Lima Free Walking Tour: The Best Way to See the City!

 
Tours to the historical Center leave at 9:45 A.M. Barranco leave at 10:35 A.M and Miraflores leave at 2:55 P.M. every day.
Just visit the Tourist Information Center to sign up!
– Avenida Jose Larco 799, Miraflores
– Av. Diagonal 494, Miraflores

Included in the tour:

• Guided explanation of historical sites
• Free tasting of chocolate, jams and liqueurs (Miraflores Tour)
• Free tasting of Pisco Sour (Miraflores Tour)

Not included:

• S/2.50 for one -way transportation (about $1.00) (Lima Downtown Tour)
• S/1.80 for one-way transportation (less than a $1.00) (Barranco Tour)
• Gratuity/tips for guides
• Extra food or drinks

Lima Free Walking Tour

The new Lima Free Walking Tour is the perfect way to see the diverse and vibrant Lima Historic Center at no cost. This tour will take you on historical and captivating adventure of the fifth largest city in South America. The Lima Free Walking Tour lasts around three hours and the friendly guide will always be on hand to answer any questions you may have about the sites. Below is a brief introduction to the various stops on the tour.

Meeting Point

The Lima Free Walking Tour begins at 9:45 am in the official Tourist Information Center on Avenida Jose Larco 799, and Avenida Diagonal 494 in the popular Miraflores district. Here, you will meet your bilingual guide and the rest f the crew that will be taking the tour. The tour’s main focus is on the historic center of Lima, but your guide will still give a description of Miraflores along with some advice on the best bars and restaurants to visit there. From here, you will take the Metropolitano bus to Downtown Lima.

San Martin Square

The first stop on the tour is the iconic San Martin Square. This square is of the utmost importance to the people of Lima as it is steeped in history. The two monuments of Jose de San Martin and La madre Patria in the middle of the square are of great sentiment to the people of Peru , the reasons for which your guide will discuss.

Jirón de la Unión

It is a street of the Pizarro checkpoint, for many years the most important road in the city, characterized by being the most aristocratic and where the most famous inhabitants were meeting. Subsequently, with the damage of the historic center of Lima, the Jiron of the Union lost its aristocratic character to assume a fully commercial one.

Iglesia de la Merced

This church of the order of the Mercedarian was located here in 4 lots that were offered after the foundation of Lima in 1535, the first church was made of adobe and precarious materials of the time.

Jirón Ica

El jirón, in its first blocks, has an exclusively commercial character, highlighting the presence of restaurants. After its intersection with Tacna Avenue, the shred acquires a residential character. The western part of the jirón, especially after Tacna Avenue, is part of one of the city’s crime zones.

The Main Square

It is here that Peru’s independence was a first proclaimed. Your guide will give you a little insight into the unique architecture and aesthetic of the surrounding buildings. Here you’ll be given 10 minutes to walk around and explore before meeting at the government palace to see the changing of the guard. For many people, this is the highlight of the Lima Free Walking Tour.

The House of Peruvian Literature

This former train station is now home to a wide array of literature, most notably that of famous Peruvian novelist and intellectual Mario Vargas Llosa, winner of the 2010 Nobel Prize in Literature. Your guide will tell you a little bit about his life and you’ll get a chance to explore this unique museum.

The House of Peruvian Literature

This former train station is now home to a wide array of literature, most notably that of famous Peruvian novelist and intellectual Mario Vargas Llosa, winner of the 2010 Nobel Prize in Literature. Your guide will tell you a little bit about his life and you’ll get a chance to explore this unique museum.

Basilica and Convent of San Francisco

It is one of the most extensive religious complexes in Lima. It was built in the second half of the 16th century (1535), of Baroque and Mudejar styles (12th century style characterized by having Arab influence and the brick’s main material).

Parque de la Muralla

This is our last stop, here we will find the remains of the old wall, which was based on brick, boulder and calicanto, which is the mixture of sand, lime and egg white of the Guaneras birds. It was built during the colonial era in the 17th century.

You will return to Miraflores from the unforgettable Lima Free Walking Tour at approximately 1:30 pm unless your decide to stick around Downtown Lima and enjoy some more of the sights and sounds. If you’d like to find out more about any of these sites you’ll have to check out the tour for yourself. We promise you will not regret it! If you tried our walking tour of the Historical Center then you will love our walking tour of Miraflores!

Walking Tour of Miraflores

The walking tour of Miraflores departs every day, at 2:55pm from the Tourist Information Center on Avenida Jose Larco 799, Avenida Diagonal 494, Miraflores. From here you will discuss the crucial roll Miraflores had in the War of the Pacific, before embarking on the tour of Miraflores, where you will visit:

Parque Kennedy

Kennedy Park (Parque Kennedy) is one of the principal touristic spots of Miraflores. It received its name on the 50th anniversary of the death f John F. kennedy, a previous president of the United States. The park is famous for having the best Picarones in the city , as well as plenty more snacks. The park is also home of the cats, before the pandemic , there was approximately more than 100 cats, which gives it the rather appropriate nickname of the cat park!

