Lima, Peru

Tips: 

• Many people don’t speak english so best advice is to know basic Spanish

• Get cash. Very few places take credit card. They also don’t accept ripped bills so make sure to check your bills before taking change from someone.

• There is no such thing as fast service. Prepare to wait a long time for your food. This was a common theme.

• Listen to the locals when they say where or where not to go. Miraflores and Barranco are very safe and great neighborhoods. They are so big you hardly need to leave them. If you do, be careful. Downtown Lima has beautiful churches and shops and is safe during the day. It gets a bit risky at night.

 

Common Phrases:

• Hello- Hola

• Good morning- Buenos dias

• Good afternoon- Buenas tardes

• Good evening- Buenas noches

• See you later- hasta luego

• Whats up?- Que tal?

• The bill- La cuenta

• How much does it cost?- Cuanto cuesta?

• Please- Por favor

• Thank you- gracias

• Thanks you very much- Muchas gracias

• No-no

• Yes- si

 

Unique:

• Pisco is the liquor that is most popular in Peru. Its origin is disagreed upon between Peruvians and Chileans but it originated from this region. Pisco sour is the most popular drink with pisco.

• Ceviche & Causa rellena are also another local dishes that is a MUST for all tourists. Ceviche is usually slices of a type of fish mixed with cilantro, sweet potato, corn, and onion and marinated in lime juice. There are many variations but you get the idea. Causa is usually a layered dish with potatoes, olives and some type of meat.

• Asia is a small town about 1 and a half hours south of Lima. If you like private beaches and beautiful scenery then I highly suggest you search airbnb for a house to rent for a few days. They are large houses that fit large groups of people. Most houses you find will be in gated private communities and all of the houses are a beautiful white with gorgeous flowers surrounding. It’s a picture perfect place and very tranquil. We also got to see sea lions playing just off shore in the water! The sand also has small golden specs in it. The community we were in also had tennis courts, golfing, gym, large playground, pool and outdoor altar and seating for a wedding. Its an all around beautiful place.

• If you have a long time planned in Lima then make your first stop La Zapateria. Its a shoe store in Barranco that makes CUSTOM shoes. They ship worldwide but its always best to walk in and speak to the owner & shoemaker himself!

 

Food & Drink:

• Central is a splurge and needs to be booked MONTHS in advance but it is a once in a lifetime experience. It’s a Michelin starred restaurant and we have an 11 course meal with drink pairing. What makes this so unique compared to other similar restaurants like this is that the courses each represent a different altitude from where the food was sourced in Peru. Since Peru has so many altitudes this is an opportunity most places can’t manage.

• Popular is a typical chain restaurant like “Cheesecake factory” or “Carrabbas” but Peruvian style. I would recommend going here if you are scared to try local places. In my opinion the local places tasted much better than Popular but i felt i should mention it because it is still good and safe for those who need this.

• Punto Azul is one of the most popular places to eat ceviche. There is usually a long line out the door for a table but we managed to have no wait when we got there at 10:00pm. Their portions are also giant so it’s possible that 1 order of ceviche will fill 2 people’s stomachs. I highly recommend going here especially since the portions are large and the price isn’t.

• Mirasol restaurant in the Chorillos location is another great restaurant that is off the beaten path. It includes great prices, food and views of water. Its also a great place for lunch because you can walk to the cliffs after lunch and stroll all the way home.

• San Antonio is another chain restaurant and it’s more of a cafe. Their menu is HUGE and is best for breakfast or lunch. I would be shocked if you didn’t find something you liked on that menu.

• Ayahuasca bar and lounge was definitely a cool place to have drinks (or eat). It is a giant old house turned bar & restuarant. Great atmosphere and music make this a happening place at night.

 

Budget:

• Lima is situated along cliffs. Luckily there is a walking path the entire stretch and it leads into different neighborhoods. One of the best things to do for free is to walk these cliffs. There are all sorts of people selling things so its a fun walk to people watch.

• Barranco is also a very good neighborhood to walk around. They have lots of museums but the budget part of this is the street art and graffiti. It is all over Barranco.

• If you are looking for some free local art then head to a small natural food market & thrift shop in Barranco on 28 de Julio. I believe its called La Calandria. Its has free post cards featuring local artists. I thought this was a simple and cheap way to create a wall collage when i got home.

• Want a cool photo? Head to Barranco and the Ayahuasca bar. Just across the street is a lonely pair of angel wings waiting for someone to make them their own.

• Museo de electricidad is a free museum in Barranco and it has some pretty cool things to play with. They have a large lightbulb with many tinier bulbs inside and you can press different buttons representing all sorts of electronics to see how many light bulbs light up. those light bulbs represent how much electricity each one uses. you can find all sorts of old electronics too which can be nostalgic or a new discovery.

 

Shopping:

• Market in Lima offers some items that you will not find in Cusco so if you life shopping it is worth checking this market out.

• There is a local food market that is great if you plan on cooking yourself. Other than that I wouldn’t recommend planning to eat lunch at this market as it is not like other food markets which usually have both.

• Other than the local markets above it is pretty much a typical big city. There are shops everywhere but many are selling items you can find all over the world.

 

Downfalls:

Money confusion. Many people would quote prices in soles or dollars and some were even open to accepting US dollars as payment but since it was not consistent everywhere it became confusing. Id have preferred they stick to soles. Also, the fact that not every place takes credit card can be difficult for travellers which live in countries that predominantly use credit & debit.

 

Travel Details:

• 10 days total (Lima & Asia total 6 days)

• Dec-Jan

• Personal travel with 5 friends