Peru · Local picks
100+ Places to Visit in Peru
These are our picks across Peru, from clifftop cevicherías and Inca temples to floating reed islands, condor viewpoints and desert oases. Opening hours, tickets and routes change with the seasons and local events, so check before you go.
Places to Visit in Lima
Things to Do
- Malecón de Miraflores (Miraflores)
Clifftop parks and paths above the Pacific, perfect for a sunset walk or bike ride. - Circuito Mágico del Agua (Parque de la Reserva)
An evening fountain and light show in a large park, popular with families. - Chorrillos fishing pier (Chorrillos)
Watch the morning catch come in and eat ceviche at the small stalls by the water.
Arts and Culture
- Huaca Pucllana (Miraflores)
A pre Inca adobe pyramid in the middle of the city, with guided tours and a restaurant overlooking it. - Museo Larco (Pueblo Libre)
Superb pre Columbian ceramics, gold and textiles in a colonial mansion with bougainvillea gardens. - San Francisco Monastery (Historic Centre)
A baroque monastery with a famous library and bone filled catacombs beneath the church. - Plaza Mayor (Historic Centre)
The grand main square with the cathedral, the Government Palace and the midday changing of the guard. - Puente de los Suspiros (Barranco)
The romantic wooden Bridge of Sighs, surrounded by murals and colourful houses. - MATE Museo Mario Testino (Barranco)
A photography museum in a colonial house, with Testino's portraits and rotating shows. - MAC Lima (Barranco)
The contemporary art museum, with modern Peruvian and Latin American work and a sculpture garden.
Restaurants
- Central (Barranco)
Virgilio Martínez's tasting menu that travels through Peru's altitudes and ecosystems, booked well ahead. - Maido (Miraflores)
Nikkei cooking that blends Japanese technique with Peruvian ingredients in an intimate setting. - La Mar (Miraflores)
Gastón Acurio's lively lunchtime cevichería, a classic for fresh seafood. - El Chinito (Historic Centre)
An old school sandwich counter famous for chicharrón and roast pork sandwiches. - Barrio Chino (Historic Centre)
Lima's Chinatown, the birthplace of chifa, with dozens of busy Chinese Peruvian restaurants. - Panchita (Miraflores)
Generous Creole cooking, anticuchos and Peruvian desserts in a cheerful dining room. - Isolina (Barranco)
Hearty traditional Lima taberna dishes made for sharing in a relaxed old house.
Shopping and Markets
- Mercado de Surquillo (Surquillo)
A local market for tropical fruit, fresh fish and inexpensive lunch counters. - Inka Market (Miraflores)
A big craft market for alpaca textiles, ceramics and souvenirs from across Peru.
Cafés
- Tostaduría Bisetti (Barranco)
A roaster and café pouring Peruvian single origin coffee near Barranco's main square.
Bars and Nightlife
- Ayahuasca Bar (Barranco)
Creative cocktails in the salons of a restored nineteenth century mansion. - Bar Cordano (Historic Centre)
A historic bar beside the Government Palace serving butifarras and drinks since the early twentieth century.
Nature and Outdoors
- Pachacamac (Lurín)
A vast pre Inca sanctuary of adobe temples south of the city, with a modern site museum. - Parque El Olivar (San Isidro)
A peaceful old olive grove in the business district, ideal for a picnic.
Stays
- Belmond Miraflores Park (Miraflores)
A luxury hotel on the Malecón with a rooftop pool facing the ocean. - Hotel B (Barranco)
A boutique art hotel in a restored mansion near Barranco's cliffs.
