Two days in Lima allow you to do what one day is not enough for: see the historic center at a relaxed pace, visit the best museums, walk through the coastal neighborhoods of Miraflores and Barranco, eat well at different price levels, and end with an unhurried afternoon before the flight to Cusco. The first day covers historic and cultural Lima. The second day covers modern, coastal, and gastronomic Lima. The combination gives a more complete picture of the city than either half on its own.
Day 1: Historic Lima and its museums
9:00 a.m. — Plaza Mayor and historic center
The first day begins in the historic center with enough time to explore it without rushing. The taxi from Miraflores takes between 20 and 35 minutes. Arriving at 9:00 allows you to see Plaza Mayor before the midday crowd fills the space.
Plaza Mayor has four historic sides: the Government Palace with its yellow facade to the north, the Cathedral to the east, the Archbishop’s Palace with the most elaborate lattice balconies in Lima to the west, and the Municipal Palace to the south. The bronze fountain in the center has been in that spot since 1651 and is one of the oldest objects in Lima still in use. Walking around the perimeter of the square takes between 15 and 20 minutes.
At 12 noon, the changing of the guard at the Government Palace in the Courtyard of Honor attracts tourists and locals with a military band ceremony and formal uniforms that lasts between 20 and 30 minutes. If your visit to the historic center coincides with that time, it is worth including in the itinerary.
10:00 a.m. — San Francisco Convent and the catacombs
Two blocks from Plaza Mayor on Jirón Ancash is the San Francisco Convent, the most impressive colonial building in the historic center. The guided tour included with admission goes through the cloisters with 17th-century Sevillian tiles, the library with 25,000 colonial volumes, the chapter house, and the catacombs. The geometrically arranged bone pits beneath the convent are the most unique experience in the entire historic center and have no equivalent anywhere else in Lima. The visit takes 45 minutes. Admission costs 15 soles.
11:15 a.m. — Lima Cathedral
Back at Plaza Mayor, the Cathedral has the most elaborate choir stalls in colonial American architecture, the confirmed remains of Francisco Pizarro, and the Museum of Religious Art with paintings from the Cusco School and colonial goldsmithing. Admission costs 30 soles for adult foreign visitors, and the visit takes between 45 minutes and one hour.
12:30 p.m. — MUCEN and Jirón de la Unión
The Central Museum of the Central Reserve Bank at the corner of Jirón Lampa and Jirón Ucayali has free admission and a pre-Hispanic archaeology gallery, folk art from different regions, and the Art Gallery with Peruvian painting from the 19th to the 21st century. Thirty or forty minutes is enough to see the highlights.
Jirón de la Unión connects Plaza Mayor with Plaza San Martín in six pedestrian blocks with colonial balconies, La Merced Church with its Baroque facade, and the Gran Hotel Bolívar from 1924 on the Plaza San Martín side. The walk takes 15 minutes.
1:30 p.m. — Lunch in the historic center
Pasaje Santa Rosa next to Plaza Mayor has restaurants serving Creole cuisine in a colonial setting with moderate tourist prices. Nearby markets have eateries serving set lunches at popular prices for those who prefer a more local experience.
3:00 p.m. — Santo Domingo Convent
Four minutes walking from Plaza Mayor along Jirón Camaná is the Santo Domingo Convent, which holds the remains of Saint Rose of Lima, Saint Martin de Porres, and Saint John Macias, the three most important canonized Peruvian saints. The chapter house where the University of San Marcos was founded in 1551 and the library where composer Alcedo wrote the National Anthem in 1821 are the most historically significant points of the visit. Admission costs 5 soles, and the convent is open every day until 6:30 in the evening.
4:30 p.m. — Huaca Pucllana (optional if there is time)
If the pace of the day has been smooth, there is time to take a taxi from the historic center to Huaca Pucllana in Miraflores, which takes between 25 and 35 minutes. The adobe pyramid built between the 5th and 8th centuries AD surrounded by modern buildings is the most immediate contrast between ancient Lima and contemporary Lima. The daytime visit costs 15 soles, and the nighttime visit, which allows you to see the pyramid illuminated, costs 17 soles and is open until 9:00 p.m. If the day ends at Huaca Pucllana, dinner at one of the restaurants in the Miraflores area is a good way to close the first day.
7:30 p.m. — Dinner in Miraflores
For dinner on the first day, the area around Kennedy Park and Calle Esperanza has quality Peruvian cuisine options at accessible prices. For a more elaborate dinner, Maido or any other restaurant in the Miraflores gastronomic scene requires advance reservation.
