Inca Trail, Machu Picchu Tours, Peru Tours

LIMA CITY ATTRACTIONS AND MUSEUM

Main Square, Lima

It was the center of the old Colonial city. The Cathedral of Lima, the GovernmentPalace and the Provincial City Hall of Lima are located in its perimeter. At its center, there is a seventeenth century bronze fountain.

Cathedral of Lima
Main Square. Telephone: (511) 427-9647. Visiting hours: Mon. – Sat. 9:00 A.M. – 4:30 P.M.
It is placed where the first Main Church of Lima was. The interior is austere, although it shelters real historic jewels like the finely carved wooden pews of the Pedro de Noguera choir, different side altars, and the remains of Francisco Pizarro. In addition, you can visit the Museum of Religious Art that possesses an important collection of canvases, sculptures, chalices, and chasubles.

Government Palace
It was the residence of Francisco Pizarro (1535), who built it on the land that used to be occupied by Taulichusco, chief of the RimacValley. Since then, the place has been the center of the political power in Peru. It burnt down and was rebuilt in the 1920’s. It features many patios and rooms dedicated to important people of Peruvian history and carefully decorated with notable art pieces. Every morning at 11:45 A.M., the Patio of Honor is the stage for the changing of the guard, soldiers of the prestigious Husares de Junín Battalion.

San FranciscoChurch and Convent

Jiron Ancash, block 3. Telephone: (511) 427-1381, extension 111. Visiting hours: Mon. – Sun. 9:30 A.M. – 5:30 P.M. A seventeenth century architectural complex. It includes the church, the convent, and the square. The church main front was carved in stone and is characterized by its Corinthian columns. In the facade, there is an open cornice with arches with an image of the Immaculate Conception. The cloistered area, decorated with tiles, houses the Vice-royal Art Museum. Additionally, the catacombs, which was a cemetery during the Colony, can be visited.

Parque de la Muralla
Jiron Amazonas, block 1, close to Jiron Abancay, block 1. Visiting hours: Mon. – Sun. 8:00 A.M. – 10:00 P.M. Free admission. It houses a fragment of the restored old wall that surrounded Lima and was built in the seventeenth century to protect it from pirates and attacks from enemies of the Spanish crown. There is a statue of the founder of Lima, Francisco Pizarro, and a site museum with exhibitions of archeological pieces found in the area

Church and Convent of La Merced
Jiron De la Union 621. Telephone: (511) 427-8199. Visiting hours: Mon. – Sun. 8:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. and 4:00 P.M. – 8:00 P.M.
A sixteenth century Colonial architectural complex. The church maintains the granite facade that dates from 1687. The roof is finely decorated with plaster figures. The Neo-classical upper altar with the image of the Virgin of La Merced and a carven figure of Saint Michael the Archangel is the most important interior piece. The Pedro Urraca Chapel is also found inside as well as the coarse wooden cross that, according to the stories, he used to exorcise the devil.

Aliaga House
Jiron De la Union 224. Telephone: (511) 427-7736. Visiting hours: Mon. – Sun. 9:30 A.M. – 4:00 P.M.Being built with quincha (anti-seismic building material) and adobe on top of existing pre-Hispanic foundations, its rooms had to be adapted to an irregular distribution and placed on different levels. The main facade possesses a Republican era balcony. It has lovely patios; the first is covered in nineteenth century Italian marble and the second is adorned with an old bronze fountain. The house has belonged to the same family since the year it was built (1535) and today is the location of different cultural events.

Josefina Ramos de Cox Archeological Museum of the Riva Agüero Institute– Pontifical University Catholic of Peru
Jiron De La Union 554. Telephone: (511) 427-4961/ 626-2000. Visiting hours: Mon. – Sat. 10:00 A.M. – 7:30 P.M. and Sun. 11:00 A.M – 5:00 P.M. Web site: www.pucp.edu.pe/ira It gathers archeological and ethno-historical evidence excavated in the 1960’s and belonging to pre-Inca, Inca, and Hispanic-Andean periods. Among the most important pieces is a specimen from the Maranga huacas. The museum is housed in a beautiful Colonial residence known as the O’Higgins house, and it is still possible to see testimonies of the Vice royal and Republican eras there.

Museum of the Inquisition and the Congress

Jiron Junin 548. Telephone: (511) 311-7777 extension 2910. Visiting hours: Mon. – Sun. 9:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M. Web site: www.congreso.gob.pe/museo.htm The museum preserves numerous objects and rooms which were used during the Inquisition process. Among them, there is the Courtroom where the members of the Inquisition Tribunal met. Interesting sights are the Secret Door, used to conduct individuals to the Grand Inquisitor’s private room, the Torture Chamber, the secret dungeon with its subterranean cells, and the Inquisition Library. Library of Congress. Across the street, occupying the area that used to be the old church and monastery of la Caridad (sixteenth century), there is the Congressional Building of the Republic, a Neo-classical building constructed between 1912 and 1916.

