WHAT TO SEE IN LIMA IN ONE DAY

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Day 2: LIMA

We have jetlag, confirmed. We have woken up every hour throughout the night.
After 3 failed attempts to go back to sleep, we get up, order things a bit and after preparing we go straight to our breakfast room hotel in Miraflores, the Casa Andina Miraflores Center to have breakfast, to load energies and face everything we have what to see in Lima.

Having breakfast at Casa Andina

With the batteries already charged we leave our hotel in Miraflores few minutes before 7 in the morning and we go straight to the first of things what to see in Lima We have signed up, the Parque del Amor, which is located less than a kilometer from our hotel.

As soon as we went out to the street we found that fog that we had read so much and we verified that it is so true that it even seems that our breath collapses and we have to take a deeper breath so that the air reaches you, although doing this, you also There is a smell of pollution that makes us doubt if the fog is really that or is mixed with the smoke of the cars, something that makes us almost confirm it is the amount of traffic that we are crossing, including the famous, very full groups of people.
We have only been in Peru for a few hours, but we intuit that we will like this country a lot.
After a good walk from Miraflores to the Love Park, where we arrived after 7.30 in the morning, the day is still quite covered and the cold is present, something we did not expect much less.
The Lima Love Park It is much smaller than we imagined, but it is certainly a beautiful corner under this gray sky that covers us.
An interesting option for this first day in Lima is to book this guided tour in Spanish or this free tour so you don't miss out on anything important and get to know the history of the city better. Another alternative is to book this private guided tour in Spanish.

Love Park in Lima

From here we have privileged views of the famous La Rosa Náutica restaurant in Lima, where we have planned, perhaps, to have lunch or dinner on the last day we are in the city before returning home.

La Rosa Nautical Restaurant

While we are having a most enjoyable time, the story of the day arrives and that is when Roger is taking a picture of me and when I sit on the bench I hear that noise that nobody wants to hear when you are traveling and wear the right clothes to spend 21 days . Pants broken by the seam that shows half leg. So I can already have one less pants in my backpack.

Details of the Love Park

From here we continue along the coast of the city of Lima until we reach the Larcomar Shopping Center, which is still closed at this time, so we go around the surroundings and decide to take the metropolitan, right next to the Sheraton Hotel to go directly to the next place what to see in Lima, arms square.

Larcomar Shopping Center that is still closed at this time

It must be said that the bus is a small bus, but comfortable and that costs much less than any other transport.
As soon as you enter and almost with one foot on the road starts and the boy who controls the door, tells us that we settle back that still remains to arrive, so without giving us the price, we understand that we will pay at the exit and we sit enjoying the almost 20 minutes tour through the streets of Lima.

Collective in Lima

They notify us when we are arriving at the Plaza de Armas and pay 1.50 soles per person. Imagine that a Taxi is approximately 20 soles from Miraflores to Plaza de Armas As we were told at the hotel. So you can get an idea of savings.
We have stopped in Callao and we walk the street until we reach the Plaza de Armas where we began to meet some tourists, who until now we had not seen and we began to see more atmosphere in the streets than we have seen so far.

More practical information to prepare your trip to Peru
- 10 essential places to visit in Lima
- 10 essential places to visit in Peru
- 10 essential tips for traveling to Peru
- The best travel insurance for Peru
- The best free tours in Lima for free

The Main Square of Lima, also called Plaza Mayor, has 140 square meters and is the heart of the city of Lima.
There is no longer any of the original buildings, the oldest preserved is the impressive bronze fountain of the center and the Cathedral, rebuilt after the earthquake of 1746.
The Archbishop's Palace to the left of the Cathedral, is quite modern, dating back to 1924. On the northeast side stands the Government Palace, built in 1937, residence of the president of Peru.
In the corner of the Plaza de Armas, in front of the Cathedral, is the impressive equestrian statue of Francisco Pizarro.

Lima Weapons Square

It is 9.30 in the morning, so after walking around the area, we go to the first place to see in Lima that could not be other than its famous Cathedral.