Day 2: Modern, coastal, and gastronomic Lima
9:00 a.m. — Larco Museum
The second day begins in Pueblo Libre with the Larco Museum, the most complete museum in Lima to understand pre-Hispanic Peru. The 45,000 objects of ceramics, textiles, and goldsmithing from the main pre-Hispanic Peruvian cultures, the visible storage areas open to the public, and the bougainvillea garden make this museum the most complete museum experience in Lima. The taxi from Miraflores takes between 25 and 40 minutes. The museum opens at 9:00 a.m. every day. Admission costs 50 soles for adult foreign visitors.
A full visit to the Larco Museum, including the permanent galleries, visible storage, and the Checan Erotic Gallery, takes between two and three hours. Anyone who wants to add lunch at the museum restaurant can stay until 2:00 p.m. without any issue.
12:30 p.m. — Lunch in Miraflores or at Surquillo Market
Back in Miraflores, the Surquillo Market next to the district has stalls serving ceviche, ají de gallina, and lomo saltado at market prices with quality far superior to most tourist restaurants. It is the most authentic and accessible gastronomic experience Lima offers for lunchtime. The stalls on the second floor are the most recommended for sitting down to eat.
For those who prefer a conventional restaurant, Calle Esperanza and the streets around Kennedy Park have several mid-range Peruvian cuisine options.
2:30 p.m. — Miraflores boardwalk
The afternoon of the second day is for the boardwalk. The walk from Kennedy Park to the edge of the cliff takes 10 minutes. The boardwalk extends from Malecón de la Marina in the north to Malecón de la Reserva in the south, totaling five kilometers of parks along the Pacific cliffs.
The Marina Lighthouse built in 1900 is located in Raimondi Park. From the same park, tandem paragliding flights take off over the Costa Verde for 10 to 15 minutes for about 250 soles. Love Park, with the El Beso sculpture by Víctor Delfín inaugurated on February 14, 1993, is the most photogenic point of the route. María Reiche Park with its reproductions of Nazca Lines figures in flowers and grass is a few meters away. Larcomar at the end of Malecón de la Reserva has terraces overlooking the Pacific.
The full walk along the boardwalk from north to south takes between one and a half and two hours with stops. By bicycle it can be done in 30 minutes. Bike rentals are available near Larcomar for between 10 and 15 soles per hour.
4:30 p.m. — Barranco
From the southern end of the Miraflores boardwalk, there are two options to reach Barranco: a taxi in 10 minutes or a 25 to 30 minute walk along the coastal boardwalk that connects the two districts without entering the streets.
In Barranco, the essential route includes the Bridge of Sighs from 1876 and the Chabuca Granda Walk with its murals and street musicians, the Bajada de los Baños descending between murals to the boardwalk, and the Municipal Square with its republican architecture. Half an hour or 45 minutes walking through the neighborhood is enough to absorb its atmosphere without exhausting it.
For those interested in contemporary art, the MAC Lima Contemporary Art Museum in Barranco’s Exhibition Park and the Pedro de Osma Museum on the avenue of the same name are two worthwhile stops within the neighborhood.
6:00 p.m. — Sunset from the Barranco boardwalk
The Catalina Recavarren viewpoint on the Barranco boardwalk is one of the best spots with a view of the Pacific along Lima’s entire coast. In the summer months between December and April, the sunset over the ocean from this viewpoint is the most powerful visual ending the city offers. In winter, the coastal fog creates a different atmosphere but one that is equally worthwhile for sitting on the benches and watching the sea.
7:30 p.m. — Dinner in Barranco
Dinner on the second day in Barranco closes the Lima itinerary in the most coherent way. Isolina, the restaurant specializing in Limeño Creole cuisine by chef José del Castillo, serves ají de gallina, sancochado, and carapulcra with the best market ingredients in generous portions. It is the most honest and representative dinner of everyday Limeño cuisine you can have in Lima. For a drink after dinner, the neighborhood’s bars with live music are the natural complement to the night in Barranco.
Summary of the two days
The first day covers the historic center with Plaza Mayor, the San Francisco catacombs, the Cathedral, MUCEN, and the Santo Domingo Convent, with Huaca Pucllana as an optional afternoon stop. The second day covers the Larco Museum in the morning, the Miraflores boardwalk in the afternoon, and Barranco at sunset and at night. Together, they provide a view of Lima that ranges from the 1,500 years of pre-Hispanic history of the Miraflores pyramid to the contemporary restaurants of Barranco, passing through five centuries of colonial and republican architecture, with the Pacific as a constant backdrop.