Photo: Willian Justen de Vasconcellos / Unsplash
About Lima
Lima has quietly become one of the world's great food cities — a claim backed by multiple restaurants in the World's 50 Best list and a cuisine that fuses Peruvian, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish and African influences into something entirely its own. Ceviche here is transformative: fresh fish cured in tiger's milk, served with corn and sweet potato at a cevichería that opens only for lunch. Central, Maido and Kjolle are the headline restaurants, but the real Lima is in the market stalls of Surquillo and the ceviche counter at La Mar. The clifftop district of Miraflores overlooks the Pacific with paragliders overhead; Barranco is bohemian, colourful and full of pisco sours. The city is grey and cool most of the year — a coastal desert wrapped in sea mist — but the food makes every grey day worth it. Machu Picchu is a one-hour flight to Cusco away.
Highlights
Ceviche lunch at La Mar or El Mercado — the definitive Lima meal Mercado de Surquillo for ingredients, juices and local reality Miraflores Malecón at sunset — paragliders, Pacific views, ocean air Barranco neighbourhood — street art, colonial mansions, pisco bars Larco Museum — pre-Columbian gold in a colonial mansion garden Pisco sour cocktail hour anywhere in Barranco after dark
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Practical Info
Entry rules depend on your nationality. Check before you travel: Official entry information (Spanish)
Peruvian Sol (PEN). Credit cards are widely accepted in Lima, but carry cash for small vendors and markets.
Tipping is appreciated but not mandatory; tip in restaurants if service isn't included, and small change for taxi drivers or tour guides is common.
Lima is generally safe in tourist areas like Miraflores and Barranco, but watch for pickpockets and avoid walking alone at night in less crowded districts.
Local SIMs from Claro or Movistar are sold at the airport and in their stores.
Spanish is the official language; English is spoken in tourist areas and upscale establishments but not widely elsewhere.
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