Centro Historico de Lima
Centro Historico de Lima
4.5
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Monday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Tuesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Wednesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Thursday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Friday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Saturday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Sunday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
About
Lima's downtown center, with its breathtaking architecture and rich history, makes it clear why it deserves to be a Unesco World Heritage Site.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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The area

Address
Neighborhood: San Isidro

See what travelers are saying

  • TheExplorerFamily
    Somerset, New Jersey7,155 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    History, History and More History
    The Historic center is the old Downtown of the Lima Metropolis, and among the most important tourist destinations in Peru. It starts at The Plaza de Armas in Lima, and in the entire district, there is no street, plaza or balcony that is not relevant to Peruvian history. Amazing…! The City of Lima (the Capital of Peru) was founded by Francisco Pizarro on January 18, 1535, and given the name “City of Kings”. The Main places to see here are the Arch Bishop’s Palace, the Basilica Cathedral, Convent of Santo Domingo, Government or Presidential Palace, the Plaza Mayor, and so much more. And then, there are the Balconies – 1600 of them around the district – built in the Viceroy Era. They are maintained meticulously well, and they even have a “Adopt a Balcony” Program. Given the time constraints of the city tour, we could only stop at, and examine a few of the important places. But we are delighted at what we were able to see. Our guide drove us around some of the neighborhoods, and pointed out some buildings that have a Black and White Logo on their facades. This meant that they are UNESCO listed buildings. The Colonial/Victorian architecture reminded us of Europe. So worth it to spend a lot of time in this historical district.
    Visited September 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written October 9, 2023
  • Brad P
    Dallas, Texas168 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Worth the visit
    Went to Peru to see Machu Picchu. Added day in Lima due to late flight and glad we did. Took a nice tour of the Spanish city center. very nice.
    Visited November 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written November 28, 2023
  • Annie S
    Portsmouth, United Kingdom540 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Loving downtown
    We stayed in Miraflores and the contrast to downtown is huge. Loved downtown. With amazing architecture. Such beautiful buildings. Keep in mind that sometimes access to the plaza is restricted and the guards are very officious. Other than… such a great vibe
    Visited July 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written August 8, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles5,077 reviews
Excellent
2,677
Very good
1,872
Average
449
Poor
60
Terrible
19

Komator
Barcelona, Spain896 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022
Centro historico is a mandatory stop for every tourist. Being that said, it's a little disappointing. Mainly because of the insecurity you feel. I've been in other South American historical centers (e.g., Quito) and it's different. As you reach the Plaza de Armas you're told to not step one street out of the Plaza or the two main roads.
The plaza itself is quite large, with Lima's Cathedral on one side and several historical buildings nearby (most of them, being remodeled). It's nice and quite crowded with tourists and people trying to sell you things.
Written October 10, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

RandyRoss
Ridgetown, Canada12,714 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020
The historic center of Lima is better than we expected but could still use some tender loving care. The buildings are wonderful and some are in great condition. However, others are in dire need or restoration.
We saw this area on a guided walking tour of this area purchased from Holland America.
The changing of the guards was a nice touch. Fantastic!
Written March 29, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Annie S
Portsmouth, UK540 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2024 • Couples
We stayed in Miraflores and the contrast to downtown is huge. Loved downtown. With amazing architecture. Such beautiful buildings. Keep in mind that sometimes access to the plaza is restricted and the guards are very officious. Other than… such a great vibe
Written August 8, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

enncle
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK5,973 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2022 • Couples
My partner and I visited while staying in Lima, about a 40 min Uber from miraflores, £6 . Historical centre was gorgeous, lots to look at, unfortunately churches where closed due to work. But it was a great day out. Fantastic architecture.
Written November 9, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Charles S
Vernon, Canada344 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2020 • Couples
We walked around the historic centre with a free walking tour . Good value for the morning. Interesting and varied experience with church, civic and repurposed buildings as well as getting a feel for the area. Guide was pretty good but the best was starting a Kennedy park and riding the bus into Historic area.
Written March 10, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Brad P
Dallas, TX168 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2023 • Family
Went to Peru to see Machu Picchu. Added day in Lima due to late flight and glad we did. Took a nice tour of the Spanish city center. very nice.
Written November 28, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

HoustonMedic
Houston, TX272 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Known locally as "Centro de Lima", the district is filled with amazing and incredible architecture that is hundreds of years old. Within Centro de Lima you will find the San Franciscan Monastery, Governor's Palace, many churches, Chinatown, excellent food, and great shopping.

