Peru Holidays: Lima Travel by Peru Travel Now

LIMA
TRAVEL
LIMA
HISTORY
TOP LIMA
ATTRACTIONS

Take any of our Lima travel packages to a city that comprises both Colonial and modern styles. Peru Travel Now caters you with custom designed Peru holidays.

The first destination we always tend to discover and visit is the capital city of the country that usually is characterized by special features. However, your holidays to Peru promise a whole different perspective. At Peru Travel Now, we indulge our travelers and their demands. We have spent over 30 years dedicated to exploring Peru, and have researched every part of this engaging country to provide you with the most pleasant and comfortable stay. Our travel guides and experts have personally been to every corner of Peruvian territory in search of your best holidays in Peru.

The capital city of Lima, one of the largest cities in Latin America, attracts inhabitants from the mountains and the Amazon rainforest looking for better opportunities in life. The streets, plazas, and churches of Lima often surprise visitors from other countries with their beauty and uniqueness. The city itself condenses colonial and pre-conquistador styles with modern skyscrapers and architecture. In your holidays to Peru you'll surprise yourself with an exceptional rosy sunset that illuminates the coastal beaches and this gorgeous city located on the cliff. On the other hand, your Peru holidays will teach you that Lima is also famous as a gastronomical capital that pleases the most exquisite palates due to its unique cuisine that was inspired by Incas' ingredients and the highest trends of international gastronomy.

Live the legend of your Peru holidays and date back to the colonial era, visiting the historical center and museums through your Lima travel. Here you can find complete information about the numerous cultures that existed in this country during your holidays to Peru. The Cathedral situated in the Main Square, San Francisco Monastery and its catacombs, San Agustin Church are the monumental structures that demonstrate its majesty standing still even after multiple earthquakes. Visit museums such as Larco Herrera Museum that has showrooms of gold and jewelry exhibitions, erotic figures, and artifacts that emphasize on the talent of ancient craftsmen during your holidays in Peru.

Feel the spirit of modern lifestyle in your Lima travel entering the commercial district of Miraflores, or financial center of San Isidro. Wander around the Malecón, the ocean walkway that promises exclusive views of the Pacific Ocean. Enrich your clothing and souvenir collection visiting one of the most famous shopping malls, Larco Mar, or enjoy the stunning sunset drinking coffee overlooking the sea. The Miraflores district is very famous among tourists and concentrates the best hotels and restaurants of the city; furthermore, the night lights provide an undescribable transformation of the city that is hard to express with words. A must see night attraction is this marvelous Magic Circuit of Water that actually welcomes you to the imaginary world full of magic and fantasy for your Peru holidays.

So don't miss this wonderful opportunity of spending your holidays in Peru. Peru Travel Now has crafted diversified Lima travel packages with attractions that will make your adventure commence the moment you cross the gates of the airport. Our goal is for you to achieve a maxim benefit from your journey.

Lima is a kaleidoscope of styles, sites, flavors, and textures. This city of 8 million is in the midst of a complete makeover, yet we can find all of Peru’s cultural expressions within its limits. Here, we walk down streets that are lined with Spanish Colonial buildings intermixed with those that flaunt modern architectural trends. We also will experience food that has no peer in the world, the result of a melting pot of people who come from all parts of Peru and all corners of the globe. Complete this experience with a tremendously interesting cultural circuit featuring contemporary arts, fine handicraft shops, and plenty of entertainment.

And if this were not enough, there are plenty of options on the outskirts of the city for nature lovers, namely excellent beaches and resorts, great waves for surfing, snow-capped mountains, relaxing green valleys, and breathtaking trekking circuits: a whole range of almost endless activities.

CUISINE

One of Lima’s major attractions is without a doubt its excellent food, which is currently among the top South American contenders. Lima cuisine is a legacy from Pre-Hispanic and Colonial culinary experiences, which were subsequently combined with the best of European and Asian trends. The secret of its success seems to reside in its freedom to explore new flavors, to mix ingredients, to recover once forgotten components, and to transform intelligently all the flavors Peru has received from other countries, thus creating an original product.

Undoubtedly, Lima is the Tower of Babel of the palate, a capital of good taste in which you can find delicacies from squid ink risotto for dinner to a traditional cebiche in some of the city’s famous huariques (a small, cozy restaurant) at lunch time. The City of Kings (Lima) is an Eden for gourmets and fine food lovers, and you must visit it with the fork in one hand.

Besides the classic five fork restaurants specializing in fusion or Novo-Andean cuisine, we recommend you try restaurants serving Nikkei (Japanese), chifa (Chinese), seafood (represented mostly by a selection of first class “huariques”), and traditional Lima or Creole cuisine, the latter where desserts are extremely delicious. We are positive you will run out of time before gaining at least an initial impression of the marvelous food you can taste in this city.

