A folk music night at a Lima peña

Gran Hotel Bolívar opened in December 1924 on Plaza San Martín, and famous guests from the mid twentieth century signed its lobby guest book. It still operates with rooms and a restaurant, a short walk from the Plaza Mayor, which puts the Historic Centre at your door. Choose it for old-Lima atmosphere and check the…

Hotel B is a Belle Époque mansion built in 1914 and reopened as a boutique hotel in 2013, with more than 300 Peruvian art pieces on display throughout. It sits on Avenida Sáenz Peña in Barranco, an easy walk to galleries, cafés and the clifftop. Book directly with the hotel and ask for a room in the historic house if…

The Festival Internacional de Cine de Lima, organized by the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, brings Peruvian and international films to the city each August, and its 30th edition took place in 2026. Screenings have included the Museo de Arte de Lima, and the festival also runs itinerant shows in other…

The Feria Internacional del Libro de Lima, run by the Cámara Peruana del Libro, fills a large exhibition hall for about two weeks from late July into early August. It is a lively place to meet Peruvian authors, browse local publishers and pick up books about the country. In 2026 it moved from Jesús María to the Jockey…

The Gran Teatro Nacional in San Borja is Peru's main performing arts venue, home base for the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional and a stage for the Ballet Folclórico Nacional and the national children's choir. Check its website for the current programme, since some activities are free and others ticketed. It makes a good…

The changing of the guard at the Government Palace takes place around midday on the esplanade facing the Plaza Mayor, and both locals and tourists watch from the palace facade. Arrive early to claim a spot and shoot the uniforms against the yellow colonial buildings. On some Sundays a mounted ceremony adds more…

Parque del Amor on Malecón Cisneros has a large sculpture of two lovers, The Kiss, by Víctor Delfín, and a wall of ceramic mosaics with quotes about love from Peruvian writers. Arrive in the late afternoon to catch the light over the Pacific and frame the sculpture against the sky. The clifftop walk continues to other…

Makaha, under the Miraflores cliffs, is the beginner favorite, and most Lima surf schools work there. Waikiki, just south, has slightly bigger waves and fewer people once you have your balance. The water is cold all year, so wetsuits come with lessons. Go early, since the wind picks up later, and book a day ahead for…