The main square, Plaza de Armas, has a couple churches and the Governor's Palace. There is the "changing of the guards" at about 11:45 every day at the Governor's Palace which is a pretty cool thing to see if you are in the area at that time. If you are looking at the Governor's Palace, you can turn around (180 degrees) and you will find a small street (only for pedestrians) that has numerous restaurants that are usually pretty good. When searching for a restaurant, often times many of the hosting staff will come up to talk to you and show you the menu... remember to bargain for free drinks! Whether you want alcohol or not, you can usually barter for free soda or (especially) free pisco sours (the national drink of Peru). I have gotten up to two free pisco sours per person this way.

Again, if you are looking at the Governor's Palace, you can walk just to your left and walk down the walkway next to the Governor's Palace to find more shops and restaurants (at the end of the walkway you take a left where they have a lot of Peruvian shops and handicrafts. If you are planning on visiting Centro de Lima, then DO NOT buy Peruvian handicrafts in Miraflores. You can find the exact same souvenirs in Centro de Lima but for way cheaper (most of the stores in Miraflores buy their products from Centro de Lima).

Also for shopping, along the same route to Centro de Lima from Miraflores is a shopping center called Polvos Azules. This is a two or three level center with good products for excellent prices. I would highly recommend stopping here to look at the clothes, backpacks, purses, and other products they have. If you are planning on going to Centro de Lima for souvenirs and Polvos Azules for clothes and other products, I would avoid buying anything in Miraflores (you will pay foreigner prices, ie. much more, in Miraflores).

About three blocks away from Plaza de Armas is the San Franciscan Monastery. Remember to go before about 4:30pm. It closes around 5:30, but if you get there just before they close then your tour will be rushed. Make sure you see the Latin version of the Lord's Supper and the catacombs.

While in Centro de Lima, remember safety as it can be a little dangerous. Do not flash money, try to avoid carrying bags, and if you do have a bag then I suggest carrying it to your front.
Written June 3, 2010
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

