Lima
A capital on the cliffs above the Pacific, with a food scene worth the journey.
Lima sits on cliffs above the grey Pacific, a colonial capital with a baroque centre, the ruins of earlier cultures inside its suburbs and the restaurants that have made it a destination on its own. Most visitors pass through on the way to Cusco and Machu Picchu; a couple of days here are well spent.
Why go
For the food, first: ceviche at lunch, anticuchos from a cart, a pisco sour at a bar over the sea, and the tasting rooms that put the city on the culinary map. Then for the centre's squares, churches and catacombs, and the pre-Inca gold in the Larco Museum.
And for the coast: the clifftop parks of Miraflores with paragliders overhead, the bohemian streets of Barranco, the surfers below and the islands off the coast for sea lions.
Highlights
What people go for, in no particular order.
01The Plaza de Armas and the historic centre
The cathedral, the archbishop's and the government palaces with their wooden balconies, the San Francisco monastery's library and catacombs, and the old streets around them.
02The Larco Museum
Pre-Columbian gold, ceramics and textiles in a colonial mansion of bougainvillea, with the storerooms open to walk through and a restaurant in the garden.
03Miraflores and the malecón
The clifftop parks and promenade above the Pacific, with paragliders launching, the Parque del Amor's mosaic bench and the Huaca Pucllana adobe pyramid a few streets inland.
04Barranco
The seaside district of painted mansions, the Bridge of Sighs, galleries, bars with live music and the stairs down to the beach.
05The food
Cevicherías at lunchtime, the market at Surquillo, Chinese-Peruvian chifas, Japanese-Peruvian nikkei and the tasting menus that draw diners from around the world.
06The Palomino islands and Pachacamac
A boat from Callao to swim with sea lions off the islands, and the pre-Inca temple city of Pachacamac in the desert south of the city.
Areas
Where to base yourself, and what each area is like.
Miraflores
The clifftop district with most hotels, restaurants and parks, and the ocean in view. The usual base.
Barranco
Boutique hotels in old mansions in the arts district, a walk along the cliffs from Miraflores.
San Isidro
The business and embassy district with its olive grove park, quiet and central.
When to go: Lima
- SummerDecember – April
- Warm, sunny and dry on the coast, with beach days and clear evenings over the sea. The pleasant season in Lima itself.
- WinterJune – September
- Grey, damp and cool under the coastal mist called the garúa, rarely raining but rarely bright. The dry season in Cusco and the Andes, so most visitors come now.
- Shoulder monthsMay, October and November
- Between the two, with the mist coming or going and the city comfortable for walking.
Getting there
Airports
One airport in our search serves Lima. Distances are measured in a straight line.
- LIMJorge Chávez International
Distance from
- JFKNew York5,870 km
- LHRLondon10,150 km
- CDGParis10,270 km
- JNBJohannesburg10,900 km
- SYDSydney12,800 km
- DXBDubai14,820 km
- BOMMumbai16,700 km
- SINSingapore18,820 km
Getting around: Lima
The airport is in Callao, some way from Miraflores; a pre-arranged transfer or a registered taxi is the way in. Ride-hailing works well within the city.
Miraflores, Barranco and the malecón are walked and cycled; the historic centre is a taxi or the Metropolitano bus away. Flights to Cusco take a little over an hour.
Practical facts
The country, its currency and languages, the time zone and the time there now.
- Country
- Peru
- Currency
- PEN · Peruvian Sol
- Languages
- Spanish and Quechua
- Time zone
- Peru Standard Time
- Local time now
- Calling code
- +51
The atlas
Lima in figures
The figures under this guide: the climate on modelled 2001–2020 averages, how far it is from the UAE, and the places around it.
Climate
The weather in Lima, month by month
- Jan23°
- Feb23°
- Mar23°
- Apr23°
- May22°
- Jun22°
- Jul21°
- Aug21°
- Sept22°
- Oct21°
- Nov22°
- Dec22°
- Mild to warm and dry
- Mild to warm, humid or showery
- Hot
- Cool
- Wet
- Cold
Good for going all year, on these averages.
Mean highs run from 21°C in July to 23°C in March, with about 24 mm of rain in a year.
These are modelled averages for 2001–2020; the seasons described above are our own reading of a typical year.
Month-by-month climate for LimaModelled averages for an area about 50 km across, not a weather station's record: NASA POWER climatology, 2001–2020.
The model's grid cell sits about 1,043 m higher than the town, so real temperatures there run a little warmer than these.
Airports
How far it is from the UAE
From DXBLima
14,820 km
18 hrs 10 mins · Estimate
From AUHLima
14,760 km
18 hrs 5 mins · Estimate
The great-circle distance, and a rough flying time: the distance at an average 850 km/h plus 45 minutes for take-off and landing. Real flights follow airways, meet headwinds and wait for traffic, so schedules differ.
On the map
Places near Lima
Plan this trip: Lima
Open the trip builder with Lima already filled in. Flights, stays and everything else are priced together in one quote, prepared by a person on our team.
