Best Things to do in Lima for First-Time Visitors
For most Indian travellers, Peru seems like a distant dream. Getting there can be an expensive affair and you have to contend with long flights. However, the lure of Machu Picchu should be enough to plan the trip! Most visitors land in Lima and head off to Cusco and the Sacred Valley. Or perhaps the Amazon rainforest. However, there are plenty of things to do in Lima for every kind of traveller. There’s history in spades, the beaches are lovely, and the dining scene is making waves around the world. So, if you’re flying all the way to Peru, you cannot miss exploring its capital city. Here are the best things to in Lima, especially for first-time visitors.
Walk along the Malecón
Lima is the the only South American capital city located by the ocean. The prefect way to take in its seafront beauty is to walk along El Malecón. While most malecón or esplanades run alongside the oceanfront, the one in Lima is perched atop the cliffs overlooking the sea. The scenic 10-kilometre promenade has walking and cycling paths, lush gardens, and several art pieces, including Victor Delfín’s iconic sculpture, El Beso (The Kiss) in Parque del Amor (Love Park, below). Don’t miss visiting Larcomar, a shopping centre built into the cliffs with breathtaking ocean views.
Visit the historic city centre
Lima was established in 1535 by the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro. He named it Ciudad de los Reyes (City of the Kings) to mark its founding during the Catholic feast of Epiphany. Today, the city’s colonial past can be seen in the historic city centre. Begin with Plaza Mayor (also known as the Plaza de Armas, above) where Lima Cathedral (below, left) stands in all its Baroque glory. Inside, a chapel houses the remains of Pizarro himself. Nearby, the impressive Palacio de Gobierno serves as the official residence of Peru’s president; visit at noon to catch the ceremonial changing of the guard.
A short stroll away is the House of Peruvian Literature (above, centre), a beautifully restored former train station now functioning as a public library. Another historic treasure is the Monasterio de San Francisco (above, right), which has a stunning Moorish-style cupola and a library that holds over 25,000 antique texts, some predating the Spanish conquest. Descend below in its eerie catacombs that hold South America’s largest collection of human remains.
Explore bohemian Barranco
Barranco is known for its chic boutiques, lively restaurants and bars, and colourful street art.
One of its most iconic spots is the 100-foot-long Puente de los Suspiros (Bridge of Sighs). Legend has it that if you make a wish and hold your breath while crossing, it just might come true! Just a short distance away stands the striking yellow Hermitage of Barranco, a former chapel once used by fishermen. Though it has remained closed since an earthquake in 1974, it still makes for a stunning picture. Read more about what to see and do in Lima in my feature for Deccan Herald.
Gorge on local cuisine
Lima’s food scene is an eclectic mix of street carts, casual cevicherias, and fine dining restaurants that are a toast of the culinary world. The first dish you must try is ceviche — Peru’s most well-known dish. This typical lunchtime dish is a mix of raw fish and other seafood cured with citrus and seasoned with chillies, onions, and herbs. Also try causa, a cold dish of mashed potato flavoured with ají amarillo chillies and layered with a creamy filling of chicken, tuna, seafood, or vegetables. Then there’s lomo saltado, a stir-fry of marinated beef strips with onions, tomatoes, and French fries, typically served with rice.
Wash it all down with chicha morada, a refreshing drink made by boiling purple corn with cinnamon and cloves, then adding sugar, lime juice, and fruits like apple and pineapple. Of course, you can’t miss the pisco sour, a frothy cocktail of pisco (spirit distilled from grapes), lime juice, sugar syrup, and egg white.
One of the best things to do in Lima is to stroll through Kennedy Park, a popular spot for locals. It’s also home to dozens of friendly, free-roaming cats that are cared for by volunteers. Here, you will find Picarones Mary, a street-cart made famous by Netflix’s Street Food: Latin America. Try their picarones — pumpkin and sweet potato doughnuts that are fried crispy golden and drizzled with syrup.
Visit a local market
The bustling food markets of Mercado 1 and 2 in Surquillo are choc-a-bloc with shops selling everything from fruits and vegetables to household wares, electronics, and even jewellery. The best way to explore these is to take a food tour with Peruvian World View Tours. The tour gave me a taste of (amongst other things) the wide and wonderful world of Peruvian fruits (see below).
If you’re interested in markets, make a morning visit to the fishing neighbourhood of Chorrillos to check out the fish market. A short drive from here is Morro Solar, a historic hill offering panoramic ocean views (see below). It’s also home to a monument for all the ‘unknown soldiers’ that fell in the War of the Pacific as well as the towering Christ of the Pacific statue. I would recommend booking all your Lima (and Peru) experiences through a specialist operator like Peru Travel ME, which can create bespoke itineraries based on your interests.
Eat a fancy dinner
In the past decade or so, Lima has become a culinary hotspot when it comes to fine dining. In 2023, Central became the first South American restaurant to top The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. Run by chef Virgilio Martínez, it’s known for imaginatively highlighting native Peruvian ingredients. In 2025, it was the Nikkei restaurant Maido by chef Mitsuharu ‘Micha’ Tsumura that took the top spot.
I dined at the no. 8 restaurant Kjolle (pronounced ko-yay), which is run by Martinaez’s wife Pía León (crowned the world’s best female chef in 2021). Gastón Acurio (the international ambassador of Peruvian cuisine) also has many restaurants in Lima. These include Astrid y Gastón, which is housed in a 300-year-old former plantation house. I particularly loved their guinea pig bao, which is a modern take on the Andean delicacy of cuy al horno (spit-roasted guinea pig).
Another restaurant you must try is Huaca Pucllana. The food is great but its location is surreal, overlooking a pre-Incan adobe-and-clay pyramid (see below) that’s over 1,500 years old! Check out my Conde Nast Traveller feature for more food recommendations in Lima.
Where to stay in Lima
I chose to stay in the chic Miraflores neighbourhood of Lima, splitting my time between two hotels. Hotel Antigua Miraflores is a charming boutique hotel housed in a turn-of-the-century mansion. The Spanish-colonial style mansion has original tiled floors, stunning chandeliers, and woodwork. I had one of their ‘tradicional’ rooms with a queen bed, handcrafted wooden furniture, and local art. The bathroom was quite spacious too, and the whole space was spic and span! The other hotel I stayed at was Pullman Lima Miraflores, which has stylish, well-appointed rooms. But the highlight is their 16th-floor Ambra Rooftop Bar with stunning sunset views over the Pacific Ocean!
I hope this post on the best things to do in Lima helps you plan your own trip. Leave me a comment if you have any questions, happy to help 🙂