Lima Weapons Square

We pay 10 soles per person and delight in a highly recommended visit.
The original Cathedral remained small for its congregation in just ten years and the works of its successor began in 1564 and was consecrated, unfinished, in 1625.
The interior is austere but impressive, with an incredibly carved choir and a religious museum in the back.

Interior of the Cathedral of Lima

Do not miss the grave and the remains of Francisco Pizarro in the chapel lined with mosaics, to the right of the main door.
When we leave the Cathedral of Lima, we are stopped by two tourist police officers, who, apart from giving us a lesson in the history of Lima, provide us with a map of the city, warn us not to leave the tourist areas, not to walk at night, that we only change money in the banks, that we do not take any taxi that is not yellow ...

Book the best rated tours and excursions in Spanish in Lima by travelers:
- Excursion to Ica and flight over the Nazca Lines
- Lima Food Tour
- Full Lima tour with tickets
- Night tour + Magic Water Circuit
- Free tour of Lima Free!
- Many more excursions and tours here

If we get to tell you that we come in in bus from Miraflores to the Plaza de Armas, probably all those tips would have been saved.
After this meeting with the city police, we go to second place what to see in Lima, the Monastery of San Francisco, which is very close to the Plaza de Armas.

San Francisco Monastery

We arrive at the square that welcomes you and after paying the 7 soles per person, we join a group of 5 people who will make the tour (mandatory) in Spanish.

Interior of the Monastery of San Francisco, in a "stolen" photo.

The Monastery of San Francisco is very famous for its catacombs and its incredible library, where you can admire thousands of ancient texts, some from the time of the conquest.
It is estimated that about 70,000 bodies rest in their catacombs, some of them in crypts full of bones that have even been placed "in a decorative sense."
This is a very interesting tour and visit that reminds us in many moments of the catacombs of Rome and the Vatican.
And how could it be otherwise, the moment we enter his impressive library, the memories of the Library to Melk's come to mind.
As an anecdote we have to say that at the moment we are going to leave the Monastery of San Francisco, we meet a group of people who sound a lot to us and when we stop the attention we remember the faces of some of them: yesterday's KLM crew .
We leave when it is 12 in the morning, with a sun that comforts anyone, and after taking some photos we go directly to the Parque de la Muralla, where before in the Cathedral of Lima, we have been told that they had placed the equestrian statue that before it was in the Plaza de Armas and we have been unable to find.

Wall Park

After this brief visit, we take the road to the Plaza de San Martín, stopping before at the bank that is right next to the Plaza de Armas, where we see that the change is at 3.63 soles per euro, but as there is a lot of queue and close at 17.30 in the afternoon, we prefer to take advantage of the time to go to follow today's journey with things what to see in Lima and come back in the afternoon.

Streets of downtown Lima

On the street that takes us to Plaza San Martín, we stop at a shop in Claro, a customer service office (which, by the way, there are about 10 on the street) and buy a card or chip, as they say here, prepaid for 15 soles plus 35 soles the charge of 1 GB for 15 days.
With this we are ready to go well armed with cutting-edge technology.

Remember that another option is to choose to buy one Holafly SIM card being in Spain, with which you will have internet from the moment you land, saving you all the time of the negotiations and making the whole process to have internet much more comfortable, fast and easy.
In this case, with the Holafly SIM you will have several Gb to surf the Internet (depending on the option you choose), they will send it to you for free at home, you will keep your WhatsApp number and you will have assistance service in Spanish. You can buy your Holafly prepaid SIM card here with a 5% discount for being our reader

More information on the Holafly post, the best prepaid SIM card for travel

While in the store, we see the money changers right next door and we decided to change 100 euros to 3.75 soles the euro to try, although the police have advised against it.
And we can say that we have not had any problems, vice versa. So in these cases you don't know who to pay attention to.
We arrive at Plaza San Martín and the first thing we see is the Hotel Bolívar de Lima and the famous flame statue.

