Lima

Airport Express Lima to Miraflores(45 minutes)

$8 USD. Or Uber ~$25-35 PEN. Stay in Miraflores — safest and most convenient for tourists

Malecon sunset walk(2 hours)

10 km clifftop walkway overlooking the Pacific. Sculptures, parks, paragliding launch points. Free. The sunset over the ocean is spectacular

Dinner at Amaz(1.5 hours)

Amazonian cuisine on Avenida La Paz. Juane (rice tamale, $28 PEN), paiche fish ($42 PEN). Unique ingredients from the Amazon. Book ahead

Morning at Parque Kennedy(1 hour)

Miraflores' main park with resident cats, craft vendors, and people-watching. Free

Ceviche lunch at La Mar(1.5 hours)

Gaston Acurio's flagship. Open lunch only 12-5PM. Ceviche clasico ($35-50 PEN). Pair with a pisco sour. No reservations — arrive by noon

Larcomar mall & cliff views(1 hour)

Mall carved into the cliff face with Pacific views. Browse or have a coffee with the ocean below

Huaca Pucllana night tour(1.5 hours)

$15 PEN. Wed-Sun 7-10PM. The illuminated 1,500-year-old adobe pyramid in the middle of Miraflores is far more atmospheric at night. The on-site restaurant serves dinner with ruins as backdrop ($80-150 PEN/person)

Uber to Historic Center(30 minutes)

$15-20 PEN from Miraflores

Plaza Mayor & Government Palace(1 hour)

Changing of the guard daily at noon (free). The Plaza Mayor with its bronze fountain (1650) is the city's colonial heart

Cathedral of Lima(45 minutes)

$15 PEN. Pizarro's tomb, religious art museum. The carved choir stalls are extraordinary

Monastery of San Francisco & catacombs(1.5 hours)

$15 PEN. The underground catacombs contain an estimated 25,000 skeletal remains in eerily arranged bone piles. The library with 25,000 antique texts is a highlight above ground

Lunch at Isolina(1.5 hours)

On Prolongacion San Martin in Barranco — traditional Lima tavern food. Tacu tacu ($35 PEN), seco de res ($38 PEN). Enormous portions. Book ahead

Barranco morning walk(2 hours)

Colorful colonial houses, art galleries on Avenida Pedro de Osma, and the Puente de los Suspiros (Bridge of Sighs). Cross the bridge while holding your breath and making a wish — local tradition

MATE — Museo Mario Testino(1 hour)

$20 PEN. Fashion photographer Testino's museum in a restored colonial house. Rotating photography exhibitions

Lunch at El Mercado(1.5 hours)

Rafael Osterling's ceviche spot in Miraflores. Ceviche mixto ($30-45 PEN). More refined than La Mar but equally excellent

Pisco sour evening(2.5 hours)

Start at Hotel Bolivar's Bar Bolivar — the 'Cathedral of Pisco' on Plaza San Martin (pisco sour $18 PEN). Then Ayahuasca Bar in Barranco — a restored mansion with cocktails ($25-35 PEN). End at a pena (traditional music bar) for live criolla music ($20-30 PEN cover)

Surquillo Market(1.5 hours)

Where Lima's chefs buy ingredients. Budget ceviche at the market stalls ($12-18 PEN). Try exotic fruits — lucuma, cherimoya, aguaymanto. The juice stands are excellent ($3-5 PEN)

Paragliding over Miraflores(30 minutes)

$80-120 USD for a tandem flight from the clifftop. Fly over the Malecon, Love Park, and Larcomar. Operators at the launch point near Maria Reiche Park

Dinner at Maido(2 hours)

Nikkei cuisine (Japanese-Peruvian) by Mitsuharu Tsumura. #5 in the world. Omakase tasting $580 PEN. Book 2-3 months ahead. On Calle San Martin in Miraflores

Pachacamac archaeological site(3 hours)

30 km south of Lima (40 min by car). Entry $15 PEN. A 2,000-year-old ceremonial complex with pyramid temples, painted murals, and an excellent on-site museum. Far less crowded than Machu Picchu and nearly as impressive. Hire a guide ($30-50 PEN) to understand the complex

Lunch at Central(3 hours)

Virgilio Martinez's #1-ranked restaurant. Tasting menu $750-950 PEN ($200-250 USD) — each course from a different Peruvian altitude, from the Pacific to the Amazon. Book 2-3 months ahead at centralrestaurante.com.pe. A once-in-a-lifetime experience

Breakfast at Manolo churros(45 minutes)

On Avenida Larco in Miraflores — churros con chocolate ($8 PEN) since the 1960s. A Lima morning tradition

Last Malecon walk(1 hour)

