36 hours in Lima, Peru

By Bianca Padró Ocasio

Peru’s capital, with dramatic cliffs that separate its high-rises and colonial architecture from the sea, gets overlooked by travelers heading for Cuzco, in the Andes, or surf spots to the north. The pandemic, then political unrest in 2022 and 2023, slowed tourism, but Lima, home to more than 10 million, is giving visitors more reasons to stay. It now holds three places on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, as many chefs embrace Indigenous Andean and Amazonian ingredients in the seafood-centric cuisine, and the growing Venezuelan diaspora brings its traditional foods, like arepas, into the local food culture.

ITINERARY

Friday

4 p.m. | Cycle along the cliffside

Grab a bicycle at the shared dock on Federico Villarreal Avenue (download the CityBike Lima app; 4.50 soles, or about $1.20, for 30 minutes) and bike along the malecón, the cliffside promenade overlooking the Pacific Ocean, in Miraflores, a scenic, upscale neighborhood popular with tourists. (You’re particularly likely to hear English in the bars and shops surrounding Kennedy Park, a landmark with street art, food vendors and a locally beloved stray cat colony.) Ride about 30 minutes south along the coast to the edge of Miraflores. Along the way, see flower-filled parks teeming with joggers and street vendors and surfers riding waves down below. The Parque del Amor is a colorful midpoint stop in the route, with a sculpture called “The Kiss” by Peruvian artist Víctor Delfín.

6 p.m. | Shop for ceramics

After docking your bike at the corner of Armendáriz Boulevard and La Paz Avenue, cross the overpass that leads to Barranco, a bohemian oceanside district with plazas, murals and trendy restaurants. From there, walk 20 minutes to Mirador Sousa, a sunset viewpoint that’s especially popular when the skies clear. Then head to Dédalo Arte y Artesanía, a store with a variety of Peruvian ceramics, textiles, books, toys and jewelry that’s hard to find in one place elsewhere in Lima. Look for Mundo de Barro-made teapots and vases, which are hand-painted with colorful botanical and Indigenous motifs. Dédalo also has a back patio cafe, perfect for a break away from the traffic noise. For more shopping nearby, UNO and El Clóset de Mi Hermana both sell clothing and accessories in minimalist contemporary styles.

8 p.m. | Try Venezuelan flavors

In Lima, home to more than 1 million Venezuelans, a new generation of that diaspora is carving out space for its own culture. Last year, Venezuelan chef Juan Luis Martínez opened Clon, one of Barranco’s most exciting restaurants. Much as he does at his more upscale award-winning restaurant Mérito, Martínez brings elements of his homeland to Peru’s seafood-heavy cuisine: Take an arepa, a corn-based flatbread ubiquitous in Venezuela, stuffed with pejerrey, an anchovylike fish native to and a staple in Peru (23 soles). Similarly, the vuelve a la vida acevichado is a tangy Venezuelan seafood-cocktail dish in the style of a Peruvian ceviche (56 soles). Clon, like other local seafood restaurants, often adapts dishes to comply with Peru’s seasonal fishing bans, intended to improve sustainability. Reservations recommended.

10 p.m. | Stay up late with locals

The hole-in-the-wall aesthetic is part of the charm at Juanito de Barranco, a cash-only bar a few doors down from Clon. Officially open since 1937, Juanito is a typical example of a traditional taberna or bodegón, a casual bar and restaurant. Employees know the names of regulars, artists convene and hang posters advertising coming exhibitions or performances, and most nights, a guitarist circles among the tables playing old romantic tunes for tips. Have a bottle of Pilsen beer (8 soles), Peru’s popular light lager, or try a chilcano (11 soles), a classic cocktail that mixes pisco — a grape-based spirit — and ginger ale. Snack on a sandwich with jamón del norte, smoked ham, with or without ají, a spicy condiment of blended chiles (15 soles). Open until 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Saturday

