Top Attractions of Peru
Everything you need to know about traveling Peru: from how long to spend in each area and how to get there from the main city of Lima
Capital City
Lima, Peru
A huge metropolitan - hosting more than 10 million inhabitants. Lima has everything you want: great cuisine, coastal adventures, temperate weather... and is the hub to start your adventures around Peru!
Main Neighborhoods
Miraflores - considered the wealthiest neighborhood in Lima; its coastal proximity and newer buildings are often where tourists should opt to stay
Barranco - the bohemian, hipster neighborhood in Lima. Ogle the creative artwork while you admire the colorful buildings. The most walkable area in Lima, with the densest areas of the best bars/restaurants in the city
San Isidro - the high-rise, business area of Lima. Many modern buildings and hotels are here; a great alternative to staying in Miraflores (and slightly cheaper)
Best Areas to Stay: Miraflores, Barranco
Host the most modern and touristy things within Lima. Located right off the coast, you'll find the densest amount of restaurants, bars, and modern hotels here.
San Isidro is also another place to consider, and it's slightly cheaper than Miraflores proper -- it's slightly less touristy though, hosting more business hotels (but I stayed here my first time in Lima, and you taxi/uber everywhere so it's not too bad)
Airbnb vs Hotel in Lima?
I advise booking directly through a HOTEL, rather than Airbnb. Since prices in Lima are already quite affordable, reliable hotel chains are within the $100-150 range/night. I've been to Peru 3x now, the 3rd time we booked at an Airbnb that had not been clean (dirty sheets, towels, floors) and it was 12am by the time we got to the city. Not a great experience finding a hotel at that time. (Just my experience, I know it's only one time but that was bad enough)
Hotels to (personally) recommend
Radisson Miraflores $125-150/night
Novotel San Isidro $100/night
If you need to stay at the Days Inn at the airport, it's OK. You're going to be shelling out ~$200/night for convenience, but otherwise it's 40-minutes to the city. I did this on my solo leg, because I wanted to be safe and not travel at night alone (my flight to Cusco was the next morning). Literally a 1-minute walk from the airport exit to the hotel lobby door. Avoid staying in the area around the airport and just pay extra for the on-site place.
Activities to Do:
Paragliding - $75/15 minute ride, meetup/dropoff in Miraflores (Viator booking)
Scuba Diving
Surfing - $35-40/1.5 hour class (Viator booking)
LOTS of eating/drinking
I like to explore cuisine on my own, rather than a group foodie tour - so I research bars/restaurants before going. But for those who want the guided experience, there's great food tours that involve going to the markets
Barranco food - breakfast, lunch, OR dinner tour options and learn the history of the foods/cuisine, 4 hour tour $94/pp (Viator booking)
Street and market food tour - the historic way, 4 hour tour $59/pp (Viator booking)
Evening gourmet dining experience in Barranco - 5 hours, $145/pp (Viator booking)
Best Restaurants
$$$ Tier (100$+ pp)
CENTRAL: opened in 2008, the restaurant aims to take you on a culinary experience of ingredients from all the different altitudes within Peru. It made the World's Top 50 Restaurants in 2013 and took the title of BEST restaurant in world 2023. Coming here will cost you a pretty penny though - tasting menu comes in around $400-500. Reservations HERE
KJOLLE: the sister (and slightly cheaper) restaurant to Central, opened up by the wife pairing of Central. The restaurant is named after a tree that survives where little does - in the Peruvian highlands, where there are high winds and persevering sun. You can order the tasting menu here ($200-300 pp), but can also manage an a la carte menu- which might let you walk away with a little less than $200 (alcohol likely not included).
MAIDO: Japanese-Peruvian cuisine, the Nikkei tasting menu will run you about $250-300/pp without the pairing. One of the best restaurants in the world, if you love sushi - this will quench your appetite! Peru actually has a large Japanese (and Chinese) influence in their cooking, so this upscale restaurant will give you a great showcase of that
$$ Tier (50-100$+ pp)
OSAKA: a well-known chain around South America, this chain hosts a blend of Japanese and Peruvian cuisine finely - grab their foie gras dishes or any of their nigiri/rolls that are flame torched. Right at the heart of many great restaurants, you can get drinks after at the wonderful Carnaval or exquisite Sastreria
CASTENERA 700: one of the freshest ceviches and arroz con marisco I've had (along with one of the best pisco sours), this restaurant was opened by one of the starting Nikkei chefs and has stayed in the family.
$ Tier (50$ under pp)
EDO: this is absolutely one of my best places in Lima, it has 3-4 stores around the city and it's a no frills mom/pop type shop feel with amazing tastes. Peru sushi differs from what we're used to in the States, because of the Peruvian sauces (cevichado) they use
ISOLINA: authentic comfort food in Barranco, it's affordable and amazing! Stop by here if you're looking for true Peruvian dishes that are cooked so, so well. A recommendation from my boyfriend's mother (who is a Peruvian local!)
