Things to do in Lima, splurging
Surf off the Malecón, Huaca Pucllana and Museo Larco, then Mérito and Maido for dinner.
This is Lima for people who eat seriously: every evening anchors around a destination restaurant, and the bars are two of the best on the planet right now. Days move between clifftop walks, pre-Columbian ruins and a surf lesson, so there is enough air and light to earn the long, indulgent nights.
Day 1: Malecón cliffs and the Pacific pier
The day opens on the clifftop parks above the Pacific, moves through a Nikkei lunch and a surf lesson under the cliffs, and closes at La Rosa Náutica's pier table and a tailor-shop speakeasy.
- 10:15 AM
The Malecón
Walk the clifftop parks south toward La Rosa Náutica: Parque del Amor mosaics, paragliders launching off the cliffs, sea views.
Map - 12:30 PM
Tomo Cocina Nikkei
Nikkei lunch a few blocks from Parque Kennedy; share a tiradito and a round of acevichado maki.
Map - 2:30 PM
Surfing at Makaha and Punta Roquitas
Beginner-friendly surf lesson at Makaha under the cliffs, equipment rental included, perfect post-lunch activity.
Map - 7:30 PM
Restaurante La Rosa Náutica
The main table of the day: iconic pier jutting into the Pacific, destination Peruvian table with one of Lima's most theatrical settings.
Map - 9:30 PM
Sastrería Martínez
Speakeasy hidden behind a tailor's shop front; take a seat at the bar and ask for a stirred pisco drink.
Map
Day 2: Market, pyramid, Barranco nights
Surquillo Market in the morning, lunch beside Huaca Pucllana and a tour of the pyramid, a bike ride along the Malecón, then Mérito and Lady Bee in Barranco.
- 10:00 AM
Surquillo Market + Cooking Class
Walk Surquillo's market halls for Amazonian fruit, dozens of potatoes and a fresh juice at the stalls.
Map - 12:30 PM
Restaurant Huaca Pucllana
Terrace tables looking straight onto the adobe pyramid; order a ceviche and the lomo saltado.
Map - 2:30 PM
Huaca Pucllana
Guided tour of a 1,500-year-old adobe pyramid in the middle of Miraflores; closed Tuesdays.
Map - 4:30 PM
Cycle or Run the Malecón
Rent a bike and ride the clifftop path south to Barranco as the light drops over the Pacific.
Map - 7:30 PM
Mérito
Juan Luis Martínez's Venezuelan-Peruvian tasting menu in an old Barranco house; book well ahead.
Map - 9:30 PM
Lady Bee
Cocktails built on Amazon fruits and Andean herbs; let the bartenders choose your first round.
Map
Day 3: Museo Larco to Santa Cruz dinner
Five thousand years of gold and Moche ceramics in the morning, tandem paragliding off the Miraflores cliffs in the afternoon, and Maido's Nikkei tasting menu to close.
- 10:30 AM
Museo Larco
5,000 years of pre-Columbian gold, Moche erotic pots and Nazca textiles inside an 18th-century mansion, Lima's unmissable museum.
Map - 12:30 PM
El Bolivariano
Old Pueblo Libre house serving criollo classics a few blocks from Museo Larco; order the ají de gallina.
Map - 3:00 PM
Parapuerto Miraflores (Parque Raimondi)
Tandem paragliding off the Miraflores cliffs from the Parque Raimondi launch; flights run when the afternoon breeze is up.
Map - 7:30 PM
Maido
Mitsuharu Tsumura's Nikkei tasting menu; bookings open two months ahead on the 1st. Closed Sundays.
Map
Where to stay
Atemporal
The top-tier price point and Miraflores address put you within walking distance of every dinner and bar on this itinerary.
Country Club Lima Hotel
A grand San Isidro institution with serious design credentials and strong service, ideal if you want a hotel that matches the calibre of the restaurants.
Make Lima your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App StoreBefore you go
Book ahead
- Mercado de Surquillo: a few days ahead
- Lady Bee: a few days ahead
- Paracas: a few days ahead
- Islas Palomino: a few days ahead
- Parapente Miraflores: a few days ahead
- Los Inkas Golf Club: weeks ahead
Skip these
- Treating Lima as just a layover. The food capital deserves three days minimum.
- Larcomar as a destination: it is a mall in a cliff, fine for coffee with a view, while the malecón either side is the attraction.
- Concierge priced tours: the same Palomino Islands trip sells online for about US$77 and through one luxury hotel for US$210.
- The Gold Museum has a long running authenticity debate. Larco and MALI are better uses of the same hours.
The full Lima travel guide: when to go, safety, getting around