Where to stay in Lima: The best places and neighborhoods
The best areas to stay in Lima are, without a doubt, the neighborhoods and districts of Miraflores, Barranco, San Isidro, El Callao, Santiago de Surco, Pueblo Libre, San Miguel and, of course, the historical center of the Peruvian capital.
Lima, the capital of Peru , is a great city in a literal physical sense.Very extended on its Pacific coast, it has the quality of being the only national capital in South America that bathes its coasts in the sea.
It is a city that preserves a mestizo culture that can be seen in its gastronomy or in its most ancient customs.9 The historical center of the city is Unesco World Heritage Site in its own right.Lima is formed by 43 districts, each with a different charm and a particular offer of accommodation to be discovered.
The best areas to stay in Lima
Lima offers a great variety of accommodation depending on the location you are looking for, being able to say what to sleep in Lima goes by neighborhoods.
So, Miraflores and the same historical center are the ideal locations to stay in Lima as a traditional tourist because they are close to the places of interest to visit .In both districts there is a good offer of urban hotels with acceptable amenities that can be explored.
The area of Barranco is more bohemian and its accommodations combine hostels and lower-middle class hotels that are perfect for people who are spending conscious.
Santiago de Surco is a secluded and quiet area offers, in addition to hotels, apartments and holiday homes that can become a perfect excuse to share vacation days with family or friends and live a cultural immersion in a Lima neighborhood as a local citizen.
The Callao is the option for those who want to stay in Lima and not lose sight of the beach with stays, for example, in apartments near the sea
Read on and we explain in detail how these districts and others are also recommended to book your accommodation in Lima.
1.Miraflores
The district of Miraflores is located on the coast of Lima in the south-central area In this district, you have to take some time to enjoy the coast in the best way, walking along the promenade that forms the cliff.A way to do urban and Pacific hiking (by the ocean)
The hiking plan can include a route along the Malecón 28 de Julio , the Cisneros and the Reserva, in total, half an hour, and with the added option of access to the best parks in the district (Raimondi and del Amor)
The Raimondi Park is also a paragliding area.In Miraflores, an area recommended for to have a drink, to eat and to listen to music in places is the environment of the Pizza Park, in the side area of the Central Park.
In the food places, you have to dare to ask for something of the local cuisine: Chicken pepper, potato a la huancaina or a Lima cause.
If you want to touch the cultural keys of the area, two recommendations: the ruins of Huaca Pucllana (an archaeological site) and the Amano Museum , a permanent (private) exhibition of ceramics, textiles and various objects from the pre-Columbian cultures of Peru.
And, for those who want to enjoy the sea, there will always be the beaches of Miraflores , very familiar, ideal for water sports, with short surfaces at high tide and no sand, just shut up.The average temperature of the waters of the eight beaches of Miraflores is 17 degrees centigrade.
To move in the area, the best thing is the bus, the blue line, the numbers 301, 302 and 303 (Metropolitan) make the same journey, but it is the 301 the only one that stops in all the canopies.
Miraflores is one of the best options to stay in Lima .Its popularity is also reflected in the enormous hotel offerings, from cheap hostels to mid-range hotels and super luxury options.
– Accommodation in Miraflores
2.Barranco is a neighborhood with a bohemian style which is part of its charm, it has a workshop for local designers and artists, and is known for its intense nightlife
A recommended museum is the Pedro de Osma , which offers a collection of colonial art (Avenida Pedro de Osma , 421).For the lovers of the traditional architecture, a recommendation in the area, follow the calle de la Bajada a los Baños , you will be able to admire the singular aesthetics of houses of colonial style very colorful .
The street is the natural access to the beach of Barranco that is like those of Miraflores, of callao.to eat in the zone, in La Bajada that has turned many houses into restaurants, the Mesón Canta Rana, in which it is necessary to ask for the Peruvian gastronomical delight.Yes, the special ceviche of the house (calle Genova 101).
To move in Barranco and access other districts of Lima, the Metropolitan bus lines 301, 302 and 303, which, for more information, have very long and intricate routes.
If you leave with time and want to enjoy the ride, it is a perfect option to spend little. Using the taxi is always more expensive, but, on the contrary, it is faster for occasional trips, for example, if it is to stay in Lima center and go down to Barranco and hurry the night.
The famous minibuses of Lima are another option to consider, although their even more irregular itineraries make them transport of fortune.
If you are looking for an interesting area with a value for money and you don’t want your budget to go through the roof, Barranco is a good option to book your accommodation in Lima.
– Accommodation in Barranco
3.There is a lot to see in its historical center which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In spite of the earthquakes suffered by the city throughout the time, the noble structures of continue defying its passage the Cathedral, the Palace of Government and the Municipality (City council of Lima).
In the Plaza Mayor, you must discover the architecture of the Casa de Aliaga that was the Spanish captain of the same surname and that his descendants have taken care of with care (visit with previous reservation).
Three more outstanding churches: the church and convent of San Francisco with its impressive ossuary formed by 25.000 human remains; the basilica and convent of Santo Domingo , with its quiet cloister and the Basilica de La Merced , with a striking baroque facade.
An environment with the same colonial flavor that also walk is the pedestrian street Jiron de la Union , 900 meters of route that connects the Plaza Mayor with San Martin.
