2 Days in Lima (The Ultimate Lima Itinerary)

Last Updated: January 13 2024

Lima is easily one of the best cities we’ve ever visited. Found along Peru’s Pacific Coast, the city is one of the largest cities in South America and just so happens to be the capital of Peru.

This bustling city is famous for its breathtaking scenery, sky-rise buildings, rich history, charming neighbourhoods, and impressive colonial architecture. We spent a couple of days exploring Lima during our Peru trip and we think you should too!

To ensure you have the best experience in the city, we’ve decided to help you plan the perfect trip. To do that, we’ve put together a guide for your 2 days in Lima. We’ll show you everything you don’t want to miss in the city and tell you important things like how to get there, where to stay, and how to get around.

Let’s get started!

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A Quick Overview of Your 2 Days in Lima

Day 1:

The Basílica and Convent of San Francisco, Lima Main Square, Lima Cathedral, Larco Museum, Museo de Historia Natural, Magic Water Circuit

Day 2:

Huaca Pucllana Site Museum, Inka Market, Malecón de Miraflores, Larcomar, Barranco Neighborhood, Pan Sal Aire Restaurant, Enemys Bar/Curayacu Tiki Bar

Your 2 Days in Lima: Day One

To start off your 2 days in Lima, you’ll spend most of your time around the centre of the city, where most of the best architecture can be found. Most of the attractions are only a short distance apart too, so you won’t need to worry about doing too much travelling.

The Basílica and Convent of San Francisco

The first stop on day one is the Basílica and Convent of San Francisco in the Historic Center of Lima. Commonly referred to as “San Francisco de Jesús”, the Basílica and Convent is a huge complex.

The white and yellow architecture easily makes it one of the most imposing and interesting buildings in Lima. The outside alone makes it a worthwhile place to visit, but things only get better once you head inside!

Within the interior, you can find an ancient church that has been brilliantly restored, beautiful courtyards, the famous catacombs of Lima, and an enormous library that’s home to over 25,000 antique pieces of text!

Construction of the Basilica and Convent began in 1546. The catacombs were designed to support the building but they were used as a crypt for the entirety of Peru’s Spanish Era!

You can see the best of the Basilica and convent on this Lima Colonial City Tour.

Lima Main Square

No 2 days in Lima is complete without a visit to the Main Square. Located in the heart of Lima’s Historic Centre, this square was founded in 1535 by Francisco Pizarro.

This UNESCO World Heritage Site was once the headquarters of the Spanish Colonial Government. It’s also one of the most iconic landmarks in Peru.

In the past, the square has also served as a place of execution, a bullring, and a market. Thankfully, it is no longer any of those things! Today, the square is a lively attraction that features some of the most amazing pieces of architecture in the city.

Make sure you spend a couple of hours exploring the square. The key sites to keep your eyes peeled for include the Government Palace, the Municipal Palace, and the Archbishop’s Palace.

This Lima City Highlights tour will show you everything the main square has to offer. It includes roundtrip travel and an expert local guide!

Lima Cathedral

If you’d prefer to spend less time at the main square, we recommend just visiting the cathedral. Lima Cathedral is arguably the most iconic building in the city, so make sure you don’t miss it!

Also known by the names Lima Metropolitan Cathedral and the Basilica Metropolitan Cathedral of Lima, this Roman Catholic building is a sight to behold. Construction of the Cathedral started in 1602 but didn’t finish until 1797.

Based on the cathedral’s impressive appearance, it’s no surprise that it took so long to build. Interestingly, it was built on a former Incan shrine site and an ancient palace. It’s dedicated to St John, Apostle and Evangelist.

You can have a look inside the cathedral but we were satisfied by simply admiring the exterior. You will find Lima Cathedral on the east side of the main square, but in all honesty, you can’t miss it.

Larco Museum

After visiting Lima Cathedral, head to Larco Museum, which is a 1.5-hour walk from the main square. The walk is relatively easy, but you might want to jump in a taxi if you want to get there quickly. It should only take you 30 minutes in an Uber!

The Larco Museum was opened in 1926 by Peruvian archaeologist Rafael Larco Hoyle. This museum is one of the best places in the city to visit if you want to learn more about ancient Peru and pre-Columbian history.

Inside this 18th-century viceroyalty mansion, you’ll find an incredible collection of art that features approximately 45,000 exhibits. Serving as a gateway to ancient Peru, you can expect to have your mind blown during your visit!

If you want to make the most of your time at the museum, this half-day colonial Lima and Larco Museum tour includes a private guide is ideal.

Museo de Historia Natural

Another fantastic museum you should visit during your 2 days in Lima is Museo de Historia Natural. This museum is widely regarded as the best and most important museum in the country so you’ll want to leave at least an hour spare to explore it!