Places to Visit in Cusco
Arts and Culture
- Qorikancha (Centro)
The Inca Temple of the Sun, its fine stone walls built into the Santo Domingo convent. - Sacsayhuamán (Above the city)
Giant zigzag Inca walls on a hill above Cusco, centre stage for Inti Raymi. - Cusco Cathedral (Plaza de Armas)
Colonial paintings of the Cusco School, including a Last Supper with guinea pig. - Museo de Arte Precolombino (San Cristóbal)
A compact, beautifully lit collection of ancient Peruvian art in a colonial mansion. - Twelve angled stone (Hatun Rumiyoc)
A single Inca stone fitted perfectly with twelve corners, in a quiet lane off the plaza. - Andahuaylillas church (Andahuaylillas)
A village church so richly painted inside it is nicknamed the Sistine Chapel of the Andes.
Shopping and Markets
- San Pedro Market (San Pedro)
The city's main market for juices, bread, cheese and inexpensive set lunches. - San Blas artisan workshops (San Blas)
Small studios of potters, carvers and painters in Cusco's bohemian quarter. - Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco (Avenida El Sol)
Weavers from local communities demonstrate techniques and sell textiles directly.
Restaurants
- Chicha por Gastón Acurio (Plaza Regocijo)
Andean ingredients from the Cusco region cooked with flair. - Cicciolina (Centro)
A warm, candlelit upstairs restaurant and tapas bar loved by locals and visitors. - Pachapapa (San Blas)
Courtyard restaurant with a wood fired oven for Andean and Peruvian classics. - Quinta Eulalia (San Cristóbal)
A traditional quinta serving hearty Cusqueño dishes at lunchtime in a garden courtyard.
Cafés
- ChocoMuseo Cusco (Centro)
Chocolate workshops where you make your own bar from Peruvian cacao.
Bars and Nightlife
- Museo del Pisco (Centro)
A bar devoted to pisco, with tasting flights and creative cocktails.
Things to Do
- San Cristóbal viewpoint (San Cristóbal)
A church terrace with a classic view over the red rooftops of Cusco at sunset. - Planetarium Cusco (Sacsayhuamán road)
An evening show explaining how the Incas read the stars and the dark constellations.
Nature and Outdoors
- Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca)
Striped mineral slopes at close to 5,000 metres, a tough but famous day hike. - Palccoyo (Checacupe)
A quieter rainbow mountain with an easier walk than Vinicunca. - Humantay Lake (Soraypampa)
A turquoise glacier lake beneath Salkantay, reached on a steep morning hike. - Waqrapukara (Acomayo)
A dramatic Inca site on a rock horn above the Apurímac canyon, far from the crowds.
Events
- Inti Raymi (Sacsayhuamán)
The Inca festival of the sun on 24 June, with a grand ceremony and city wide celebrations. - Corpus Christi (Plaza de Armas)
Saints from Cusco's parishes are paraded through the plaza with music and feasting.
Stays
- Belmond Hotel Monasterio (Centro)
A luxury hotel in a sixteenth century seminary with a cloister and chapel. - Inkaterra La Casona (Plaza Nazarenas)
An intimate boutique hotel in a colonial manor house.
Places to Visit in Sacred Valley
Arts and Culture
- Pisac archaeological park (Pisac)
Sweeping Inca terraces and temples on a mountain above the town. - Ollantaytambo ruins (Ollantaytambo)
A terraced temple fortress above a town still built on its Inca street plan. - Moray (Maras)
Circular Inca terraces thought to have been an agricultural laboratory. - Machu Picchu (Aguas Calientes)
The Inca citadel on its mountain ridge, the reason many people come to Peru.
Shopping and Markets
- Pisac Market (Pisac)
A busy craft and produce market spreading across the town's main square. - Chinchero Sunday market (Chinchero)
A market where farmers trade produce and weavers sell their textiles.
Things to Do
- Maras salt pans (Maras)
Thousands of terraced salt pools on a hillside, worked since before the Incas. - Sky Lodge Adventure Suites via ferrata (Pachar)
Climb a cliff on a via ferrata and zipline down, or stay in glass pods on the rock face. - Inca Trail (Km 82)
The classic four day trek to the Sun Gate above Machu Picchu, with permits that sell out early.
