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Lima

After Cairo, this sprawling metropolis is the second-driest world capital, rising above a long coastline of crumbling cliffs. To enjoy it, climb on the wave of chaos that spans high-rise condos built alongside pre-Columbian temples and fast Pacific breakers rolling toward noisy traffic jams.

But Lima is also sophisticated, with a civilization that dates back millennia. Stately museums display sublime pottery; galleries debut edgy art; solemn religious processions recall the 18th century and crowded nightclubs dispense tropical beats. No visitor can miss the capital’s culinary genius, part of a gastronomic revolution more than 400 years in the making.

This is Lima. Shrouded in history (and sometimes fog), gloriously messy and full of aesthetic delights. Don’t even think of missing it.

Explore Lima

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Planning Toolkit

  • Plan a day trip full of local flavor and get back in time with these same-day options.

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Lima.

  • Museum

    Museo Larco

    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…

  • Church

    Iglesia de Santo Domingo

    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…

  • Fountain

    El Circuito Mágico del Agua

    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…

  • Cultural Center

    Monumental Callao

    Superstar graffiti artists are helping to revive the rough neighborhood surrounding Casa Ronald, a 1920 architectural masterpiece. Now a center for…

  • Museum

    Fundación Museo Amano

    The well-designed Fundación Museo Amano features a fine private collection of ceramics, with a strong representation of wares from the Chimú and Nazca…

  • Museum

    Museo de Arte de 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…

  • Plaza

    Plaza de Armas

    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,…

  • Gallery

    Impakto

    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…

  • Museum

    Museo Andrés del Castillo

    Housed in a pristine 19th-century mansion with Spanish tile floors, this worthwhile private museum showcases a vast collection of minerals, as well as…

  • Park

    Parque de la Muralla

    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,…

  • Monastery

    Monasterio de San Francisco

    This bright-yellow Franciscan monastery and church is most famous for its bone-lined catacombs (containing an estimated 70,000 remains) and its remarkable…

  • Palace

    Palacio de Gobierno

    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…

  • Church

    Iglesia de las Nazarenas

    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…

  • Arts Center

    Espacio Fundacion Telefonica

    This cultural center focuses on the arts, particularly technology and digital formats. Though it's part of the largest Spanish multinational and housed on…

  • Ruins

    Huaca Pucllana

    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…

  • Museum

    Lugar de la Memoria

    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…

  • Museum

    Museo Central

    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…

  • Museum

    Museo Mario Testino

    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…

  • Museum

    Museo Pedro de Osma

    Housed in a lovely beaux-arts mansion surrounded by gardens, this undervisited museum has an exquisite collection of colonial furniture, silverwork and…

  • Museum

    Museo de Arte Contemporaneo

    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…

Top experiences

Whether it’s a guided tour of a historic landmark, private tasting of local delicacies, or an off-road adventure — explore the best experiences in Lima.