Established in 1918, the museum belongs to the National University of San Marcos and houses more than 1.8 million individual specimens. The exhibits range from new discoveries made in Peru to fossils that date back hundreds of thousands if not millions of years.

The collection in Museo de Historia Natural is the largest biological collection in Peru. We particularly enjoyed looking at the prehistoric dinosaur fossils and marine exhibitions that display some of Peru’s most famous marine animals.

If you’re wondering what to do in Lima, Peru with kids, then this is your place!

Magic Water Circuit

Peru is home to the largest water fountain park in the world and you can find it in Lima. In the evening, we recommend heading to the Magic Water Circuit.

Magic Water Circuit is a vast water fountain complex famous for its dazzling choreographed light shows. Every day, the complex opens between 3:00 pm and 10:00 pm.

At night, the 13 fountains come to life with colour, music, and interactive elements. What we love about the complex is how every fountain offers something different!

The Magic Foutain is capable of firing water 80 metres (262 feet) in the air, while the Fantasy Fountain is 120 metres (394 feet) long and features multiple sprays. As part of the show, lasers and lights project symbols and scenes that represent Peruvian culture.

You can easily spend an evening enjoying the fountains, so grab your Magic Water Circuit tickets in advance!

Grab something to eat in Miraflores

Miraflores is one of the most popular parts of Lima. As a result, there are lots of great places to grab something to eat!

It doesn’t matter if you’re looking for a quick bite, a street market, fine dining, or a casual meal in a restaurant, Miraflores has it all. This neighbourhood even has a variety of famous American fast food chains like Chili’s and Mcdonald’s.

We’re confident that you’ll spend some time in Miraflores during your Lima trip, so you should definitely grab some food while you’re there!

Your best bet is to head to the heart of the neighbourhood because you can then take a good look at all the options before you decide where to eat. If you want to eat like a local, look for a Peruvian restaurant that sells traditional food.

One of our favourite dishes was aji de gallina so give that a try!

Your 2 Days in Lima: Day Two

On day two of this 2 days in Lima itinerary, you’ll visit more of the city’s most popular attractions and have a chance to pick up some souvenirs and handcrafts from one of the many markets. You’ll then finish the day in the lively Barranco neighbourhood.

Huaca Pucllana Site Museum

Next up on your 2 days in Lima should be Huaca Pucllana Site Museum. This is where you’ll find the city’s ancient pyramid. Huaca Pucllana can get very busy so we recommend heading here first thing to avoid the crowds.

The museum opened in 1984 to display remains and artefacts discovered in the ancient pyramid during a research project in 1981. There is a circuit that runs around the lower part of the pyramid which gives tourists the chance to explore the unique site!

Originally used as a ceremonial site, you’ll see evidence from ancient settlers and will be able to observe the excavation process. You can then explore the small exhibition hall that displays the most important findings made at the site.

You do have to book the museum in advance, so for convenience, you might want to see it as part of a Lima highlights tour!

Inka Market

This place quickly became one of our favourite places in Lima and we’re sure it will become one of yours too. Inka Market and the streets that surround it are the perfect place to pick up souvenirs to take back home!

To put it simply, Inka Market is a large market complex that’s jam-packed with locals selling goods. You can find almost anything that you can imagine.

There are market stalls selling everything from Peruvian clothes and jewellery to artwork and handmade crafts. Admittedly, you might have a job sending artwork home, but simply taking a look around is enjoyable enough!

We came away from the market with a few bits and pieces for our house, some clothes, and some handmade jewellery. The market opens at 9 am and usually closes in the late afternoon. However, it can get busy so you might want to arrive early.

Malecón de Miraflores

Malecón de Miraflores is a long coastal path that runs across the front of the city. If you want to escape the hustle and bustle of Lima and take in some of the city’s best views, make sure you leave a couple of hours free to walk most of the esplanade.

One of the best things about the coastal path is that it doesn’t matter how far you walk. You can wander the full length of the path, join it halfway, or simply visit the most popular spots.

Malecón de Miraflores stretches for approximately 9.5 km (6 miles) and is pretty flat all the way. Along the path, keep your eyes peeled for some of Lima’s most iconic attractions. These include the Paddington Bear statue, Love Park, Larcomar, and the Japanese garden!

Occasionally, small markets and festivals pop up along the path, so be sure to keep an eye out for those too.

Shop at Larcomar

If you consider yourself a shopaholic, you might want to spare an hour or two to walk around the Larcomar shopping centre. Sitting on the cliff face, this modern shopping centre has lots of shops, a cinema, and a wide variety of places to eat!

Personally, we see this as a good wet weather plan. We visited Larcomar but we didn’t spend very long here as we were pretty tired at that point. However, that didn’t stop us from checking out some of the shops.

We walked around the bookshop, took a look at the cinema, and checked out the smaller vendors selling handmade jeans etc. We then headed to the top of the shopping centre to admire the views out to sea!