Nature and Outdoors
- Huchuy Qosqo (Lamay)
A hilltop Inca site reached on a beautiful day hike above the valley. - Awana Kancha (Pisac road)
Llamas, alpacas and vicuñas, with weaving demonstrations along the valley road. - Huayna Picchu (Machu Picchu)
The steep peak behind the citadel, climbed on a limited ticket for a bird's eye view. - Lares trek (Lares)
A trek through weaving villages and high passes, with hot springs at the start.
Restaurants
- MIL (Moray)
Virgilio Martínez's Andean tasting menu right beside the Moray terraces.
Stays
- Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel (Aguas Calientes)
Cloud forest cottages and orchid gardens on the edge of the village. - Tambo del Inka (Urubamba)
A riverside resort with its own train station to Machu Picchu. - Sol y Luna (Urubamba)
A lodge of garden casitas with a pool, horse shows and a good restaurant. - El Albergue (Ollantaytambo)
A historic guesthouse on the station platform with a farm and restaurant.
Places to Visit in Arequipa
Arts and Culture
- Santa Catalina Monastery (Centro)
A walled city of painted lanes and courtyards where nuns lived for centuries. - Museo Santuarios Andinos (Centro)
Home to Juanita, an Inca child offering found frozen on Ampato volcano. - Plaza de Armas de Arequipa (Centro)
Arcaded square of white sillar stone with El Misti rising behind the cathedral. - Iglesia de la Compañía (Centro)
A Jesuit church with a carved stone façade and painted chapel.
Things to Do
- Mirador de Yanahuara (Yanahuara)
White stone arches framing the cone of El Misti. - Molino de Sabandía (Sabandía)
A restored colonial stone mill in green countryside outside the city. - Mundo Alpaca (San Lázaro)
See alpacas and the stages of turning fleece into fine cloth.
Shopping and Markets
- San Camilo Market (Centro)
The city market for fruit juices, cheeses, bread and local lunches.
Restaurants
- La Nueva Palomino (Yanahuara)
A classic picantería for rocoto relleno, chupe de camarones and chicha. - Sol de Mayo (Yanahuara)
A long running picantería with courtyard tables and Arequipeño dishes. - Zig Zag (Centro)
Meats grilled on volcanic stone in a sillar building with a cast iron staircase. - Chicha Arequipa (Centro)
Gastón Acurio's take on regional cooking in a colonial courtyard.
Cafés
- Queso helado stands (Plaza de Armas)
Sample Arequipa's cinnamon dusted ice cream from vendors around the plazas.
Nature and Outdoors
- Cruz del Cóndor (Colca Canyon)
The viewpoint where condors rise on morning thermals above the canyon. - La Calera hot springs (Chivay)
Hot pools by the river, a welcome warm up after the high pass. - Sangalle oasis (Colca Canyon)
Palm shaded pools at the bottom of the canyon, reached on a hard trek. - Salinas y Aguada Blanca Reserve (Arequipa)
High plains where vicuñas graze below volcanoes on the road to Colca.
Stays
- Casa Andina Premium Arequipa (Centro)
A hotel in a colonial mansion that once housed the mint. - Colca Lodge (Yanque)
Riverside lodge with thermal pools and terraces in the Colca valley.
Events
- Arequipa anniversary week (Centro)
Parades, music and food fill the city around 15 August.
Places to Visit in Puno
Things to Do
- Uros floating islands (Lake Titicaca)
Islands built from totora reeds, a short boat ride from Puno. - Amantaní homestay (Lake Titicaca)
Spend a night with a family on a rural island with hilltop temples. - Llachón community tourism (Capachica)
Homestays and lake walks on a quiet peninsula. - Kuntur Wasi viewpoint (Puno)
A condor statue above the town with wide lake views.
Arts and Culture
- Taquile (Lake Titicaca)
A hilly island known for its men's knitting and stone arched paths. - Sillustani (Lake Umayo)
Tall circular burial towers on a peninsula above a lake. - Yavari steamship (Puno port)
A Victorian ship carried over the Andes in pieces, now a museum. - Juli churches (Juli)
A small lakeside town with several grand colonial churches.
