima culture from around AD 100, and was later expanded by the Waris before being taken over by the Ichsma.

From the Miraflores cliff tops, tandem flights (S260 for 10 minutes) take off from the cliff-top ‘paraport’ at the Parque Raimondi to soar over coastal skyscrapers and gaze down at the surfers.

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 Vicente de Valverde, who accompanied Pizarro throughout the conquest and was instrumental in persuading him to execute the captured Inca Atahualpa. Originally completed in the 16th century, this impressive pink church has been rebuilt and remodeled at various points since.

Bike paths along the coast and designated lanes in Miraflores make the area great for cycling. Popular excursions from Lima include the 31km ride to Pachacamac, where there are good local trails open between April and December. Expert riders can inquire about the stellar downhill circuit from Olleros to San Bartolo south of Lima. For general information on cycling (in Spanish), try Federación Deportiva Peruana de Ciclismo or the Facebook page of Ciclismo Sin Fronteras Miraflores.

Gastronomic tours that reveal Lima as the locals know it, with plenty of sampling at markets. It offers a friendly rapport with clients, tailored options and insider access to lesser-known culinary treasures; tours are available in English.