HISTORICAL CENTER

We highly recommend taking this sightseeing tour at noon on a clear summer’s day. Enjoy a cebiche at one of the city’s huariques and head towards Lima’s Main Square to visit the Cathedral and the Museum of Religious Art; then on to the San Francisco Church and its catacombs, the Osambela House, San Agustin Church, and lastly San Martin Square, toasting the success of your Colonial escapade with a Pisco sour in the traditional Bolivar Hotel.

RAFAEL LARCO HERRERA MUSEUM

It is an emblematic cultural space in Lima that exhibits an exceptional 3000 year panorama of Pre-Colombian Peru. Thanks to the enormous commitment of its current administration, the museum was reopened in September 2010, and its exhibition area is now twice what it used to be: from 800 m2 to 1600 m2. Among its permanent exhibits are the Gold and Jewelry Hall, featuring artifacts that highlight the skills of Pre-Hispanic master craftsmen and that were offered to their gods. It also boasts an interesting collection of erotic figurines (huacos eroticos) that depicts different aspects of the Andean sexuality before the Spanish Conquest.

MIRAFLORES

Lima’s tourist district par excellence, where the city’s best hotels and restaurants are concentrated. Every sightseeing tour should start at Parque Central, formed by two other parks: 7 de Junio and John F. Kennedy, where diverse cultural activities frequently take place and it is possible to taste some of Lima’s typical dishes and desserts. This large park, surrounded by cafes and restaurants, is where we find the Medalla Milagrosa Church, built in 1939, and also de Neo Colonial City Hall.

The extensive waterfront following the curve of the Miraflores Bay is one of this district’s main destinations, dotted with small parks and ideal for long strolls during summer time. Some of the different ones you will walk through are the Alfredo Salazar Park (close to Larcomar, one of the most important malls in the city), the Parque del Amor, Maria Reiche Park, Intihuatana Park, and Antonio Raimondi Park.

As evidence of this area’s extended human occupation, Miraflores plays host to the Huaca Pucllana or Huaca Juliana archeological site (a Pre-Incan temple). Due to the tremendous work put into preserving this monument, it has become a model for conserving and developing Lima’s other historical landmarks.

PACHACAMAC AND LURIN

Pachacamac is one of the most important Pre-Hispanic ceremonial centers along the Peruvian coastline and location of the most prestigious oracle in ancient Peru. It was built of mud bricks by the Ichmas, and the Incas at the height of their power decided to maintain it and even to enlarge it due to its great influence. The tour includes the Urpi Wachak Temple (named after Pachacamac’s wife), Temple of the Moon, Pilgrims Plaza, Chieftain’s House, and Painted Temple (in a state of disrepair). The Lurin Valley, where we find Pachacamac, boasts many restaurants that specialize in Peruvian cuisine. You can also visit area horse farms to see the Peruvian Paso horse up close. A perfect half-day trip.

LUNAHUANA AND THE NOR-YAUYOS RESERVE

The Lunahuana Valley’s main attraction is adventure sports, like rafting and mountain biking, yet you can also simply rest and relax in the country surrounded by apple, peach, ice cream bean trees. Other attractions include its modern hotels and fine restaurants, and nearby there are interesting sites, like the Incahuasi (House of the Inca) archeological site and the traditional town of Catapalla, which has a hanging bridge and very good wineries; we suggest trying their pisco brandies and wines.

The best part of the Lima’s mountainous region is located in the Province of Yauyos. A panorama filled with quiet turquoise springs surrounded by mountains that stretch to the horizon, merging into the blue sky. The main highlights here are the villages of Huancaya, Vilca, Vitis, and Tanta, all of them located on the banks of the Upper Cañete River, which at this height becomes an endless series of ponds and waterfalls of turquoise water. Mullucocha Lake and the Escalerayocc Inca trail, located at the foot of beautiful Mount Pariacaca, the region’s guardian peak, are very close by, and you reach them on the 2 day trekking route.

CARAL

At the same time Egypt was flourishing on the banks of the Nile River 5000 years ago, a culture similar in complexity started to blossom in Peru, where archeologists have found remnants of the oldest civilization in the Americas. According to Dr. Ruth Shady, Caral is the cradle of Peruvian civilization and the seat of its first government. It was occupied around 3000 B.C. by people with such a highly developed culture that our existing time had to be redefined.

From above, a large circular plaza dominates the landscape. And what seems to be hills surrounding the valley is, in fact, pyramids eroded by wind and weather. It is believed that 3000 to 3500 people lived in this nearly 65 ha district, farming, fishing, making everyday objects, and trading with other cultures in the region. One of the most important activities of this mysterious ancient civilization is the use of fire in rituals. Because they lived in a desert, the people might have burned offerings to their gods, asking for mercy or for good harvests.

Given the significance of this site, the government created the Caral-Supe Special Archeological Project (PEACS) in 2003, purpose of which is the recovery and promotion of this site. PEACS regularly organizes 1- to 2-day all included trips to the city (great for families), which includes visits to Caral and other surrounding places of interest. The service is excellent and highly recommended for long weekends.

FEATURED LIMA TOURS