The highlights of Lima

This full day tour dedicated to Lima, a UNESCO city, incorporates the most elegant and important areas of South America. The tour begins in the morning with pick-up at your hotel and drives you to the historic area where the first stop is the site of the first university of the Americas – Universidad Mayor de San Marcos, now part of a cultural center called “La Casona de San Marcos.”

The tour continues to Plaza San Martin and a walking tour through Jr. De la Union, observing several national heritage houses. The route takes you to “Teatro Municipal” and “Teatro Segura,” two of the most important theaters in the city, and then to Lima’s main square, Plaza Mayor, where Francisco Pizarro founded the city in 1535.

After the main square, the tour heads to “Casa Osambela,” an impressive 18th-century house owned by a rich marine that has beautiful architecture. A few steps away from Osambela, you will visit “Convento de Santo Domingo,” where you can climb the tower for a spectacular view of Lima, and then continue on to “Casa de Aliaga,” located close to the Government Palace, owned by the same family since Vice Royalty.

The tour stops for lunch at “Bar Cordano,” one of the oldest traditional bars in Lima, where you may try a “butifarra” (a traditional Peruvian ham sandwich) or other typical Peruvian specialties.

The afternoon begins with a visit to the Convento de San Francisco, a stunning example of colonial-style architecture dating back to the 17th century, known for its intricate carvings, frescoes, catacombs, and beautiful courtyards. Next, you will visit “Parque de la Muralla,” a small park with remains of the old city wall that surrounded Lima in colonial times. The tour continues to “Museo de la Inquisición,” “Escuela de Bellas Artes,” and “Convento de San Camilo,” which keeps some interesting Zurbaran paintings.

Finally, the day ends with a visit to Chinatown, the biggest in South America, where Chinese immigrants settled around the mid-1800s. You will have time to try some Peruvian-Chinese cuisine mixture before the tour transfers you back to your hotel in a comfortable vehicle.