Final clifftop walk. Buy Peruvian chocolate at Shattell ($15-30 PEN/bar) or alpaca wool at Kuna ($50-200 PEN) as souvenirs

Airport transfer to LIM(45 minutes)

Airport Express Lima $8 USD or Uber $25-35 PEN. Allow extra time — Lima traffic is unpredictable

Airport Express(45 min)

$8 USD

Dinner at Amaz(1.5 hours)

Amazonian cuisine. Juane $28 PEN

La Mar ceviche(1.5 hours)

$35-50 PEN. Lunch only 12-5PM

Huaca Pucllana night tour(1.5 hours)

$15 PEN

Cathedral(45 min)

$15 PEN

San Francisco catacombs(1.5 hours)

$15 PEN. 25,000 skeletal remains

Lunch at Isolina(1.5 hours)

Tacu tacu $35 PEN

Barranco walk(2 hours)

Street art, Bridge of Sighs

MATE museum(1 hour)

$20 PEN

Pisco sour crawl(2.5 hours)

Hotel Bolivar, Ayahuasca, pena

Surquillo Market(1.5 hours)

Budget ceviche $12-18 PEN

Paragliding(30 min)

$80-120 USD tandem

Maido dinner(2 hours)

Nikkei. Omakase $580 PEN

Pachacamac(3 hours)

$15 PEN entry, guide $30-50

Central lunch(3 hours)

#1 in world. Tasting $750-950 PEN

Peruvian cooking class(4 hours)

Lima Gourmet Company ($90 USD) or Sky Kitchen ($60 USD). Market visit, then cook ceviche, lomo saltado, and pisco sours. You eat everything you make

Monumental Callao art walk(2 hours)

A gentrified block in the port district with massive murals, galleries, and restaurants in a formerly rough area. Free to walk. Uber here — don't wander beyond the designated art zone. Fugaz gallery is the anchor

Museo Larco(2 hours)

$30 PEN. In Pueblo Libre. 5,000 years of pre-Columbian art — the gold and jewels gallery is stunning. The erotic pottery collection is unexpectedly frank. Beautiful garden setting with a cafe

Lunch at Cafe del Museo(1 hour)

Inside the Larco museum garden. Modern Peruvian ($30-50 PEN) surrounded by bougainvillea

Playa Agua Dulce & Costa Verde(2 hours)

Lima's main beach strip below the Miraflores cliffs. Surfers, families, and food stalls. Not postcard-beautiful but culturally authentic. Walk along the Costa Verde highway promenade

Brunch at Tostada Cafe(1.5 hours)

In Barranco. Avocado toast with huancaina ($22 PEN), cold-brew coffee ($10 PEN)

Free afternoon(4 hours)

Revisit Barranco, explore the Circuito Magico del Agua (water fountain park, $4 PEN, best at night), or rest at the hotel

Lurin Valley drive(1 hour)

South of Lima along the coastal desert

Artisan pottery village(1.5 hours)

Watch traditional pottery being made in villages near Pachacamac. Buy directly from artisans ($10-30 PEN)

Lunch at a huarique (hidden gem restaurant)(1.5 hours)

Lima's best food is often in unmarked home restaurants (huariques) in residential areas. Ask your hotel concierge for a recommendation — chanfainita ($20 PEN), cau cau ($18 PEN). These are impossible to find on your own

Sunset at Playa Arica(1.5 hours)

Quiet beach south of Miraflores. Less crowded, good surf. The cliffs glow amber at sunset

LATAM flight to Cusco(1.5 hours)

$50-150 USD on LATAM or Sky Airlines. Cusco is at 3,400m — take it easy on arrival

Cusco acclimatization walk(2 hours)

Walk slowly around Plaza de Armas, San Blas neighborhood, and the 12-angled stone on Calle Hatun Rumiyoc. Drink coca tea. Don't over-exert on day one

Dinner at Cicciolina(1.5 hours)

On Triunfo street off the Plaza. Tapas-style ($18-30 PEN per plate). The upstairs bar is intimate. One of Cusco's best

PeruRail to Aguas Calientes(3.5 hours)

Vistadome ($90-130 USD) from Ollantaytambo or Expedition ($60-80 USD). Book at perurail.com weeks ahead. The Sacred Valley scenery is stunning

Machu Picchu(4 hours)

Entry $152 PEN ($45 USD) for Circuit 1 or 2. Book at machupicchu.gob.pe months ahead — daily visitor limits. Hire a guide at the entrance ($100-150 PEN for 2 hours). The Intihuatana stone, Temple of the Sun, and the agricultural terraces are highlights. Huayna Picchu climb ($200 PEN extra) offers the iconic aerial view

Bus down to Aguas Calientes & return train(4 hours)