It’s also worth noting that Larcomar has a couple of seafront restaurants that offer impressive views of the coast, so you may want to grab some food while you’re there.

Explore the Barranco Neighbourhood

One of the best things to do in Lima is explore the Barranco neighbourhood. In our opinion, Barranco is the best part of the city because it has so many things to see and do, and is just generally a very nice area.

We stayed in Barranco twice during our time in Peru and we loved it both times. Downtown Barranco is lively, vibrant, and interesting, while the coastal part of the neighbourhood offers some great places to swim and some of the best restaurants in the city.

If you get the chance, visit Barranco’s Bohemian District or stop by the central plaza. Here, you’ll find an array of spectacular buildings and plenty of places to grab something to eat.

If you want to see more of Barranco, we recommend booking this Bohemian Barranco guided bike tour. This tour will allow you to cover more of the neighbourhood in a short amount of time.

Dine at Pan Sal Aire Restaurant

On the topic of Barranco, it seems only right that we mention one of our favourite places to eat in the neighbourhood. During your 2 days in Lima, you should eat at Pan Sal Aire!

Found in the centre of Barranco, just around the corner from Parque Municipal de Barranco, this is easily one of the best restaurants in the city. Pan Sal Aire is a high-quality Italian restaurant and eatery that serves the most amazing food and drink.

By Lima’s standard, the food and drink are quite pricey, but trust us, it’s well worth it. We tucked into a delicious pizza and pasta dish when we visited and treated ourselves to a few glasses of wine and a gorgeous cheesecake!

Pan Sal Aire is open for lunch and dinner so you could even pop in for some lunch or a coffee and cake if you wanted to.

Have a drink at Enemy’s House/Curayacu Tiki Bar

Lima is home to some of the quirkiest and coolest bars we’ve ever been to. Two of the best are Enemy’s House and Curayacu Tiki Bar, both of which can be found in Barranco. In our opinion, you should visit both!

Enemy’s House is a funky restaurant and bar that’s decorated with unique murals and artwork. The murals represent famous dark characters from movies and video games. Some of the characters displayed include Bellatrix Lestrange, Pennywise, and the Joker.

The bar also displays pictures of famous serial killers like John Wayne Gacy and Ted Bundy. Aside from the unique theme, the food and drink served here is awesome!

Curayacu Tiki Bar is just around the corner from Enemy’s House and it claims to be the first tiki bar in Peru. We indulged in a few exciting cocktails here, most of which came with flames, bright lights, and loud music. We played some fun board games too!

Helpful Information for Your 2 Days in Lima

How to get to Lima

If you’re flying into Peru from another country, there’s a very good chance you’ll be landing at Lima airport. Flying is probably the most accessible and easiest way to get to Lima, but there are other options!

If you already find yourself in Peru, you can get to Lima by bus or car. If you decide to travel by car, we recommend booking a private transfer in a minivan, as this will save you a lot of money.

You can save even more money by travelling to Lima by bus. We used Busbud to book bus transfers in Peru and it was incredibly easy and cost effective.

Some of the places you might travel from to get to Lima include Ica, Paracas, and Cusco. Having said that, you’ll be better off flying from Cusco to Lima because the bus takes 19 hours, as opposed to a 1.5-hour flight.

How to get around Lima

Seeing as though Lima is the capital city of Peru, you probably won’t be surprised to hear it’s a very easy city to get around. There are plenty of transport options available, so you should never struggle to get where you want to go!

For starters, Lima has a metro and bus system. The metro is straightforward enough to navigate, but it does only have one line which mainly services inland districts. However, bus services are much more widespread.

You can get almost anywhere in the city by bus. Alternatively, you can travel by car or on foot. Like any major city, Lima has thousands of taxi drivers. You can even use Uber if you want to, which is what we did!

We used Uber every day and it was reliable, efficient, and affordable. Traffic in the city can be bad but you shouldn’t have too many issues.

Looking for another way to get around Lima?

The other option you have when it comes to getting around the city is booking a tour. Touring the city is a great way to visit all the most popular attractions without having to worry about transportation.

Instead, you’ll be dropped off and picked up at each location. This panoramic city bus tour is one of the best in the city.

Starting at Larcomar Shopping Centre, this bus tour will take you to some of the most iconic attractions in the city, including Palacio Municipal de Miraflores, Huaca Pucllana, MALI – Museo de Arte de Lima, and Plaza San Martin.

What makes this tour even better is that it includes some of the admission tickets you need to get into the attractions. This will save you from queuing for your tickets when you get there!

The best time to visit Lima

Generally speaking, you can visit Lima all year round because the main attractions are always open and there’s always something going on. However, like anywhere, some times of the year are slightly better than others!

When it comes to Lima, the best times to visit are between March-April and October-November because these months are at the tail end or cusp of the Peruvian summer.

