Lima is Peru’s capital and the country’s hub for international flights. That means that the majority of travelers are going to come in and out of this city. It also seems to be a vastly underrated city.
The fact is, before we visited early last year, I can’t tell you how many people told us to bypass Lima, recommending that we hop right onto a bus or flight out of there, to spend no more than a few hours in the coastal city. The main complaint was that it was boring.
To be rebellious, and because I knew, if nothing else, I wanted to explore the neighborhoods of Miraflores and Barranco, we cautiously gave ourselves one full day in Lima before we were scheduled to hop on our bus southward.
Further, we didn’t pre-plan the last three days of our trip to allow ourselves more time there at the end if we wanted. That’s right—the Scaredy-Cat DIDN’T book our flight from Cusco to Lima until halfway through our trip. Who says I can’t be spontaneous?!
Anyway, we’re glad we left ourselves open because we did end up spending another day and a half there at the end.
We really enjoyed ourselves in Lima. Yes, it has the chaotic feel of a city. No, it’s not as quaint or ancient as Cusco. It’s full of traffic, tall buildings, and the desert sand mixed with the salty ocean water can, to be fair, leave a bit of a grimy feeling when you walk around. But is New York the cleanest city in the world? The quietest? The quaintest? No. But we love going there all the same.
Brief and Incomplete Impressions of Peru
Flying in low over Lima at nearly midnight, the soft orange glow of city lights sprawled over the landscape like an ocean, with islands of darkness where hills slept quietly.
Buildings are generally low to the ground in Peru, with the tallest in the country, Torre Banco de la Nación, only reaching 140 meters/459 feet. I suspect this has something to do with the seismic activity in Peru. A major fault line runs off of Peru’s coast, resulting in hundreds of earthquakes each year, though most go unfelt.
Or it could be related to something one of the Peru Hop guides said when we asked about the dozens of unfinished buildings we had seen during our travels—”They’re not abandoned. Sometimes things just take a long time to be built here.”
After landing, we took the convenient and affordable Airport Express Lima bus from the airport down to Miraflores, a popular neighborhood for tourists. I was surprised that, in spite of the late hour, there was still a decent amount of traffic—though nothing compared to the bottlenecks we would see the next day. (I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again—avoid driving in Peru if you can.)
In spite of our exhaustion, it was nice to get out of the bus and walk the final few blocks to our hostel. We did a lot of walking in Lima, and I’m glad of that. If we hadn’t walked so much, we would have missed some of the city’s most beautiful murals, plus cute local shops and delicious restaurants, picturesque squares and alleys, food stalls, and even parrots.
Concerned about safety?
You may hear cautionary tales of violence or crime in Peru, and there are some localized areas of Peru that you might not want to wander around in (see current advisories here), but nowhere we visited ever felt more dangerous than our home city of Pittsburgh. As with any destination, stay alert and use common sense and you’ll be fine.
We ran into no trouble the entire trip (except, perhaps a pair of stolen shoes but to be fair I forgot them on the beach for more than an hour and also the tide came in during that time and may have swept them out to sea. To be honest, I hope someone took them who needed them more than me). None of our travel companions, some of whom had been in the country for months, ran into any serious trouble, either.
Our 48+ Hours in Lima (aka, the stuff you came here to read)
We had limited time in Lima—two and a half days when all was said and done—so we focused on the touristy Miraflores, artsy Barranco, and an afternoon in the Historic Centre. This is likely what most of you will do, too, especially if your time—and Spanish—is limited. Here’s the rundown of our visit.
Where we stayed
Kaclla, The Healing Dog Hostel
With a beautiful courtyard, relaxed atmosphere, and good rates, we decided to return to Kaclla, The Healing Dog Hostel after Cusco. The light breakfast was consistently satisfying and allows for small variations without an upcharge. The hostel is named after the Peruvian Hairless Dog, which the hostel says are called Kaclla in Quechuan (I couldn’t find anything to corroborate this but have no reason to doubt it). Because of the dogs’ pleasantly warm skin, some believe them to have healing powers.
If you’re looking to party, this isn’t the hostel for you. If you want a cozy, comfortable hostel with helpful staff conveniently close to the coast and attractions, this is a worthy choice. And, yes, a Peruvian Hairless Dog shares the space with you.
(Bonus points for the staff member who calmly and reassuringly directed us to the nearest emergency room. More on that below.)
What we did
Miraflores Beach
While traveling, I decided to read The Bad Girl by Mario Vargas Llosa, Peru’s most famous author. Early on in the book, the narrator describes the Miraflores of his youth, including afternoons spent on Miraflores’s pebble beach. I envisioned small pebbles, like those in my driveway growing up. But no, these are large, smooth, color-fueled stones. They are beautiful.
You shouldn’t expect to lay on the sandy beach in Miraflores (there are plenty of other beaches in Peru for that), but it’s certainly worth a walk down—especially if you’re a surfer.
The beach is at the base of a cliff. High above is El Malecon, a six-mile boardwalk that stretches along the cliff’s edge, offering breathtaking vistas. Walk or rent a bike and explore the art and parks along the way.
