Historic Centre Guided Walking Tour with Entry Fees Arequipa

Plaza de Armas of Arequipa

Arequipa was founded by the Spanish in 1540, and its Plaza de Armas has been the heart of the city ever since. Three sides of the square are lined with two-storey arcades of white volcanic stone called sillar, while the fourth side is filled by the long façade of the cathedral, rebuilt several times after earthquakes. Palm trees, gardens and a bronze fountain fill the centre, and the snow-capped cone of El Misti rises behind the rooftops.

Your Arequipa walking tour starts here, with the story of how the city was laid out and why almost every building is white. The guide points out the details of the portals and the cathedral front, and gives you tips for returning in the evening, when the square is lit up. It is the best starting point for understanding what to see in Arequipa.

Cloisters of the Company (Claustros de la Compañía)

A few steps from the square stands the Jesuit church of the Company, one of the finest examples of the mestizo baroque style of southern Peru, where Spanish forms were carved by local craftsmen with Andean flowers, fruit, birds and faces. Behind it are the old Jesuit cloisters, whose stone columns and arches are covered with the same dense, lace-like decoration.

Today the cloisters are a peaceful courtyard with small craft and alpaca-wool shops, a pleasant contrast to the busy streets outside. On the walk you stop long enough to look closely at the carvings and learn how sillar is cut and why it allowed such fine detail. Many travellers say the Claustros de la Compañía are the most photogenic corner of the historic centre of Arequipa.

Grau Bridge and the volcano viewpoint

Arequipa sits at about 2,300 metres in a green valley watered by the Chili River, ringed by three great volcanoes: El Misti, the perfect cone that is the symbol of the city, the broad snow-streaked massif of Chachani, and the jagged ridge of Pichu Pichu. From the Grau Bridge, at the edge of the old centre, all three line up above the river, the fields and the white houses.

This is the moment of the tour for photos, and the guide explains how the volcanoes shaped the city: the sillar stone itself is compressed volcanic ash, and earthquakes have marked its history. Clear skies are common most of the year, so the view is usually sharp, especially in the morning departure. It is one of the best free viewpoints in Arequipa.

Mundo Alpaca and the Andean camelids

Next the walk reaches Mundo Alpaca, set in an old breeding farm for South American camelids close to the centre. In its small open-air enclosure you see the four Andean relatives side by side: llamas, alpacas, the long-haired suri alpacas and the wild vicuña, whose fine wool was reserved for Inca nobility. Displays show how the fibre is sorted, spun and dyed.

Children especially enjoy meeting the animals up close, and adults appreciate learning the difference between baby alpaca, alpaca and vicuña fibre before shopping for textiles. Entry is part of this walking tour, and there is time to browse the textile shop if you want to buy a scarf or sweater made from the same fibre. Buying is optional and the visit lasts a short while.

San Lázaro, the founding quarter

The tour ends its loop in San Lázaro, the oldest neighbourhood of Arequipa and the place where the first Spanish settlement was laid out before the city spread towards today's main square. Its narrow, winding alleys, small plazas and low white houses with stone doorways feel very different from the grid of the centre, and the little church of San Lázaro anchors the quarter.

Walking here gives you a sense of what the White City looked like in its early colonial days, and it is a quiet area that few visitors find on their own. From San Lázaro you walk back to the centre and finish close to the Plaza de Armas, ready to visit Santa Catalina Monastery or a museum on your own if you wish.