Hotel Bolívar in Lima

San Martin Plaza

The Plaza San Martín de Lima was built at the beginning of the 20th century. It presents architecture of French influence and an equestrian statue of the general liberator San Martín de bronze, erected in 1921.
One of the most famous stories of this square is that of the statue of the Motherland commissioned by Spain with the instruction to place a crown of flames on its head. And since nobody was in charge of explaining the meaning of the word, we find an adorable alpine flame.

Alpine "flame" crown

It's almost 2 in the afternoon when we just walked through the San Matín Plaza area, so we took the opportunity to eat at a restaurant in the square for 21.50 soles. 2 executive menus plus a bottle of water for both.

Testing ceviche in Lima

How could it be otherwise, we took the opportunity to try ceviche for the first time and we have to say that although we liked it, we found it very strong.
After this charge of energy, we return to the Lima Weapons Square stopping before in a Mcdonalds to have a coffee and a cappuccino for 6 soles.
The day is completely clear of the fog this morning and it seems that we are in a city totally different from the one we saw and this morning when we left our neighborhood from Miraflores to the Love Park.
Again on our way to the places we have left what to see in Lima, we stop again at the bank where we stopped this morning but it was full and we changed the bulk of the money that we will need at a less favorable exchange, 3.63 soles per euro, but safer as we have read and told us the police. Nor do we want to tempt fate and be cheated and more the first day of travel to Peru for free.
When we return to the Plaza de Armas, we cannot avoid taking some more photos and we take a yellow taxi that for 25 soles, does not allow us to haggle, takes us to Huana Pullcana.
It took almost half an hour to reach from the Plaza de Armas to Huana Pullcana, since traffic is impossible.
We almost don't realize it and when we look at the clock it's after 4 in the afternoon, which makes us realize that if we don't hurry up, we'll be left without seeing the last place we have what to see in Lima.
We arrive at the entrance and after paying 12 soles per person, we wait 15 minutes to join a tour in Spanish. Another place where organized visit is mandatory.

Huana Pullcana

The visit to Huana Pullcana lasts an hour in which we enjoy as children the whole tour guided by a guide that explains the whole history of the place.
Huana Pullcana is a huaca or pyramid structure of adobe of the year 400 that was remodeled during the following three centuries.

Enjoying Huana Pullcana in Lima

When we are in the middle of the route to Huana Pullcana, the sky begins to cover up and we welcome the same fog that this morning received us in Lima.
It's a little after 6 p.m. when we finish the visit and decide that it is best to go directly to the Larcomar Shopping Center area, where we want to go for a walk and take advantage of dinner for something.
From Huana Pullcana to the Larcomar Shopping Center there are about 2 kilometers away, so we take a bus that for 1 sun per person takes us to our new destination of the day.
The truth is that we love the atmosphere in these groups, nothing to do with the taxi or the metropolitan, so if you have the opportunity to use them, do not stop doing it.
We arrived at the Larcomar Shopping Center at almost 7 pm and took the opportunity to take a walk around the mall that this morning was closed and take the opportunity to buy some pants and throw away mine that were already being torn so much that I was afraid to return to the hotel in Miraflores trouserless.

Night arrives at the Larcomar Shopping Center

We stopped for dinner at Lucha Sangucheria Criolla, where we ordered a couple of sandwiches, one of tuna and another of pork rinds, plus two combined fruit drinks and a serving of potatoes for 50.40 soles.

Having dinner at a sangcheria at the Larcomar Shopping Center

It's almost 8 at night when we start to dine on your terrace surrounded by a lively atmosphere that we didn't expect at all.
After 9 pm we leave the Larcomar Shopping Center and being closed night, we take a taxi that takes us to our sun for 15 soles. hotel in Miraflores, the Casa Andina Miraflores Centro.
Once at the reception, we take the opportunity to book a taxi that comes to look for us at 5.30 in the morning to take us to the Cruz del Sur station where we have our bus to Paracas at 6.30 in the morning.
Now it's time to dream about Lima ...