RGSOUNDF
Mercerville, NJ10,753 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2019 • Couples
Lima is a huge city. The greater Lima's population exceeds the one of New York City, by a couple million people. However, if you are an average typical visitor to the city, the chances are that you will be staying either in Miraflores or Barranco, and if you came to Lima for business you may be staying in the upscale San-Isidro district (the latter is the home of the famed haute-cuisine restaurant Astrid y Gaston). For a great architecture and interwoven layers of history, you got to head to the Historical Center of Lima.
The "centro historico" of Lima is great for a sightseeing tour, anywhere from 2 to 3 hours. It is about 8 city blocks wide and 8 to 9 city blocks long. In the north it ends by Rimac river, next to the Palacio de Gobierno del Perú; in the south it is Plaza San-Martin, Monserrate neighborhood to the west and Barrios Altos in the east. Outside of the confines of the Historical Center, there is not that much to do nor see, these are definitely not "tourist areas" with many if not most of the buildings demonstrating neglect, urban decay or even abject poverty. Particularly exercise prudence and caution when venturing to the east of Plazuela San-Francisco; crossing Avenida Abancay will take you to Barrios Altos, not a neighborhood best-suited for solo walks, especially after sunset.
We would recommend you start your tour with Plaza San-Martin (equestrian statue of General San-Martin, the Liberator of Peru and historic Hotel Bolivar) and take a pedestrian shopping street Jirón de la Unión. The shopping per se might not be alluring to a visitor from the US or European countries, for most of the stores look like dollar stores, but there are beautiful colonial-looking houses with their Moorish ornate wooden carved balconies, beautiful Republican buildings (built after Peru gained its independence in 1826) of Beaux-Arts or even Art-Nouveau styles (the latter represented by Casa E. Courret), centuries-old churches and historical monuments. While walking up Jirón de la Unión towards Plaza Mayor, don't miss the Iglesia de la Merced, with some of its parts dating back to the first half of the XVIth century, and the monument to Ramon Castilla, three-times president of Peru in the XIXth century, across from the Iglesia de la Merced, in front of the very interesting building now housing Oechsle electronic store.
Next, Plaza Mayor (alternatively known by its previous name Plaza de Armas) offers a concentration of main landmarks of downtown Lima, some are several centuries old and some are stylized in the 1930s and 1940s to look like colonial buildings, such as Palacio de la Unión, Palacio Municipal de Lima, Archbishop's Palace of Lima, Cathedral Basilica of Lima, and Palacio de Gobierno del Perú. From the latter, take a look at Rimac river (or rather what is left of it; nowadays it resembles a half dried up creek with muddy waters). The sort of embankment along it, on the Historical Center side, Alameda Chabuca Granda features many a souvenir shop.
Heading back south, don't miss a fantastic covered arcade, with respective entrances on either Jirón Camaná or Jirón de la Unión, surprisingly reminiscent of Parisian passages couverts. We believe it is called (or referred to) as Casa de Correos y Telegrafos Covered Arcade.
The area surrounding Plaza Mayor, to the north, presents another pedestrian shopping street Jirón Ancash. We stopped by the wonderful tiny URQU Coffee Shop offering 100% famous Peruvian coffee. Generally speaking, most of the food outlets in the area are definitely not the fine dining establishments LIma is so famous for; they are either fast food or quite down-to-earth eateries.
Jirón Ancash starts with Casa de la Literatura Peruana (Peru numbers many great writers, among them a Nobel Prize winner Mario Vargas Llosa) and opens on the amazing Iglesia de San Francisco de Asís with its famous catacombs and picturesque Plazuela San Francisco.
The area to the east of Plaza Mayor includes the shopping streets Jirón Camaná, Jirón Callao, and Jirón Conde de Superunda; the latter offers yet another beautiful cathedral, the pinkish-colored imposing Convento de Santo Domingo.
Walking back south down Jirón Camaná don't miss the Convent of San Agustin de Lima with its fantastic facade.
Now, of course, there is so much more to the Historical Center of Lima, museums, distinguished houses (XVIth century Casa de Aliaga, on the corner of Alameda Chabuca Granda and Jirón de la Unión, Casa Mendoza on Jirón Ancash, and magnificent Casa de Osambela on Jirón Conde de Superunda, among others) and other worthy points of sightseeing interest, however, to see it all will mandate a dedicated tour of downtown of 2 days or more.
To sum it all up: the Historical Center of Lima should be on your top list of priorities when visiting this unparalleled City of Kings.
Written July 14, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ana C
London, UK295 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2019
The soul of Peru is in the ancient civilisations, and most some of its ancient culture and costumes are still alive in the Andes, not in Lima.
Lima historical centre is the testament of the Spanish invasion and colonisation, which has destroyed those ancient civilisations, such as the Incas, from their arrival in the XVI century. The buildings are colonial in style, even pretty, but they are all built on top of pre-existing Inca temples, with the objective to end their culture, costumes and traditions. But yes, this is part of Peru's history, and therefore important to know and visit.
Written October 20, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Trevorbord
San Diego, CA438 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
My wife and I visited Lima over Thanksgiving 2007 as a stop on a Gate 1 Travel escorted trip. We arrived at the airport and were greeted by our limo driver, he spoke no English, I speak no Spanish; we spoke French! The drive to our hotel started out sadly. The area surrounding the airport is very dirty and depressed. Lima gets very little rainfall, so even trees are covered with a layer of dirt. As we move further away from the airport, the hustle and bustle and true nature of the city began to reveal itself. Lima is a fascinating city where you are surprised around every corner, literally. There are Pre Columbian pyramids that have been unearthed in neighborhoods. You are driving along, and WOW, there it is, right next to an apartment complex or a park.
The historic center of Lima is a tribute to Spanish architecture. The Main square is surrounded by government buildings and churches and private structures that all have a Spanish Signature tied to them. A visit to the Franciscan Monastery is a must, and make sure to visit the crypt underneath. La Cathedral de Lima is a lovely church as well. Palacio Arzobispal and the Palacio de Gobierno are also located in the historic center of Lima. Away from the center of the city there are several Pre-Columbian pyramid sites that should also be visited; Huaca Pucllana and Huaca Huallamarca are two great examples.
Written March 11, 2010
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Centro Historico de Lima - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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