Museo de la Nacion
Museo de la Nacion, Lima, Peru - Lima's National MuseumAvenida Javier Prado Este 2465, San Borja. Open Tues-Fri 09:00 - 18:00. Sat-Sun 10:00 - 18:00. Entrance fee 9 Soles (about US$3) From the outside this museum looks like a large, ugly concrete monstrosity situated next to a busy main road. However, on the inside, Lima's National Museum is well laid out and very informative and is well worth a visit. If you only have time to visit just one museum in Lima then this should be your first choice even if it is located a little bit outside the city centre (take a taxi there, it's much safer than taking a bus). The numerous exhibits guide visitors through the highlights of the Pre-Conquest cultures (before the Spanish arrived). The exhibits are housed in vast salons spread over 3 floors and are ordered chronologically which is very helpful for getting to grips with the many cultures dispersed across Peru. A visit to the museum is recommended before you go to see the archaeological sites themselves. Displays are well labelled in both Spanish and English and include scale models of many of the Inca sights around Cusco as well as from the north of Peru such as the tomb of the Senor de Sipan, artefacts from Batan Grande (near Chiclayo), reconstructions of the friezes found at Huaca La Luna and Huaca El Brujo (near Trujillo) and other important sites. There is also a comprehensive range of traditional costumes from around the country and miniature models depicting life in pre-Conquest times as well as a good collection of ceramics and mummies.

Museo Larco (Museo Arqueologico Rafael Larco Herrera)
Avenida Bolivar 1515, Pueblo Libre. Open daily 09:00-18:00 Entrance fee 20 Soles (about US$6)This museum has the largest private collection of pre-Columbian ceramics in the world. It was founded in 1926 and is housed in an 18th century colonial mansion which itself was built upon a 7th century pre-Columbian pyramid. The museum mainly concentrates on items from the Moche Dynasty (A.D 200-700) who lived along the northern coast in an area near to present day Trujillo.

Museo Nacional de Arqueologia, Antropologia e Historia del Peru (National Archaeology and Anthropology Museum)
Plaza Bolivar, Pueblo Libre. Open Mon-Sat 09:00 - 18:00, Sun 10:00 - 17:00. Entrance fee about US$3. Houses one of the largest collections of artifacts from pre-Hispanic cultures in Peru, although it has lost some of its best pieces to the Museo de la Nacion recently. This museum was once a stately  colonial mansion that was the home of the leaders of the struggle for independence, Jose de San Martin and Simon Bolivar. Exhibits include the Tello Obelisk and Estela  de Raymondi from the site of Chavin de Huantar. Examples of the current exhibits and information about the museum can be found on their website http://museonacional.perucultural.org.pe/ingles/index.htm

Torre Tagle Palace
Jiron Ucayali 323. Telephone: (511) 311-2400 / 311-2769. Visiting hours: Reservation required through the Ministry of Foreign Relations. The construction of this two story building began in 1735 by order of the Marquis of Torre Tagle, Treasurer of the Spanish Royal Navy. It is considered to be one of the best representations of the eighteenth century Lima residential architectural style. Notable items are the carved wooden balcony, Baroque chapel decorated with mirrors and Colonial paintings, and the carefully worked stone entrance. Today, it is the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Relations.

Museum of the Central Reserve Bank of Peru
Jiron Ucayali 271. Telephone: (511) 613 2000 extensions 2655 and 2666 or 613-2773. Visiting hours: Mon. – Fri. 10:00 A.M. – 4:30 P.M. Sat. – Sun. 10:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. It contains three main thematic exhibition areas: Archeology, Contemporary Peruvian Painting, and Popular Art. The Museum is responsible for the recently restored Upper Tribunal of Accounts and the NumismaticMuseum.

Museum of Arts and Popular Traditions of the Riva Agüero Institute – Pontifical University Catholic of Peru
Jiron Camana 459. Telephone: (511) 427-7678 or 4279-275. Visiting hours: Mon. – Sat. 10:00 A.M. – 7:00 P.M. Web site: www.pucp.edu.pe/ira
Created in 1979, it gathers more than 5000 pieces of popular art belonging to important collections donated or submitted for their preservation. The textile and sacred image carving exhibits are the most impressive.

Santo DomingoChurch and Convent
Intersection of Jirones Conde de Superunda y Camana. Telephone: (511) 427-6793. Visiting hours: Mon. – Sat. 9:00 A.M. – 12:30 P.M. and 3:00 P.M. – 6:00 P.M. Sunday and holidays: 9:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M.
The church has three naves with an impressive cupola and finely carved cedar pews in the choir. The convent walls are decorated with tiles from Seville, and the main room features Baroque carvings. In 1551, the first university founded by the Spanish crown in the New World, the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, was established in the convent.

Santa Rosa de Lima Church and Monastery
Avenida Tacna, block 1; 4 blocks from the Main Square. Telephone: (511) 425-1279. Visiting hours: Mon. – Sun. 9:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. and 3:00 P.M. – 6:00 P.M.
The complex is made up of the Church and the Sanctuary. It was built between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries next to the house where Santa Rosa de Lima, patron saint of Lima, the Americas, and the Philippines, was born and lived. Highlights to see are the chapel, built in 1614, the lemon orchard planted by the saint, and the 19 meter deep well where, as the story says, she threw the key to the belt that she cinched on herself as a sign of penitence.

