🇵🇪Lima
A grey-skied capital of ten million on a desert cliff above the Pacific, and — genuinely — one of the best places to eat on earth. Most people transit through it. That's a mistake.
Prices checked · how we work these out
In photos
Quick facts
Money & what things cost
Cards are widely accepted in Miraflores, Barranco and San Isidro, less so in the centre and the markets. Withdraw soles from bank ATMs inside branches or shopping centres rather than street machines, and ask for smaller notes. US dollars circulate in some tourist businesses at unfavourable rates, and damaged or torn dollar bills are refused outright across Peru. Lima is cheap by international standards and expensive by Peruvian ones — incomes here run roughly double the national median, and prices follow.
What locals earn
| Lima average monthly salary | ≈ S/3,500 ($940) | Roughly double the national median; Lima concentrates the country's formal employment. |
| National average | ≈ S/2,200–2,700 ($590–720) | For comparison — the gap between the capital and the rest is enormous. |
| Minimum wage | S/1,130/month ($301) | The national floor as of 2026. |
| Typical service wage | S/1,200–2,000 ($320–530) | Restaurant, retail and hotel staff. |
Food & drink
| Item | Local price | ≈ USD |
|---|---|---|
| Menú del día (set lunch) | S/12–22 | $3.20–5.90 |
| Ceviche at a cevichería | S/25–45 | $6.70–12 |
| Casual restaurant, per person | S/35–65 | $9.30–17 |
| Mid-range dinner, per person | S/80–160 | $21–43 |
| Tasting menu at a top restaurant | S/450–900 | $120–240 |
| Coffee | S/8–15 | $2.10–4.00 |
| Pisco sour | S/22–40 | $5.90–11 |
Transport
| Item | Local price | ≈ USD |
|---|---|---|
| Metropolitano bus | S/3.20 | $0.85 |
| Combi / micro | S/1.50–2.50 | $0.40–0.67 |
| Taxi / app ride across town | S/15–35 | $4.00–9.30 |
| Airport → Miraflores | S/50–90 | $13–24 |
| Flight to Cusco | S/200–500 | $53–133 |
Sights
| Item | Local price | ≈ USD |
|---|---|---|
| Larco Museum | S/45 | $12 |
| Huaca Pucllana | S/15–20 | $4.00–5.30 |
| Catacombs at San Francisco | S/20–30 | $5.30–8.00 |
| Malecón cliff walk | Free | Free |
Where to sleep & what it costs
| Tier | Per night | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hostel dorm | S/30–60 ($8.00–16) | Concentrated in Miraflores and Barranco. |
| Budget hotel | S/90–160 ($24–43) | Small hotels in Miraflores; better value slightly inland. |
| Mid-range hotel | S/170–360 ($45–95) | Miraflores, Barranco or San Isidro. These are the districts to stay in. |
| Luxury | S/600–1,600+ ($160–425+) | Clifftop hotels above the Pacific in Miraflores. |
Trip cost calculator
$139 per person per day · 4 nights of lodging (Mid-range hotel)
A rough estimate from this page’s daily budget and hotel prices — not a quote. Lodging assumes one room for the group.
Getting around
- From the airport
- Jorge Chávez is in Callao, 45–70 minutes from Miraflores depending badly on traffic. Use the official airport taxi desks, a pre-booked transfer, or the Airport Express bus. Do not take an unbooked taxi from outside the terminal — this is the one piece of Lima transport advice every local gives.
- Taxis & ride apps
- Use Uber, Cabify or InDrive. Street taxis are unmetered, you negotiate before getting in, and app rides remove both the haggling and the safety question. Fares across the city are S/15–35.
- Metropolitano
- A fast bus-rapid-transit line on a dedicated corridor running north–south through the city for S/3.20. Genuinely useful between the centre and Barranco, and it bypasses the traffic that ruins everything else.
- Combis
- Privately run minibuses with a shouted destination and no fixed stops. Cheap, chaotic and how most of Lima moves. Fine if you're confident with Spanish and the geography.
- On foot
- Miraflores, Barranco and the historic centre are each walkable within themselves, and the Malecón clifftop path connects Miraflores to Barranco in a lovely 40 minutes. Between districts, take a car — this is a very large city and drivers are assertive.