And talking about the Plaza de San Martin .This is a very colonial-style zocalo that dominates the buildings that surround it: the Club Nacional, the Gran Hotel Bolívar and the Teatro Colón.
In the arcades, mansions and arcades that surround the square you can find cafes and restaurants with a touch as typical as classic.The Metropolitano bus lines (blue) and the metro line 1 guarantee mobility between the districts of the Peruvian capital.
If you are looking for cultural visits is undoubtedly the best place to stay in Lima, but its hotel offer is less than that of Miraflores, Barranco or San Isidro, and lacks the intense nightlife of Barranco or the trendy restaurants and shops of Miraflores.
– Accommodation in the Historic Center
4.San Isidro
The district of San Isidro is located in the southern center of the city of Lima, between Miraflores and Pueblo Libre. San Isidro is a business zone of large national and foreign companies and where many of the office towers of Lima are concentrated.
The best and most luxurious hotels to sleep in Lima are located around Camino Real Avenue and on the side streets.A place to visit is El Olivar , an old olive plantation from the colonial period with more than 450 years of existence.
Another remarkable site is the location of the Huaca Huallamarca (Calle Ribera, 201).It is an archaeological space that has a stepped pyramid of adobe blocks and which functioned as a religious and administrative center among the first settlers of the area of Lima. Occupation in the place is known since the third century.
In the area of the Avenida Arequipa , you can find restaurants of international cuisine and shopping centers where you can discover local crafts to bring home as a gift.
– Lodging in San Isidro
5.Pueblo Libre
Pueblo Libre is a neighborhood that is located between San Isidro and El Callao in the north center of the Peruvian capital.
It is a quiet and popular neighborhood in which there are many cevicherias and large supermarkets where families come to do their shopping in the afternoon.The district is in the history books and was the place chosen by Simon Bolivar to stay during the liberation of the city of Lima.
In the district, there are the pisco distilleries , the oldest in the city, and it is tradition to stop and drink in them.
In Pueblo Libre, there are many Chinese-Peruvian restaurants where they maintain the culinary tradition of the Cantonese immigrants who arrived in the mid-nineteenth century to build the railway of the country.
To get to Pueblo Libre, the best, without doubt, is the bus service, blue line (301, from Plaza Flores Station and 3701, from Barranco and Santiago de Surco) or yellow line (4201, also from Barranco and San Isidro).
– Accommodation in Pueblo Libre
6.Callao
Callao is the historical port of Lima and a seaside resort since the 19th century Real Felipe Fortress is the most important historical construction of Callao, dating from the viceroyalty of the 18th century and was built to defend the natural port of Lima from pirate attacks that ravaged the coast.
In its rooms, you can visit a museum of the Peruvian Army In the docks, you can make a very original visit to a modern submarine of the Peruvian Navy, the Abtao of 1,500 tons, which is best seen with the family and children.
Also for children and adults are the excursions to the islands situated off the coast: Palomino, El Frontón (former prison), El Camotal, San Lorenzo or Las Chavinzas which form a tiny archipelago.They are islands with an important environmental value, where sea lions and guano birds live.
The bay of the Balneario District La Punta is an ideal environment for the practice of water sports .It also has the best views of the coast of El Callao. Another old seaside resort, Balneario Chucuito, is known for its colorful houses made of wood and adobe that seem to ask to be photographed as souvenir prints.
Jorge Chávez Airport, the most important in the country, is located precisely in El Callao.Bus connections (El Metropolitano) guarantee mobility between neighbourhoods and access to the historic centre of Lima from El Callao.
– Accommodation in Callao
Is this article on the best places to stay in Lima useful?We also suggest you read: Where to stay in Cusco
7.Santiago de Surco
Santiago de Surco is another of the great popular districts of Lima It is located south of the capital and was founded in 1929.It is a residential area of middle and upper class in which there are many hotels of all stars that are perfect for staying in Lima.
Santiago de Surco has the label of ecological tourist district, partly because of the existence of farms dedicated to the production of grapes for the local pisco distilleries, but also because of the location of a network of local parks that offer excellent gardens.
One of these extraordinary parks in Lima is the Amistad Park, around which the whole urban fabric of the area seems to revolve, where the Pisco Sour Festival is held every April 22nd, with gastronomy from the Peruvian coast, mountains and jungle, musical performances and pisco tasting with a variety of flavours.
Jockey Plaza is a reference shopping area in Lima , where brand name stores and clothing boutiques are concentrated.
– Accommodation in Santiago de Surco
8.San Miguel
San Miguel is a neighbourhood with a waterfront in the centre of Lima In San Miguel, you must visit the Glorieta de la Media Luna, the Capilla de Santa María or the modern Shopping Centre in Parque de San Miguel, if you want to go shopping in the area.
The famous Park of Legends has a zoo that must be seen with the family, but it also has 53 archaeological sites ( the huacas ) that say it all about the presence of a stable pre-Hispanic population in the place of modern Lima since the first century.
The Santa Maria Chapel is a rococo style church painted in a very striking yellow colour.It owes its name to the crescent that crowns the music kiosk in the center of the square.
To get to San Miguel and move from the district to other neighborhoods, the best thing to do is the Metropolitan route (bus 301) and the subway line 1.
– Accommodation in San Miguel
The options for to sleep in Lima and enjoy its attractions on foot are all those offered by this open, hospitable, unique city which must be taken with the same calm without nerve and slow pace with which they live their people.