Parroquia Virgen Milagrosa

Arguably one of the most important churches in Miraflores, this structure was built in 1919 by the Polish architect Ricardo de Java Malachowski. Inside the church , we can find stained glass decorations, decorated to represent different episodes of the life of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary.

Mercado N° 1

If you want just one market to summarize all of Lima’s markets then look no further , market 1 of Surquillo is architecturally different to any of the other markets in the city , and you cand find around 300 stands with locals selling a great variety of fruits , vegetables beans, juices, cereals and much more. You can also find some really good small restaurants with a real local taste known as “Huariques”. This market is great for tourist and people that are interested in Peruvian Gastronomy.

Indian Market

The market is made up of a series of small shops, covering three blocks. Each arcade has a series of small shops that sell “traditional Peruvian handicrafts and souvenirs, including alpaca scarves, sweaters, and hats, jewelry and musical instrument. In short, this is the perfect place to gather traditional gifts at low price for those back home while you’re traveling. Don’t forget to haggle over the price!

Arequipa Avenue

Arequipa Avenue is one of the main avenues in the city of Lima, the capital of Peru. It extends from north to south in the districts of Lima, Lince, San Isidro and Miraflores along 52 blocks.

Choco Museo

Learn all there is to know about Peruvian Cocoa, as well as the process of making chocolate , from the beginning in the cocoa tree, all the way to being packaged and sold. You can also indulge in a sample of chocolates, pisco, cocoa tea, and chocolate spreads.

Parque del Amor/h3>

Inaugurated on February 14th, 1993, the Parque del Amor is a favorite of tourists and locals alike, with it’s huge and beautiful sculpture dedicated to love, “The Kiss” created by the Peruvian artist, Victor Delfin. The park is also bordered by a colorful mosaic wall, where you can read romantic phrases from the best known Peruvian poets and writers.

Larcomar

This shopping center was inaugurated in 1998 by Fernando Andrade, the ex-mayor of Miraflores. It has 115 stores,17 restaurants of both traditional Peruvian food and international, and if you´re looking for fun it has bowling, bars, clubs, and plenty others. It’s the most famous commercial center in Miraflores.

Lima Walking Tour Barranco

The Lima Walking Tour of Barranco begins at 10:35 AM, every day from the Tourist Information Center, where you will walk through of the Barranco district. Then we’ll board a local bus “La Chama” to head a barranco district. The price for this bus is S/.1.80 (about $0.50).

Barranco view

Barranco is considered as the bohemian and cultural district of Lima. It has been the favorite residence of artists and writers. Barranco was founded on October 26, 1874. An extremely attractive beach resort for upper-middle-class and foreign tourists from Lima, who for the most part built large ranches and European-style houses.

Art work stair

Here, you can find murals of many different artists. A place where artists of all disciplines and backgrounds have gone to nurture their creative inspiration. Lately, Barranco’s streets have become something of a canvas, as the local government continues to allow more murals to be painted on the streets’ walls, Barranco is morphing into a colorful and lively street art gallery.

Bajada de baños

The Bajada de los Baños is considered a Colonial and Republican Real Estate Cultural Heritage. Formerly it was a small ravine that crossed the Bridge of Sighs, currently it is a road but it continues to cross the famous Bridge of Sighs. Its name, Bajada de Baños, is due to the path that leads to the sea and in ancient times to the Baños de Barranco.

Casa de los Suspiros – Jade Rivera Paintings

A good place full of good taste and avant-garde that brings together an interesting variety of crafts and art of all kinds.

Puente de los Suspiros

In the heart of Barranco is the Puente de los Suspiros, a traditional wooden bridge wrapped in an air of romanticism, for having been the site that began countless love relationships in Lima.

Puente del Equilibrio – Achorada place

Equilibrio is balance, and in this part of Barranco the cultural reality of Peru is shown, under the bridge we find a mural called “the mural of the races”, since Peru is a multicultural country.

The fair “Barranco”

The Barranco Independent Fair is an initiative of independent creatives and merchants from Lima located in the district of Barranco. The Fair supports and promotes local artists, entrepreneurs and SMEs.

Sanchez carrion Boulevard

A street with a long tradition that housed different families, today converted into a boulevard, it joins Bolognesi Avenue with Grau and the Municipal Park. Ideal for night owls who like fun as it is a meeting place for all people from Barranco on weekends. Pubs, clubs and clubs are waiting for you.

Main square of Barranco

Barranco is a district that has a strong entertainment offer. This district of Lima with old mansions, cheerful people and lively nights is known as “the artists’ neighborhood”. It was founded in 1874 and borders the Miraflores neighborhood. In the Plaza de Armas is the National Library and there you can get maps of the area with tourist information on bars, restaurants, shops and hotels.

The Lima Free Walking Tour will return to Miraflores at about 1:15pm, unless you decide to stay in Barranco to continue exploring. To find out more about these sites listed above, you’ll definitely have to take the tour for yourself. Don’t miss out!

Lima is a wonderful city, and with so much to discover, you simply cannot miss your opportunity to get to know this wonderful city alongside those who know it best.

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