Best Bars
Carnaval
Sastreria Martinez
Arequipa
Surrounded by 3 volcanoes, (one of) which you can explore, it's a city whose structures are built from white volcanic stone. A great starting point for those who want to ascend slowly to the Andes, it is at a middle-ground in elevation between Lima and Cusco/Machu Picchu and most travelers do NOT get altitude sickness.
Best Places to Stay: Near Plaza de Armas
A relatively small city (that still boasts 1 million), the main tourist areas are within a 10-15 minute walk from the Plaza de Armas
Hotel Recommendation:
Absolutely adored the _______
Activities to Do:
Colca Canyon (day trip with an early rise or take the multi-day bus adventure to Cusco)
Best Restaurants:
Tauta
Best Bars:
Heart of Colca Canyon
Home of the (former) Inca Empire
Cusco
Most people ONLY travel here as the hub for Machu Picchu (and possibly Lake Titicaca). It was the previous capital of the Inca empire, the indigenous people of Peru.
Best Areas to Stay: Miraflores, Barranco
Host the most modern and touristy things within Lima. Located right off the coast, you'll find the densest amount of restaurants, bars, and modern hotels here.
Airbnb vs Hotel in Lima?
I advise booking directly through a HOTEL, rather than Airbnb. Since prices in Lima are already quite affordable, reliable hotel chains are within the $100-150 range/night. I've been to Peru 3x now, the 3rd time we booked at an Airbnb that had not been clean (dirty sheets, towels, floors) and it was 12am by the time we got to the city. Not a great experience finding a hotel at that time. (Just my experience, I know it's only one time but that was bad enough)
Hotels to (personally) recommend
Radisson
?? where else had i stayed in Lima
If you need to stay at the Days Inn at the airport, it's OK. You're going to be shelling out ~$200/night for convenience, but otherwise it's 40-minutes to the city. Avoid staying in the area around the airport and just pay extra for the on-site place.
Activities to Do:
Daytrip Hiking to Laguna Humantay, Rainbow Mountain - neither of which are long or high elevation gains, but at the altitude you are at, it's INSANE how tired you'll feel. Keep well hydrated, make sure you acclimated 1-2 days before, get a good night's sleep.
Laguna Humantay
Rainbow Mountain (Palcoyya)
Rainbow Mountain (V??)
Souvenir shopping at ______
Sacsayhuaman
Daytrip ATV riding and salt mines exploring
Explore ____ museum
FREE Activities:
Walking tour around Cusco -- I did this, and it is free, but they do sort of expect tips at the end. It's informative
Best Restaurants
$ Tier (50$ under pp) - everything in Cusco is relatively cheap
KUSYKAY:
Hub to Machu Picchu
Most p
Machu Picchu
Surrounded by 3 volcanoes, (one of) which you can explore, it's a city whose structures are built from white volcanic stone. A great starting point for those who want to ascend slowly to the Andes, it is at a middle-ground in elevation between Lima and Cusco/Machu Picchu and most travelers do NOT get altitude sickness.
Best Places to Stay: Near Plaza de Armas
A relatively small city (that still boasts 1 million), the main tourist areas are within a 10-15 minute walk from the Plaza de Armas
Hotel Recommendation:
Absolutely adored the _______
Activities to Do:
Colca Canyon (day trip with an early rise or take the multi-day bus adventure to Cusco)
Best Restaurants:
Tauta
Best Bars:
Seven Wonders of the World
Desert Oasis
Huacachina
Named after a
Is it worth it to spend a night here?
A 4-hour busride from Lima, most people can do this as a day trip from Lima (with a very early rise). There's NOT too much to do here, but we used this as an ending to our trip so wanted to take it slow. It was also magical to watch sunrise/sunset over these beautiful (soft) sand dunes.
Activities to Do:
Sandbuggy tours/Sand-duning
Can do a 1-day tour our 2-day tour from Lima to experience this with pickup/dropoff at your hotel or in Miraflores (depending which tour you pick)
1-day tour: often paired with a 2-hour boat ride to the "Peruvian Galapagos" (Ballestas islands) and sometimes a Pisco tasting tour
Viator Booking - $139/pp (HIGHLY rated), pickup and dropoff from your hotel
Viator Booking - $80/pp, offers the same as above but less regarded. Pickup/dropoff at the JW Marriott in Miraflores
Sunrise/Sunset in Huacachina
Pair this with a tour around Ica and to see the Nazca lines
Best Restaurants
$ Tier (50$ under pp) - everything in Huacachina is relatively well-priced