9 a.m. | Swim with sea lions

From Miraflores, take a 30-minute Uber (about 25 soles) to Callao, a small seaside province north of Lima. There, board a boat with tour company Mar Adentro Excursions to visit the Palomino Islands, a protected string of islets, to see South American sea lions, Humboldt penguins and seabirds. (From July to October, you may also spot dolphins and humpback whales migrating north.) Guests can swim with the sea lions; the pups are generally curious and likely to approach (guides advise keeping a 40-foot distance from the island where many of the adults rest). Tours are in English and Spanish; 170 soles per person for 2/12 hours. Reserve via the website or WhatsApp (+51 958 877 667). Bring a swimsuit and sun protection, and if you need it, medicine for seasickness.

1:30 p.m. | Eat like a fisherman

Head to nearby La Punta, a walkable oceanside neighborhood in Callao that’s full of colorful houses with wooden balconies and restaurants playing salsa music to lure in customers. Eat a classic and cheap fisherman’s lunch at Don Giuseppe, a popular and informal cevichería, or seafood restaurant. The pan con pejerrey (9 soles), a sandwich with breaded and fried fish, onion, and tartar sauce or mayo, is a specialty in Callao. There is, of course, ceviche, which Peruvians typically eat during the day rather than at night (Don Giuseppe closes at 4 p.m.). While in Callao, check out the galleries at Monumental Callao, the district’s refurbished historic center, where several old buildings now house artists’ studios. The safest way to get around Callao, especially beyond touristy La Punta, is by car.

6 p.m. | Unwind with a lonche

Limeños have quite the sweet tooth, and lonche, their late-afternoon coffee or tea hour, is the perfect time for a treat. From the LUM, walk about 15 minutes to the Teoría de los 6 Cafés in Miraflores, a cafe with a friendly staff and quality coffee drinks made from Peruvian beans. Try a cortado (8 soles) with a doughnut in changing flavors like raspberry-chocolate, mango sticky rice or caramelized popcorn (10 soles). In October, look for their version of the turrón de Doña Pepa, a traditional layered cookie dessert with Afro-Peruvian roots that is especially popular in September, when the Lord of Miracles religious festival is held.

8:30 p.m. | Sample Nikkei cuisine

Since the first Japanese people migrated to Peru in the late 19th century, Japanese Peruvians (known as Nikkeis) have become an integral part of the country’s politics, arts and cuisine. Few restaurants blend these two culinary traditions as well as Tomo Cocina Nikkei, in Miraflores, where you can try colorful tiraditos, a Nikkei dish of sashimi-style slices of raw fish in a citrusy Peruvian marinade (an octopus tiradito starter is 55 soles). Tomo’s specialty, however, is its creative nigiri. Here, the rice mounds, topped with raw local fish, are flavored with onion, tomato, cilantro and a yellow-chile sauce called chalaca, or an Amazonian fruit called cocona (nigiri, about 25 to 80 soles for two pieces). Sit at the sushi bar and ask the chefs to pick your dishes. Reserve ahead.

10:30 p.m. | Sign off with a drink

The laid-back Bar Capitán Meléndez is easy to miss, down a set of stairs and through a patio the bar shares with two late-night pizza and chicken-wing joints. This small, bare tavern, with just a few seats, has a back bar showcasing what seems like every type of pisco in Peru, and it serves one of the city’s best pisco sours (31 soles), a local cocktail that blends that liquor with lime, simple syrup and egg whites for a foamy top. Locals also come here for a quiet respite from the trendy bars that line Miraflores’ touristy Berlin Street: There is no loud music, flashy neon or staff people standing outside to draw in customers. Even on a busy night, it’s most likely that the owner himself, Roberto Meléndez, will be serving you.