Neighborhoods to stay in
- Miraflores
- Clifftop parks above the Pacific, the best concentration of restaurants and hotels, safe and walkable. The default and a good one.
- Barranco
- The bohemian district next door — colonial houses, street art, bars and the best nightlife. Smaller, prettier, increasingly the smarter choice.
- San Isidro
- The financial district: quiet, leafy, expensive, less atmosphere. Good for business, dull for a short visit.
- Centro Histórico
- The colonial core with the plazas and churches. Worth a day; most visitors don't sleep here, and after dark it empties out.
Things to do
Food
History
Coast & neighbourhoods
Tipping & etiquette
- Lunch is the main meal and runs 1–3pm. Ceviche is eaten at lunch, not dinner, for the straightforward reason that the fish is freshest then.
- Pisco sour is Peru's drink and its origin is genuinely disputed with Chile. Attributing it to Chile in a Lima bar will start a conversation.
- Limeños are formal in address — 'usted' with strangers and anyone older, and titles like señor and señora matter.
- Don't flag street taxis. Use an app. This is the single most repeated piece of local advice and it's about safety, not price.
- Punctuality is looser than in northern Europe for social occasions; being 20 minutes late to dinner is normal. Tours and buses run on time.
- The garúa mist is genuinely permanent from May to November. Locals find visitor complaints about it funny.
Safety & common scams
Lima requires more street awareness than most cities on this site, though the districts visitors actually use — Miraflores, Barranco, San Isidro — are well policed and comfortable to walk by day and evening. The real risks are opportunistic theft, phone snatching from open windows or pavements, and unlicensed taxis. Use ride apps, don't walk with a phone out on a main road, and don't wear obvious jewellery. The historic centre is fine by day and thins out uncomfortably at night. Political demonstrations are frequent and can close central streets; they're generally announced in advance. Peru also sits in a seismically active zone — check your hotel's evacuation notice.
Scams to know
- Unlicensed airport taxis — the classic and most serious one. Use the official desks inside the terminal, a pre-booked transfer, or an app. Never a driver who approaches you.
- Phone snatching — from café tables, pavements and open car windows in traffic. Keep it away in the street.
- Counterfeit soles — check S/100 and S/200 notes for the watermark and raised print, particularly from taxis and markets.
- Torn dollar bills — refused everywhere in Peru. If you bring dollars, bring pristine ones.
- The 'spilled' distraction — someone marks your clothing then helpfully cleans it while a second person works your bag.
Emergency numbers: 105 police · 116 fire · 911 general. There is a tourist police unit (Policía de Turismo) with English speakers in Miraflores.
Phone & internet
Good 4G and 5G across the city. Claro, Movistar, Entel and Bitel sell prepaid SIMs for S/10–30 with generous data; you must show a passport to register. Wi-Fi is standard in hotels, cafés and restaurants in the main districts. Coverage in outer Lima is fine; it's the traffic, not the signal, that will slow you down.
First-timer FAQs
Do I need a visa?
No, for most Western passports. US, UK, EU, Canadian and Australian citizens get up to 183 days visa-free as tourists, granted on arrival. Passport valid six months. Keep your entry record — you may be asked for it when leaving.
Is Lima worth stopping in?
Yes, and most people underrate it because they only see the airport. It has the best food in South America, an outstanding pre-Columbian museum, a colonial centre and six kilometres of clifftop park above the Pacific. Two days is enough to see why people who live here are fond of it.
How many days do I need?
Two full days: one for the historic centre and the Larco Museum, one for Miraflores, Barranco and eating properly. Three if you want a serious restaurant booking or a day trip to the Pachacámac ruins.
Is it safe?
With sensible precautions, yes. Stay in Miraflores, Barranco or San Isidro, use ride apps rather than street taxis, keep your phone out of sight on the street, and don't wander the historic centre late at night. Violent crime against tourists is uncommon; opportunistic theft is not.
What's with the grey sky?
Lima sits in a coastal desert under a permanent low cloud layer called the garúa from roughly May to November. It almost never actually rains — it just stays grey and damp. If you want sun, come between December and April, which is also when the beaches work.
Should I eat ceviche?
Absolutely, at lunchtime, at a proper cevichería. The fish is cured in lime juice rather than cooked, so freshness is everything and reputable places sell out by mid-afternoon. It's the national dish and Lima does it better than anywhere.
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