Lima: First Impressions at the Edge of the Pacific (1/6)

A brief but memorable stop that sets the stage for everything Peru has to offer.

Part 1 of the Peru series · Updated for Travel with Sheridan
Friends in Lima, Peru

Lima was never meant to be the main event. We arrived tired, slightly disoriented, and already thinking about Cusco. But the city had other ideas, and we ended up with a layover evening that turned into one of the most charming nights of the whole trip.

Our guide met us near baggage claim and narrated the ride to the hotel like a proud local who genuinely wanted us to love his city. We stayed at a small hostal that leaned hard into antiques and a cozy, slightly cluttered atmosphere. The kind of place that feels like someone's grandmother decorated it, and I mean that as a compliment. It was a wonderful little find.

The coast, the cold, and our first pisco sour

We dropped the bags and did what any reasonable travelers would do: ignored the jet lag and walked down to the coast. Lima sits on dramatic cliffs above the Pacific, and the waterfront neighborhood of Miraflores has sculpture, an underground mall carved into the bluffs, and enough restaurants to keep you busy for a week. We picked one with an outdoor terrace, because of course we did. It's a gorgeous view. It's also winter in the southern hemisphere.

By the time the pisco sours arrived, we were already regretting the outdoor seating decision. For those unfamiliar: a pisco sour is Peru's national cocktail, made with pisco brandy, lime juice, simple syrup, egg white, and a dash of bitters. It tastes like a citrusy sour with a frothy top and goes down dangerously easily. It is not optional. You will have one. Possibly several.

We ate well, got a little chilly, laughed about it, and walked back to the hostal for a few hours of sleep before our early flight to Cusco.

On the way back through Lima

We passed through Lima again at the end of the trip with more time to actually explore. We visited the San Francisco Monastery and its famous catacombs, which hold the remains of thousands of people from the colonial period, arranged in patterns that are equal parts unsettling and fascinating. The monastery's library stopped us cold: ancient books, hand-copied by Franciscan monks, some hundreds of years old. There's something about holding that kind of history in your line of sight that makes you forget what century you're in for a moment.

The city also gave us a proper meal to close out the trip: a lovely restaurant, a bottle of Chilean wine (yes, Chilean wine in Peru; we had no regrets), and two weeks of stories to recap. Not a bad way to end things.

A note on timing: Lima makes an excellent bookend to a Peru itinerary. Arrive, get your bearings, then return at the end when you have more energy to explore Miraflores, Barranco, and the food scene. Lima has become one of the top culinary destinations in the world since we visited, so build in real time if you can. The pisco sours are still mandatory.

Practical Notes

Lima sits at sea level, which matters more than you'd think after days at altitude in Cusco and Machu Picchu. Coming back from 10,000+ feet, you'll feel the difference immediately (if you have visited Colorado and experienced the altitude, it's like that - but more. A lot more.) The city is large, sprawling, and perpetually gray from coastal fog (called the garúa), but the neighborhoods of Miraflores and Barranco are walkable, safe for tourists, and genuinely beautiful. Taxis are plentiful and inexpensive. When we were there, getting a cab license required almost no barrier to entry, so the city was absolutely crawling with them. It's worth verifying how that has changed with the rise of rideshare apps before you go.

Up next: we land in Cusco, attempt to function normally at 10,859 feet, eat alpaca for the first time, and discover that Peruvian vinegar on french fries is completely underrated.