Sunday

9 a.m. | Fuel up like a surfer

For breakfast, head to Caleta Dolsa, in Barranco, a coffee shop and restaurant with an aesthetic inspired by Lima’s surfer culture. It serves coffee that is roasted in-house, sourced from producers in the highlands and the Peruvian Amazon, alongside fresh juices. Try tropical-inspired smoothie bowls with local fruit, like one with dragon fruit or açaí (from about 28 soles) and a cappuccino (9 soles) with housemade almond milk (4 soles). The free Wi-Fi is handy, too.

11:30 a.m. | Go underground

Tour the early-19th-century catacombs at the San Francisco Convent and Catacomb Museum in Lima’s historic center. The convent, founded in 1546 (and restored several times after devastating earthquakes), is believed to have been the largest in the Americas at its peak, and it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. Besides the convent’s religious art, the main attraction is its crypts, under the main chapel, where more than 25,000 people are believed to have been buried. Visitors can see skulls and bones through an impressive channel of subterranean chambers. Tickets (20 soles) include 45-minute guided tours, which run every 20 minutes. As an alternative, check out the nearby Museo de Arte de Lima, Lima’s main art museum, housed in a gorgeous late-19th-century palace. Tickets for foreigners, 40 soles.

1 p.m. | Get a bird’s-eye view

You can’t leave Lima before trying chifa, Chinese Peruvian food, a legacy of the migrants who arrived as contract laborers in the late 19th century. Chifa El Dorado is a lively and long-standing restaurant with filling, cheap feasts and kitschy décor on the 18th floor of a nondescript building in the Lince district, about a 20- to 30-minute car ride south of the historic center. Beyond its affordability, it’s worth the trip for one main reason: There’s a 360-degree view of the city from every table. A must-try chifa dish is the aeropuerto (38 soles) — named because all ingredients land there, as at an airport. It’s a fried rice dish of excess that includes noodles, plantains, veggies and a variety of meats.

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KEY STOPS

The Palomino Islands, a string of islets near the port in the Callao area, is where you can swim with sea lions and spot a rare Humboldt penguin.

The malecón in Miraflores, a cliffside boardwalk and bicycle path, is a pleasant way to see the city’s coastal districts, watch surfers catch waves below or stop for some ice cream from a street vendor in the Parque del Amor.

The San Francisco Convent and Catacomb Museum, a complex in Lima’s historic center that dates to the Spanish colonial period, draws visitors to its crypts.

WHERE TO EAT

Clon, the newest restaurant from renowned chef Juan Luis Martínez, fuses Venezuelan culinary elements with Peru’s seafood-centric cuisine in the Barranco neighborhood.

Tomo Cocina Nikkei is an upscale Miraflores restaurant that blends Japanese and Peruvian culinary cultures.

Juanito de Barranco, a casual Barranco bar established in the 1930s, is a spot for a cocktail and a sandwich.

Don Giuseppe, a homey lunch spot in Callao’s La Punta area, is where you can try Lima’s classic seafood dishes, including the pan con pejerrey, a fried-fish sandwich.

Bar Capitán Meléndez is a no-frills late-night bar that features one of Lima’s best pisco sours.

The Chinese Peruvian restaurant Chifa El Dorado, on the 18th floor of a nondescript building in the middle-class Lince district, has a 360-degree view of the city.

WHERE TO STAY

Miraflores Park, among Lima’s top hotels, is on a quiet street surrounded by public green areas. Enjoy breakfast with an ocean view at the rooftop Observatory, or fine dining at its restaurant, Tragaluz. Rooms start around $543 a night (many hotels charge in U.S. dollars).

Hyatt Centric San Isidro Lima is in the exclusive San Isidro district, a 20-minute car ride (a short trip, on Lima’s congested roads) from the historic center and from Barranco. The hotel bar, Celeste, is one of few upscale rooftop lounges in Lima. Rooms start around $186 a night.

For short-term rentals, look for Airbnbs in San Isidro, Miraflores or Barranco, the safest and most accessible neighborhoods. Options start around $50 a night.