Events
- Fiesta de la Candelaria (Puno)
Tens of thousands of dancers in elaborate costumes each February.
Shopping and Markets
- Mercado Central de Puno (Centro)
A local market for quinoa, potatoes, cheese and warm woollens.
Stays
- Titilaka (Lake Titicaca)
A remote lakeside lodge with guided walks and kayaking. - Libertador Lago Titicaca (Isla Esteves)
A lake island hotel with wide views of the water.
Places to Visit in Paracas
Nature and Outdoors
- Ballestas Islands (Paracas)
A boat trip to rocky islands crowded with sea lions, penguins and seabirds. - Paracas National Reserve (Paracas)
Desert cliffs, red beaches and the viewpoint of La Catedral.
Arts and Culture
- Paracas Candelabra (Paracas)
A giant figure cut into a sandy hillside, seen from the boats to Ballestas. - Museo Julio C. Tello (Paracas)
A site museum on the ancient Paracas culture and its textiles.
Things to Do
- Huacachina oasis (Ica)
A lagoon in giant dunes, with sandboarding and dune buggy rides. - Nazca Lines overflight (Nazca)
Small planes fly over huge ancient lines and figures in the desert. - Kitesurfing in Paracas Bay (Paracas)
Steady afternoon winds and flat water make the bay good for lessons.
Stays
- Hotel Paracas, a Luxury Collection Resort (Paracas)
A bayside resort with pools and a private pier.
Restaurants
- El Chorrillo seafront restaurants (Paracas)
Simple cevicherías along the waterfront by the pier.
More to Explore
We are still checking these with fresh sources, so confirm opening times before you go.
- Café Bisetti (Barranco, Lima)
Cosy espresso bar in a historic house, good for an afternoon slice of cake. - Bar Inglés (Miraflores, Lima)
The bar of the Country Club Lima hotel, often credited with one of the city's finest pisco sours. - Mistura food fair (Lima, Lima)
Peru's big food festival, held in some years, celebrating cooks and producers from every region. - Pariwana Hostel Lima (Miraflores, Lima)
A sociable hostel near Parque Kennedy with private rooms as well as dorms. - Morena Peruvian Kitchen (Centro, Cusco)
Modern Peruvian comfort food and juices close to the plaza. - Café Valeriana (Centro, Cusco)
A bakery café with good coffee, pastries and quick lunches. - Museo del Café (Centro, Cusco)
Coffee roasting exhibits and a café in a colonial courtyard. - Mama Africa (Plaza de Armas, Cusco)
A long running club for dancing late into the night. - Pariwana Hostel Cusco (Centro, Cusco)
A social hostel in a colonial courtyard house with private rooms. - Centro Textil Urpi (Chinchero, Sacred Valley)
A weaving cooperative showing how wool is spun, dyed and woven. - Huacatay (Urubamba, Sacred Valley)
Peruvian fusion cooking in a small garden restaurant. - Hacienda Huayoccari (Urubamba, Sacred Valley)
Long country lunches in a colonial hacienda with gardens and art. - Café Mayu (Ollantaytambo, Sacred Valley)
A café by the train station, handy before the ride to Aguas Calientes. - Mandor Gardens and waterfall (Aguas Calientes, Sacred Valley)
A walk along the railway to a botanical garden and waterfall in the cloud forest. - Señor de Choquekillka (Ollantaytambo, Sacred Valley)
A lively town festival with dances and processions around Pentecost. - Casona Forum (San Francisco, Arequipa)
A complex of bars and a club in an old house near the centre. - Mojsa (Plaza de Armas, Puno)
Andean and novoandino dishes overlooking the main square. - La Casona (Centro, Puno)
Hearty lake trout and Altiplano dishes in a traditional dining room. - Bodega El Catador (Ica, Paracas)
A family pisco and wine maker with tastings and old clay jars.