Lima City Tour Historic Centre Love Park and Catacombs

Love Park and the Miraflores cliffs

Love Park, or Parque del Amor, is a clifftop park in Miraflores with a view of the Pacific and the coast. Its centrepiece is the sculpture El Beso by Victor Delfin, a large couple embracing, and around it curved benches covered in colourful mosaics with romantic messages.

Plan about twenty minutes here for photos, and to look at the paragliders that often fly along the cliffs. Love Park is one of the top free sights in Lima, and the walk along the seafront path gives a good sense of the modern city. It is the first stop of the tour, and the light is best in the morning.

Huaca Pucllana

Huaca Pucllana is a large adobe pyramid built by the Lima culture, roughly between the third and seventh centuries, and it stands in the middle of the modern district of Miraflores, surrounded by apartment blocks. Its walls are made of thousands of small mud bricks stacked like books on a shelf, a technique that helps them survive earthquakes.

On this tour it is a short panoramic stop of about ten minutes, and entry into the site is not included. Your guide shares the history and cultural importance, and if you want to see inside, a night visit or a separate ticket is a good idea. Huaca Pucllana opening hours change by season.

Historic centre of Lima

The historic centre was founded by Francisco Pizarro in 1535 and is listed by UNESCO. The tour walks around the Plaza Mayor, with the Government Palace, the Cathedral of Lima, the Archbishop's Palace and the Municipal Palace, and shows the colonial balconies and streets that survive from the viceroyalty period.

This part of the tour takes about an hour, and the guide explains how Lima became the capital of Spanish South America. It is a walking visit, so wear comfortable shoes. The changing of the guard and cathedral opening hours can vary, so ask your guide what can be seen on the day.

San Francisco Convent and Catacombs

The Convent of San Francisco is a baroque monastery from the seventeenth century, with a library, a museum of religious art and, underneath, the catacombs, which were used as a burial place until the early nineteenth century. Bones are arranged in circles and patterns in the underground chambers.

The visit takes about forty-five minutes and is only included in the premium option, which includes the entry ticket to the Museum, Convent and Catacombs. In the essential option, the entry fee is not included. Photography inside is limited, and the underground corridors are narrow, so let your guide lead the way.