Bus $12 USD each way. Return train departures from 1:30PM-9PM. Book return train in advance

San Pedro Market morning(1.5 hours)

Cusco's central market. Fresh juice ($3-5 PEN), empanadas ($2 PEN), and local fruits. Buy Cusco chocolate ($10-15 PEN) and alpaca textiles

Farewell anticuchos evening(1.5 hours)

Anticuchera Grimanesa in Miraflores — beef heart skewers ($12-18 PEN) grilled over charcoal with aji sauce. Open from 6PM on a street corner. The quintessential Lima street food

Churros at Manolo(45 min)

One last Lima tradition. Churros con chocolate $8 PEN

Last Malecon walk & souvenirs(1 hour)

Shattell chocolate, alpaca at Kuna

Airport Express(45 min)

$8 USD

Cooking class(4 hours)

$60-90 USD

Museo Larco(2 hours)

$30 PEN

Plaza de Armas & San Blas(2 hours)

Walk slowly at 3,400m. Coca tea

Pisac Market & ruins(2 hours)

Sunday market is the biggest. Textiles, ceramics, jewelry. Ruins above ($70 PEN)

Moray circular terraces(1 hour)

Incan agricultural laboratory — concentric circular terraces. $70 PEN or boleto turistico

Maras salt mines(1 hour)

$10 PEN. 3,000+ salt evaporation pools on a hillside. Still harvested by families. One of Peru's most photogenic sites

Ollantaytambo walk(1.5 hours)

Inca fortress and town (the town layout hasn't changed since Inca times). Climb the terraces ($70 PEN). Stay overnight here if catching the early train to Machu Picchu

PeruRail to Aguas Calientes(1.5 hours)

From Ollantaytambo. Vistadome $90-130 USD

Machu Picchu(4 hours)

$152 PEN entry. Guide $100-150 PEN. Huayna Picchu $200 PEN extra

Qorikancha (Temple of the Sun)(1 hour)

$15 PEN. Inca stonework under the Santo Domingo church. The most sacred Inca temple

San Pedro Market(1.5 hours)

Fresh juice $3-5 PEN, empanadas $2. Local chocolates and coffee

Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco(1 hour)

Free. Watch weavers from different communities demonstrate traditional techniques. The finest alpaca textiles for sale ($50-500 PEN)

Dinner at Chicha by Gaston Acurio(1.5 hours)

On Plaza Regocijo. Cusquenan cuisine — rocoto relleno $28 PEN, alpaca steak $38 PEN. Excellent pisco sours at altitude

Anticuchera Grimanesa(1.5 hours)

Beef heart skewers $12-18 PEN. Opens 6PM

Sunset at La Rosa Nautica(1.5 hours)

Restaurant on a pier extending into the Pacific. Go for a pisco sour ($25 PEN) at the bar for the sunset, skip the overpriced food. The setting is magical

Drive or bus to Paracas(3.5 hours)

Cruz del Sur bus $50-80 PEN from Lima. Or book a day tour ($300-400 PEN with transport)

Islas Ballestas boat tour(2 hours)

$35-50 PEN. See Humboldt penguins, sea lion colonies, and thousands of seabirds. The Candelabro geoglyph (similar to Nazca lines) is visible from the boat. Tours at 8AM and 10AM

Paracas National Reserve(2 hours)

$22 PEN. Red sand beaches, dramatic cliffs, and the unique desert-meets-ocean landscape. The Cathedral rock formation collapsed in 2007 but the coastline remains stunning

Lunch in Paracas(1 hour)

Punta Pejerrey restaurant ($20-35 PEN). Fresh ceviche and grilled fish overlooking the bay

San Isidro olive groves & Huaca Huallamarca(2 hours)

San Isidro is Lima's financial district but has a surprising 1,500-year-old adobe pyramid (Huaca Huallamarca, $5 PEN) and a colonial olive grove (El Olivar, free) with 1,500 trees

Lunch at Astrid y Gaston(2 hours)

Gaston Acurio's flagship fine dining in Casa Moreyra. Tasting menu $550 PEN. In a gorgeous colonial mansion in San Isidro. The most complete expression of Peruvian cuisine

Anticuchos street food tour(3 hours)

Join a guided walking tour ($50-80 USD, several operators) or self-guide through Miraflores and Surquillo after 6PM. Hit anticucho carts (beef heart $8-12 PEN), picarones stands (sweet potato doughnuts with fig syrup, $5 PEN), and tamales vendors ($3-5 PEN). The menu del dia luncheonettes often stay open late with chicharron ($8-10 PEN)

Final Barranco sunset(1.5 hours)

Watch the sun set from the Bajada de Baños — the path leading from the Bridge of Sighs down to the beach