Sightseeing in Lima

Sightseeing in Lima is a coastal city in layers. The colonial centre, a World Heritage Site since 1988, is best read upwards: the present Cathedral on the Plaza Mayor dates from 1602 and was finished only with its bell towers in 1797, and the carved wooden box balconies on the old mansions are the detail to look for. At the sea, the port of Callao has the Real Felipe fortress, begun in 1747 after the earthquake of 1746 destroyed most of the earlier defences, and offshore the Palomino Islands hold a sea lion colony. South of the city, Pachacamac was the seat of an oracle of the creator god Pacha Kamaq, taken over by the Inca in the later 15th century. Barranco, on the cliffs above the Pacific, has the Bridge of Sighs. After dark the Magic Water Circuit in the Parque de la Reserva lights 13 fountains.

Lima sightseeing tours are mostly half days. City walks last two to four hours, in small groups or private, often paired with the Larco Museum or the catacombs. The Callao tour with the fortress takes about three hours, Barranco with Pachacamac four, and the Palomino boat four to six. A full day with lunch, Larco and the water circuit takes about ten. The south coast is sold as long days: the Nazca Lines, listed by UNESCO in 1994, by road and air in about ten hours, or with the Ballestas Islands in a private day of 14. Packages of four to fifteen days usually start in Lima before moving on to Cusco.

Practical. Lima has almost no rain, but from June to September the mornings are grey with garúa drizzle, and afternoons reach 19 to 22C against 26 to 28C in January and February (SENAMHI's 1991–2020 normals, which vary with the station). Boats to the Palomino Islands depend on the swell, so keep the day flexible. Traffic is heavy, so pair neighbouring districts in a day rather than crossing the city twice. Go to the water circuit in the evening, when the fountains are lit.