John F. Kennedy Park
Also known as the “cat park” (by me, anyway), Kennedy Park is in the heart of Miraflores’s tourist center. Resident cats—all of which are adoptable and taken care of by volunteers (including all the important vaccinations, we learned)—are at home in this green space. They snooze on the benches, play hunt in the grass, and nuzzle up to you. Some will literally crawl into your lap.
You remember that little aside about the emergency room? Here it comes. When visiting Kennedy Park, remember your cat etiquette. They can spook easily. Don’t try to stand up when one is on your lap if your arms are dangling above them like you’re trying to catch them. But don’t worry, all’s well that ends well: ‘Twas but a scratch.’
The cats aren’t the only reason to visit this space. We enjoyed eating picarones from one of the many food stalls, listened to the nightly rap battle gathering, and browsed the small market in the park’s center. It’s also convenient to restaurants and shops.
Walking tour of the Historic Centre
There are endless options for walking tours, especially in Lima, Arequipa, and Cusco. On another traveler’s suggestion, we went with Lima By Walking to learn about the city’s historical heart, the site of the city’s Plaza de Armas, presidential palace, and cathedral. Of the three or four free walking tours we did, this was by far the best. Our tour guide was incredibly knowledgeable and engaging.
Of note: while the tour itself is free, make sure you have bus money. The tour guides take you from your hostel out to the Historic Centre via public transportation. When the tour is over, don’t expect to be led back home. Still, it wouldn’t have been difficult to get home if it hadn’t been for that pesky ticket machine. (Shout out to Abi & Edel for helping us with the ticket machine!)
Barranco street art tour
Miraflores has its share of street art, but Barranco is known for it. The timing didn’t work out for us to take a guided tour of this neighborhood, so we decided to head down ourselves, walking along the boardwalk and then meandering our way until we found things of note.
If you’re looking to put a destination in your GPS, much of the action is within a few blocks of the Bridge of Sighs. Here, flocks of parrots fly overhead just as colorful as the art on the walls.
Where We Ate
I failed in my duty as travel blogger in at least one respect while in Lima (though, to be fair, I didn’t know I was going to write about the trip yet). I didn’t write down the names of anywhere we ate. Under one night, we wrote in our journal, “great dinner!” What did we eat? No idea. I think we might have had ice cream near Kennedy Park afterward, though?
Luckily, I can internet sleuth pretty well. So, here you go, at least some of the places we ate:
Within a couple blocks of Kaclla was trendy Mercado 28, a galley-style collection of permanent food stalls offering everything from traditional Peruvian dishes and seafood to pizza. We had wings, amazingly fresh sushi, and fresh-squeezed fruit juice on our last night before heading for the airport. If we had known about this spot earlier, we definitely would have been there a few times to try the seafood bar and more traditional fare.
In Barranco, we had a hearty snack and fresh juice at Laboratorio de La Panetteria. You should absolutely go there because, if for no other reason, I just spent about 45 minutes trying to find its name because I really wanted to mention it. The fresh juice, flavorful sandwiches, and decadent desserts were a wonderful fuel-up during our oops-we-got-lost wanderings.
While visiting the Historic Centre, we ate at one of the many touristy restaurants right off the main plaza. We were surprised to see that online reviews were so poor for the restaurant because we found it to be a pleasant experience with flavorful food, large portions, and friendly staff. But maybe we just happened to catch it on a good day. We ordered off the clearly-marketed-to-tourists menu, choosing anticuchos, ceviche, and a delicious though not traditionally-prepared cuy.
One evening, after eating a big meal earlier in the day, we also walked over to the grocery and picked up snacks for dinner, including fresh stuffed bread. I always recommend making at least one trip to the local grocery store to see what interesting things await!
If We Go Again
I would have loved to have had more culinary experiences, such as splurging for one of the city’s street food tours. Traveling companions also made it to the famed upscale Peruvian restaurant Central, and another friend back home told us to make the splurge for Japanese-Peruvian fusion restaurant Maido. We made it to neither, mostly because I was worried I hadn’t packed nice enough clothing and also because we probably wouldn’t have been able to get a reservation on such short notice, anyway.
I also would have liked to explore the neighborhoods of San Isidro and Barrio Chino (China Town), as well as simply spending a few more days in Miraflores and Barranco to start to get a real feel of the place. And, who knows, maybe it’s time the Scaredy-Cat learned how to surf?
The Wrap-Up
I can’t believe that it’s been exactly a year since we spent our first day in Lima. With the pandemic and being stuck at home, it feels like a lifetime.
Peru was hit especially hard by COVID-19 and I would be remiss to talk about how wonderful it is without acknowledging its struggles. High COVID rates, a curtailed tourism industry, and previously existing issues such as domestic abuse and poverty took its toll on the country in 2020.
New ending, April 2022:
I was relieved to find that, in returning to update this blog post in April 2022, that all the businesses named above are still open. Peru and all the amazing people we met there have held heavy on my mind these last two (!) years.
I hope, wherever you are, this blog post finds you safe and healthy. Travel well, my friends.
Until next time, Mel
PS: I want to shout out to Kevin for driving us to the airport and Alex for picking us up! Thank you again, one year later!
PPS: As a note, any views and recommendations are completely my own. I haven’t been asked to or paid to review or recommend any business or site and encourage everyone to do their own research.
The Scaredy-Cat's Guide to Travel 