Traveling to Peru: 5 Places to Visit in Lima

If you are headed to Peru to indulge yourself in the culture and people, the best place to start is in Lima, Peru’s capital and largest city. Lima has grown in spades in the last decade and with the growth has become more modern. Lima offers the perfect combination of comfort and culture.

 

 

Lima is located along the west coast, and offers a variety of activities both on the beach and off. Lima is divided into districts, each offering its own style and features. TIME magazine wrote an article titled Lima: 10 Things to Do giving their opinion of the best places to go and see within the large city.  Spending a year in the city, here are my top 5 must-see places within Lima:

1. The Basilica Cathedral

This beautiful cathedral is located in downtown Lima in the Plaza Mayor. Built in 1535, this building contains an abundant amount of history, including the begining of Christianity in Peru. Catholicism was not a religion until the Spaniards came over and conquered the land from the Andean people. 

2.  Plaza de Armas

This plaza is the largest in Lima, and offers history dating back to the 1500s. The Plaza de Armas is home to government buildings including the Government Palace, the Presidents house. This is also the house of the last Incan chief and is said to be set on sacred land. While you cannot go into the Government palace, you can see the changing of the guards that occurs at noon each day. Peru's old train station and other historic buildings are also located around the plaza and are fun to explore.

 

3. Incan Ruins

While most people think the Incan ruins are contained in The Sacred Valley, Cusco, and Machu Picchu, there are structures scattered throughout Lima and other cities of Peru. These structures were built as the Incans made their way from Cusco. These structures are all over the city, and you will see multiple structures without even searching for them!

4. Locomar

Located in Miraflores, along the cost line, this is my favorite place to spend a warm sunny day in Lima. The view is gorgeous, and there is so much you can do. Locomar offers great restaurants and a shopping area and holds numerous social events throughout the year.

 

 

For those adventurous enough, Miraflores offers the best experience and landscape for paragliding. With the view of both the ocean and the city you get a unique thrill as you sail across the sky above.

You occasionally see things like skateboarding dogs or dogs on motorcycles too!

5. Parque Kennedy

Located in Miraflores, Parque Kennedy is named after American president, John F. Kennedy. This park is home to at least fifty abandoned and feral cats. There is an organization that cares for the cats and adopts out the ones who are newly abandoned. Surrounding the park there are many restaurants and small shops making it a fun and relaxed environment.

 

 

 

Lima can be a funny place. You can see the strangest sights, last year we saw Santa driving a cab, Bumblebee from Transformers and a whole slew of other fun and random sights. Have your camera ready for your adventure, and enjoy exploring Lima!