We travelers can be like trained seals. Everyone says, “go to Peru“, what they are really saying is “go to Machu Picchu“, advice taken without question. People will rave about the mountain town of Cusco and not even consider “is Lima worth visiting”? Lima is such an afterthought to most people that visit Peru. Afterall it is just a big city. Usually, visitors only have a layover here or at most one good night of sleep before shuffling off to that tourist trap/hell hole, city, Cusco. I did enough bashing of Cusco in this post here, there will be plenty of other posts to rip it a new one. For now, let me focus on Lima.
So, is Lima, Peru worth visiting? For me it is a definite yes, it was my favorite part of my trip to Peru. The food, the vibe, the variety, made Lima an incredible place to visit. Lima, Peru is a real city, unlike the other main attraction, which is a Disney land like tourist trap. If you are a traveler not just a tourist, you will appreciate the area. It may be possible that the four days I spent in this city weren’t enough to give an opinion, which is fair, but I will anyway.
This is not to say it is a perfect destination. As I will point out at the end of this post, things can and will go wrong. Still, if I am being objective, I would say Lima is a place to spend some time, especially if you are going to visit Machu Picchu. Don’t just use it like a cheap whore as a jumping ground to your other destinations, explore it and I feel you will be happy. Below is why I know Lima is worth seeing.
Why Lima Peru is worth Visiting: The Food
Above all else I like to eat (and drink), Lima, Peru gave me this opportunity in a unique way that I had not experienced since before the “virus”. People rave about Peruvian food, and for good reason. The meals in this city were outstanding. To begin with the seafood is top notch. Obviously being by the ocean this should be the case and they lived up to expectations.
I am going to tell you something that was written in a million other places, but I am saying it so now you know it is true. The Ceviche is really that good. Well in Lima, Peru Ceviche is good, in other parts of the country (the landlocked one) it was terrible. The fish above was so fresh they were still writing its obituary when served. Add to that the spice level, it was perfect and unique. Surely Lima will fall into my top ten cities for eating. Of course, I say that every time, but this time I mean it. Lima, Peru is worth visiting for the seafood alone.
On top of Ceviche there was Octopus galore, Pulpo al Olivo is an Octopus dish with an olive sauce on it. Of course, grilled octopus, no self-respecting seafood city wouldn’t have that. Then there is Peruvian Tiradita, which is thinly sliced seafood, scallops, you get the idea the seafood is the bee’s knees.
An Asian Influence
Before coming to Lima, I didn’t realize just how big Asian food played in the cuisine of Peru. What you get is a wonderful and crazy mix of flavors and dishes I have never heard of before coming to Lima Peru. Lomo Saltado is a stir fry with of all thing’s French fries and beef. There are also onions and tomatoes, the dish is comfort food at its finest. Other dishes like Chaufa de Marisco (a fried rice dish) and Tallarin con Pollo (noodles with chicken) were on many menus.
Now you might be saying, well that is all and good, but I can get that anywhere in the country. Not really, the other city just didn’t have the quality of food Lima had. Lima is worth spending some time in because it offers the best of Peruvian food. I can’t speak for other cities in Peru; outside of Cusco and I will say that food was awful.
Other Great Things to Eat
One thing I loved about Lima Peru was the prevalence of desserts. The Chocolate in Peru is a as good as they say. I had this brownie that I still dream of in Lima at a place called Intro Café Bar. As a side they also have a delicious breakfast and are one of the only places (I found) that serve Pisco Sours at 9:00am.
Lima also has street food, although not as much as I was promised. Still the carts of Picarones were a great way to fill in that time between third lunch and first dinner. Five Pisco Sours and a couple of orders of these and you will forget all about your horrid time in Cusco. Is Lima worth visiting for the food alone? Very Possibly.
A Quick Warning about the Food
One thing I should warn those going to Lima about, well really all of Peru, be careful where you eat. I have had street food around the world and yet Peruvian street food worried me. While it was not as plentiful as the You Tubers will have you believe, I wasn’t running toward it so that worked out. One false bite and your colon will never forgive you.
I wasn’t crazy about the markets either. Eating at a market in Cusco was a big disappointment, I couldn’t bring myself to eat at one in Lima. I understand these places don’t have a health rating system like here in the United States but give me some air cover! Thailand, Turkey, Greece, and Spain here at least I could pretend these places were clean. The street markets in Lima had more flies than grains of sand. It is almost as if they were trying to kill you.
Lima is worth visiting for the food alone, just be careful, you don’t want to be running back and forth to the bathroom every two seconds.