The summer in Peru can bring intense temperatures and large crowds, so by avoiding the middle of the season, you can dodge the extreme heat and attractions will be less busy. You’ll probably find that simple things like accommodation are also cheaper out of season.

We visited Lima at the end of May and June. While temperatures didn’t bother us that much, it was hard to sleep without air conditioning. Just bear this in mind when booking your trip!

Exploring Lima by tour

If you only have two days in Lima but you want to see as much as possible, you could head out on a tour. We prefer to explore on our own but there’s no denying that guided tours are a great way to see more in a short amount of time.

Guided tours often teach you more about the history of a place and show you some unique hidden gems. Here are some of the most popular tour options in Lima:

• Lima: City Tour with Pickup and Drop-Off: This Lima city tour shows you the main highlights of the city. Including pickup and drop-off, your tour guide will tell you everything you need to know about local architecture. This tour also includes a tour of the catacombs of San Francisco.
• Miraflores: Bohemian Barranco Guided Bike Tour: This guided bike tour will take you from Miraflores to Barranco, showing you all the best sights along the way. You’ll cycle along Malecón de Miraflores with stunning views of the Pacific Ocean to your right. Along the way, you’ll also discover the hidden streets of the Bohemian neighbourhood.
• Lima: Colonial City Tour with Catacombs Visit: On this Colonial City tour, tourists are given the chance to discover the Historic Center of Lima. They are taken around the UNESCO World Heritage Site by an expert guide and entry to various sights is included. You can expect to see San Martin Square and the Plaza de Armas, as well as the catacombs.

Where to stay in Lima

One of the great things about Lima is how much choice there is when it comes to finding somewhere to stay. It doesn’t matter how big or small your budget is, you’ll find an accommodation type that suits you.

Here are some of our top recommendations for 2 days in Lima!

Budget: El Refugio de Barranco

We stayed in El Refugio de Barranco during our time in Lima and we absolutely loved it. Available at a ridiculously affordable price, guests get an entire apartment in the heart of Barranco. Augusto and his family who own the property are lovely too. Every morning we woke up to a delicious breakfast.

The apartment comes with one double bed, two single beds, a dining table, and a large bathroom.

Mid-range: Best Western Plus Urban Larco Hotel

This hotel is a great choice if you want to stay somewhere a bit more luxurious without having to spend too much money. Situated in Miraflores but not too far away from Barranco, Best Western Plus Urban Larco Hotel has spacious bedrooms and suites that come with everything you need to enjoy your stay.

Breakfast is included and you’ll never be too far away from where you need to be.

Luxury: Villa Barranco by Ananay Hotels

If you’re looking for complete luxury in Lima, you should stay at Villa Barranco by Ananay Hotels. This gorgeous hotel offers luxury rooms and the most amazing suites. Every room comes with beautiful decor and high-quality amenities, and the King Suite is out of this world.

To top things off, this charming hotel overlooks the Peruvian coast, so you’ll be spoilt with panoramic sea views during your trip!

Booking.com

Frequently Asked Questions about Lima

How many days should I spend in Lima?

We believe you need at least two full days to make the most of Lima. That’s why we put together this 2 days in Lima guide for you!

In two days, you can see the main attractions, take in the best views from the coast, and visit the most interesting neighbourhoods.

What is a good budget for Lima?

We recommend a budget of £35 to £40 per person, per day in Lima, however, that could vary depending on what you want to do. For example, if you want to head out on more day trips from the city, you might need a bigger budget.

You can easily travel through Lima on a smaller budget too though.

Is Lima a walkable city?

For the most part, Lima is a walkable city. More often than not, you’ll be able to walk from one tourist attraction to the next (just like in Cusco).

However, because Lima is one of the largest cities in South America, you will have to use a mode of transport at some point! Luckily, there are multiple public transport options available and you can use Uber.

Is Lima an expensive city?

Compared to other cities around the world, Lima is quite cheap, especially if you’re from the UK or America. You can expect everything from accommodation, food, and drink to be cheaper than most places you visit.

We didn’t notice much difference between Lima and the other cities in Peru either!

Final Thoughts on Your 2 Days in Lima

This 2 days in Lima itinerary has shown you everything the capital city of Peru has to offer and will allow you to see the best of it in just a short amount of time. Visiting Lima is one of the best things to do in Peru as there are so many amazing sights to see, so you’ll be spoilt for choice!

It doesn’t matter if you want to learn more about Peru in one of the many museums, explore the coast, or simply wine and dine in a traditional restaurant, you won’t run out of things to do.

If you have any questions about your 2 days in Lima, don’t hesitate to contact us via Instagram, Facebook, or in the comments below!

Here are some other guides that you may find helpful:

• Visiting Tambopata National Reserve
• The Best Day Trips From Cusco
• The Best Things To Do In Aguas Calientes
• The Best Ballestas Island Tours

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