Information
City: LimaCountry: Peru
Continent: South America
Lima, Peru, South America
Overview
Lima, Peru’s bustling capital on the Pacific, blends centuries-old colonial facades with lively markets, diverse cultures, and food so celebrated you can smell fresh ceviche drifting from its cafes.Lima, the country’s largest city, hums with commerce and culture, where glass towers rise beside centuries-old stone walls.Number one.Lima sits along Peru’s central west coast, gazing out over the Pacific, where sea breezes soften its mild desert climate.Rain is rare.From December to March, summer days feel warm and bright, climbing to about 30°C (86°F), while June to September brings cooler, gray skies and temperatures closer to 14°C (57°F).The city stretches across flat coastal plains, dotted with cliffs, hills, and river valleys.Long before the Spanish arrived, the Lima culture, the Ichma, and later the Incas shaped this land, leaving behind sites like the sunbaked adobe walls of Huaca Pucllana.In 1535, Francisco Pizarro founded “La Ciudad de los Reyes,” and under Spanish rule it flourished as the viceroyalty’s hub of trade, politics, and religion.After Peru’s independence in 1821, Lima grew into the nation’s energetic capital and cultural heart.Today, visitors wander the UNESCO-listed Historic Center, where Plaza Mayor is framed by the Government Palace, the grand Cathedral of Lima, and the ornate Archbishop’s Palace.The Basilica and Convent of San Francisco draws many for its quiet cloisters and shadowy catacombs, while the 18th-century Torre Tagle Palace stuns with hand-carved balconies.Art lovers find treasures at the Larco Museum, with its vibrant pre-Columbian ceramics, the Museum of the Nation, and the Museum of Art of Lima.The bohemian Barranco District hums with street murals, galleries, and the MATE museum.Ancient pyramids still rise at Huaca Pucllana in Miraflores and Huaca Huallamarca in San Isidro.Modern life thrives along Miraflores’ cliffside Malecón, in the illuminated fountains of Parque de la Reserva, and on the surf breaks of the Costa Verde.And everywhere, Lima’s reputation as South America’s culinary capital holds true, from bustling cevicherías to Michelin-starred restaurants.In Lima, you can savor ceviche-fresh fish cured in zesty lime juice, often paired with sweet potato and corn-dig into lomo saltado, where juicy beef sizzles with onions, tomatoes, and soy sauce before landing beside rice and fries, or try anticuchos, smoky skewers once made from beef heart; don’t miss aji de gallina, a silky chicken stew bathed in golden chili sauce.Dine at Central, celebrated worldwide for dishes echoing Peru’s landscapes, taste the bold Peruvian-Japanese fusion at Maido, or enjoy Astrid y Gastón, a trailblazer in modern local cuisine.Join Lima’s vibrant festivals, from the solemn processions of Semana Santa to the colorful chaos of February’s Carnaval with music and playful water fights; mark August 30 for Santa Rosa de Lima’s feast, and September for Mistura, the food fair that draws gourmands from across the globe.As Peru’s economic heart-home to banking towers, bustling markets, and factories-Lima holds nearly half the nation’s GDP, with Jorge Chávez International Airport as its main gateway, the Metropolitano bus rapid transit slicing through the city, metro expansion underway, and the busy Port of Callao linking it to the world.Yet the city faces rapid sprawl pushing shantytowns to its edges, smog from heavy traffic and industry, and the constant risk of earthquakes.Visit between December and April for warm, dry days, keep valuables close in crowds, and carry soles or dollars for purchases.Lima blends ancient ruins, colonial plazas, and a pulse of modern life-layers of history and energy you can taste, hear, and feel in every street.
Landmarks in lima