Why Lima, Peru is Worth Visiting: The Vibe
Admittedly, I didn’t explore the entire city, I may have walked 25K steps a day, but it was mainly between the two most popular neighborhoods. Miraflores and Barranco were both great in their own way. Yet they both had a different feel to them. Let me start with Miraflores.
Miraflores
You can describe Miraflores as the more touristy of the two places. It is certainly more crowded than Barranco, at least in my experience. Still, it didn’t feel like a tourist trap. First it was clean, cleaner than most cities in the United States. This neighborhood was great for just walking around.
There were little shops and hotels everywhere. Cafes and restaurants littered the streets as well. Sometimes it may have been hard to find a drink, but I guess not many people drink at 8:30am. Once you search just a little you will run into a bunch of great eateries.
There is a giant mall called Larcomar, which is beautiful, but at the end of the day is just a mall. It is right on the ocean. The view is one you cannot miss, given the steep cliffs of the Lima coastline. Add to this the beautiful churches and amazing parks, and it is a nice area to spend a day or two strolling. I am always amazed when a park is clean and usable as opposed to Denver and New York. Miraflores was touristy but had a great feel to it.
Barranco
When driving from the airport Barranco felt a million miles away from Miraflores. The feel of the neighborhood was different, but after walking back and forth between the two I realized they weren’t that far from each other. They weren’t exactly close either, but at least it was a straight shot.
If you had to move me into a neighborhood in Lima Peru it would be in Barranco. Of course, not in the Second Home Peru, you can read about that in the link. The backstreets felt really peaceful, lined with trees and paintings. Not as many tourists, of course not as many people that spoke English, but I survived.
This area was artsy, but not in a pretentious way. It has a cool feel to it and is open much later at night then Miraflores. Coming back from Miraflores it felt like it was lined with great places to eat. I wish I had another day to just walk around this area. It felt real, yes you were in another country, but it also felt like a “normal” city. Lima is worth visiting for the great atmosphere.
The Ocean
If you like the water than Lima has a ton of it (Oceans aren’t small). You may have to hire a sherpa to get down to the beach, but the cliff makes for some incredible views. I wouldn’t say the beaches I saw were nice (a bit rocky), but it is more than I can say about other, let us say, more inland areas of Peru. Most likely if you are like the millions of other people you aren’t going to Peru for the beach. Still, it is nice to know it is an option. The weather was great in November, not exactly beach weather, but it made walking the coast pleasant.
Other Things to Do in Lima Peru
There are a lot of things to do in Lima Peru. Regrettably I missed most of them. Ruins such as Huaca Pucllana are popular. The city has its own Plaza De Arms which is a big attraction. Unfortunately, I listened to too many blogs that told me to spend most of my time in Cusco. These areas were more inland from my hotel. I would have ended up walking to them, which isn’t a terrible notion. Had I had one or two more days. You can also swim with the sea lions, which I am kind of pissed I missed. Thanks, other blogs! If you are looking for a lot to do, then Lima is worth visiting.
Some Warnings about Lima
You need to keep a heads up when you are in other countries and Peru is no exception. Yes, Miraflores and Barranco are great, but there are certainly less welcoming areas of the city. Only once or twice did I feel unsafe in Lima, overall it seemed safe, but I could have gotten lucky. According to the crime Index it is rated as “very high”. You need to be careful and keep your wits about you.
At one point in the trip, we sat on the patio of a cafe we ate at a million times indoors. Big mistake. Every 5 minutes a homeless man or woman carrying a baby would approach us. They would not leave us alone. One guy even had a picture of a kid…that isn’t selling me buddy.
Another man was different. He looked like he just gotten into a fight with a tiger, clearly drunk, yet spoke (almost) perfect English. Told some story that he gotten robbed, I told him “No Soles.” His reaction “No Soles!?” and he spits at the glass. If it wasn’t for that partition, we would have been fighting. I saw him the next day, he must have gotten robbed again, same clothes, same alcohol stench. Just be extra careful, this isn’t Rome. Stick to crowded and touristy areas.
The Drivers
People in Lima make New Yorkers look like the queen driving a bumper car. They are nuts. Cab drivers get that crazy look in their eye when they see a red light. I missed getting into a terrible accident at least twice. My last cab driver was going over 100 on the way to the airport. He must have really wanted me out of the car.
This does not help pedestrians at all, trying to cross the road can be challenging and I imagine the level of fatalities is high. Safety standers are much looser in other countries. Keep this in mind.
Conclusion: Is Lima, Peru Worth Visiting
That took a long time to simply say, yes Lima is worth seeing. There may be a bit of danger if you are in the wrong area, but for the most part it is safe. The food is great, there is a lot to do, and it has a nice vibe. Don’t pass on Lima Peru!
