Got 24 hours in Lima?
My smart itinerary and things to do in Lima, Peru: History, food and cultural highlights. Plus tips to maximize your experience.
Lima was the last stop of our Peru + Bolivia adventure trip before flying back home. Having just above 24 hours to visit Peru’s capital city pushed me to design a jam-packed, yet fun itinerary to experience as much as we could of this vibrant city.
My smart itinerary for 24 hours in Lima, Peru
08:30 AM - Landed in Lima
Our flight from La Paz landed at 8:30AM at Lima international airport where we were picked up by a taxi and dropped at our hotel in Miraflores (Price: 18 USD).
We probably could have gotten a better rate by picking a taxi at the airport (or negotiating the pickup rate with the hotel), but given the tight schedule we chose to just save the time.
10:30 AM - Lima Historic City Center
The fastest and cheapest way to get from Lima Miraflores to the historic city center is by bus. The Bus Metropolitano takes approx. 20-30 mins and dropped us at walking distance from Plaza Mayor. There are several free walking tours starting from this area (usually they all start between 10 AM and 11 AM), otherwise it’s also feasible to visit on your own.
The city of Lima (Originally Ciudad de los Reyes, City of the Kings) was founded in 1535 by the Conquistador Francisco Pizarro during his conquest of Peru. It was unsuccessfully besieged in 1536 by the troops of Manco Inca, the leader of the Incan rebellion, and later became the capital of the Viceroyalty of Peru.
The name of the city comes from the nearby river Rímac. It’s a city full of history with well preserved buildings and churches from the Colonial times and worth a stop of 1-2 days.
Places that we saw and would recommend visiting: Iglesia de la Merced, Basilica and Convent of San Francisco and its catacombs, and the facades of colonial-style palaces with beautiful wooden terraces all around Plaza Mayor.
Check the opening hours of churches and cathedrals when planning your itinerary to avoid finding things shut down.
For our journey back to Miraflores we chose a Microbus, one of the many ways of getting around in Lima mainly used by locals.
When a Microbus stops, the driver's assistant jumps off the bus and shouts out names of upcoming roads to potential customers who quickly hop on the bus.
Riding on a Microbus was time-consuming due to the heavy traffic in the city centre, but definitely a fun experience. Plus, we miraculously made it on time to our next stop!
2:00 PM - Lunch
One of the culinary highlights of Lima, and Peru in general, is the Ceviche.
Ceviche is a dish consisting of fish or shellfish marinated in citrus and seasonings. There are several “Cevicherias” in Lima. A few locals had recommended us La Mar and El Muelle.
In the end we booked a table at Costazul since it had good ratings and was the only restaurant that allowed online reservations or was not fully booked.
We ordered one Causa Limeña to share, two different types of Ceviche and two glasses of wine. Food, atmosphere and service were great and the portions generous. The bill (around 47 USD) was slightly pricier than I had expected, however Lima in general is a bit more expensive than the other areas we visited in Peru.
3:30 PM - Biking along the Malecón
Surprisingly, despite being a big and busy city, Lima has some areas where biking is possible and safe. There are biking lanes on the Malecón (the scenic boardwalk above the cliffs) and several bike rentals across the city.
We chose the public bike rental called CityBike Lima. The registration process was not super-intuitive for non-Spanish speakers, but in the end we paid just 10 Soles (2,70 USD) for a daily pass for two bikes! The daily pass includes the first 30 mins of every ride for free, and a few extra Soles after that.
Biking on the Malecón along Miraflores towards Barranco was actually really fun and safe and would totally recommend it!
Please note: There are no bike stations in Barranco. The closest one is located above the Contemporary Art Museum. From here we continued to Barranco by foot.
5:30 PM - Strolling around Barranco
Barranco is one of Lima’s hippest neighborhoods with cafés, restaurants, art galleries, street markets and street art. Really loved the vibes in this area, especially around sunset on a Saturday evening. There are a few walking tours in Barranco, too, but we decided to explore the area on our own pace and discovered some pretty cool spots.
One place I’d recommend is La Posada del Mirador, where you can sip a Pisco Sour, the signature Peruvian cocktail, watching the sun going down on the Pacific Ocean.
08:30 PM - Dinner in Miraflores
After taking an Uber back to the hotel in Miraflores, we headed out for dinner. Lima is home to some of the world’s top restaurants, for example Michelin-starred Central Restaurant.
Unfortunately, you need to book months in advance to get a table at Central (if you’re curious, here is a good review), so we booked a table at Panchita Restaurant, another famous place recommended by a local friend and close to our hotel, too.
We had read extremely positive reviews and expected Panchita Restaurant to be an upscale yet accessible restaurant. I personally found it quite busy (probably because it was Saturday evening).
We ordered a few starters and a Guinea pig (or Cuy), which was delicious. I found Panchita to be a great way to experience Peruvian dishes in a very friendly environment, though slightly expensive.
Got some extra time?
If you’ve got some more time on the day after, an option could be to grab a coffee and breakfast at Buenavista Café nearby El Parque del Amor, with amazing views on the Pacific ocean.
Summary
With its scenic boardwalk and views on the Pacific Ocean, its hip neighborhoods, great food spots and history, Lima positively impressed us. The city itself is quite big, so you could easily do the above itinerary in two days and spend more time at each stop.
If you are spending three or more days in Lima, there are more activities like to consider such as paragliding above the Costa Verde or full day excursions.
About me:
As a passionate traveler and airline & hospitality expert I've been lucky to experience travel from behind the scenes -From crossing the Andes by bus, to flying Business class to the Maldives.
Some fun facts about my trips:
I’ve visited 5 of the 7 New World Wonders
Lowest point I’ve reached: Death Valley, California at -86 mt (-282 ft) altitude
Highest point I’ve reached: The Andes, 5,050 mt (16,568 ft) altitude
I've stayed at 100+ accommodations, from a tent in the Savannah to a houseboat on a French river
I’ve travelled 350,000+ km across 45+ countries and 5 continents by bus, car, boat, bike, hiking and so much more…
In my blog Beating Jetlag I share my travel experiences, insider tips and behind-the-scenes content for smart adventurers, as well as travel marketing recommendations for Creators. You can read more about me here.