Lima Art Museum
Paseo Colon 125. Telephone: (511) 423-4732 / 423-6332 / 423-5149. Visiting hours: Thurs. – Tues. 10:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M. Web site: www.museodearte.org.peThis was set up in the former WorldExhibitionPalace (1869). They exhibit pre-Hispanic ceramics, textiles, and fine metal works. There are also collections of the most important paintings and works of art from Peru.

Italian Art Museum Peru
Avenida Paseo de la Republica 250. Tel: (511) 423-9932. Visiting hours: Mon. – Fri. 10:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.It was built by the Italian colony in honor of the hundred year anniversary of Peruvian independence and inaugurated in 1924. The Italian Renaissance facade is worked in white marble with the coats of arms of the main Italian cities and two mosaic panels with notable historical figures. Permanent exhibitions show art works from Italy with elements of Bramante architecture and decorative details inspired by Donatello, Ghiberti, Michelangelo, and Botticcelli.

ARCHAELOGICAL CENTER LIMA

Pachacamac Archeological Complex
31 km / 19 miles from Lima on the Pan-American Highway South (45 minutes by car). SiteMuseum Telephone: (511) 430-0168. Visiting hours: Mon. – Sun. 9:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M. It was the most important pre-Inca ceremonial center on the Peruvian coast. The main building material was mud. Around the complex, there are palaces, plazas, and temples (some of them restored), the most important being the Temple of the Sun and the Acllahuasi, both built during the Inca reign (1440 A.D. – 1533 A.D.) and the best preserved parts of the area. You will find a site museum that displays pieces found during the excavation.

Puruchuco Archeological Site
Kilometer marker 4,5. Telephone / fax: (511) 494-2641. Visiting hours: Mon. – Sun. and holidays – 8:30 A.M. – 4:30 P.M. Web site: http://museopuruchuco.perucultural.org.pe The Inca buildings (1440 A.D. – 1533 A.D.) are made of mud and adobe. It is thought to be a palace or a very important regional administrative center. The space is distributed along geometric lines and divided into three sectors, the most interesting being the area of patios and lookouts. During the excavation process, several human corpses were recovered, characterized by being placed in a fetal position and accompanied by everyday objects. You will find an interesting site Museum.

Cajamarquilla Archeological Site
Kilometer Marker 10, take the turnoff on the right hand side of the Rimac River and drive 5 km / 3 miles (lower part of the Jicamarca gorge).
It was built during the sixth and seventh centuries A.D., the period corresponding to the Lima culture. Its 167 hectares of mud buildings are considered the second largest among the pre-Hispanic Andean mud cities (after Chan Chan in La Libertad).

BEACH AND RESORT

Towards the North

You will find the resorts of Santa Rosa (km 43) and Ancon (km 44) known for its very calm waters, has been frequented by the people of Lima since the nineteenth century, and today it is a small city almost integrated to metropolitan Lima. It reached its heights as a beach resort in the 50’s and 60’s. It still maintains elegant buildings and an impressive marina, the Yacht Club.

Towards the South
Starting at kilometer marker 35 on unfold to reach the Pan-American Highway South, a series of beautiful beaches ungold to reach the city of Cañete, 135 km / 84 miles from Lima. The sandy or pebbly beaches whit perfect waves for surfing are: El Silencio (km 41.5), Señoritas (km 42), Peñascal (km 51 - San Bartolo), Pico Alto (km 43), and Punta Rocas (km 45). Many have been turned into residential beach resorts: Pulpos (km 41), Santa María and Embajadores (km 51), and Naplo (km 51). Others offer many services such as hotels, restaurants, and entertainment centers: Punta Hermosa and Punta Negra (km 45), San Bartolo (km 51), and Pucusana (km 57).

OTHER ATACCTIONS

District of Cieneguilla

20 km / 12 miles east of Lima on an asphalt highway towards Huarochirí (30 minutes by car).District located in the LurinRiver valley where you can enjoy its natural beauty. There are areas for camping and country restaurants for a family day.

Huachipa Zoological Gardens
Av. Las Torres, Ate-Vitarte. Kilometer marker 11 next to the HuachipaBridge. Telephone: (511) 356-3666, 356-1208, 356-3141. Visiting hours: Mon. – Sun. 9:00 A.M. – 5:30 P.M. including holidays except Christmas Eve. Web site: www.zoohuachipa.com
It shelters more than 2000 animals belonging to about 300 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, and fish. The BirdForest with its replicas of Peruvian tropical forests is very impressive as well as the Interactive Farm dedicated to children.

Chosica and Santa Eulalia
Kilometer markers 36-39 (50 minutes by car) in the highlands of Lima. Area with entertainment centers, clubs, and traditional restaurants. The place is ideal for relaxing in its fresh and sunny climate. It is also the entrance to the central Peruvian highlands.