Lima is where most Peru trips start — the main international airport is here, and it’s worth two or three days before heading to Cusco. The food scene alone is reason enough: Central and Maido are both in the world’s top ten restaurants, and the Barranco neighbourhood runs a dense cluster of mid-range spots with much shorter wait lists.
Start with ceviche, lomo saltado, and causa limeña — the city’s three staples. Barranco for bars and street art, Miraflores for the Pacific-view walking paths and the Huaca Pucllana pre-Inca pyramid in the middle of the suburbs. The historic centre (Lima Centro) around Plaza Mayor is where the colonial architecture is, and the Larco Museum in Pueblo Libre has the best pre-Columbian ceramics in the country.
Along the Malecón de Miraflores you can paraglide off the cliffs for around $100, surf at Waikiki beach below, or just walk. Lima’s grey winter (May–October) means fog over the coast most mornings; summer (December–March) is clear and warm.
Taxi apps (Cabify, inDrive) over hailed cabs. Basic Spanish gets a long way. Standard safety practice applies — Barranco, Miraflores, San Isidro are generally safe at night; Lima Centro empties out after sunset and is better in daylight.
