Lima Walking Tour: Historic Center, Market & Monastery
Recommended by 95% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Lima, Peru
- 3 hours 45 minutes (approx.)
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Explore the sights of Peru’s capital city on a small-group walking tour. Enjoy an intimate atmosphere while strolling around the Central Market and visit the city's other top landmarks. As you walk, learn the stories behind each sight. Try out Spanish greetings with help from your guide and uncover the intriguing history of Lima as you venture through the streets. A personalized experience is guaranteed on this small-group tour, where numbers are limited to 12 people.
- Taste authentic Peruvian flavors at the Central Market
- Hear the history of Lima's colonial past at Plaza de Armas
- Learn key Spanish phrases to navigate the city like a local
- Discover Lima's history at the UNESCO World Heritage-listed San Francisco Monastery
What's Included
- Visit the vibrant Central Market and learn about Peru’s diverse food culture
- Tour the San Francisco Monastery and Catacombs (entrance included)
- Ride the public bus from Miraflores to the Historic Center (ticket included)
- Learn essential Spanish phrases to enrich your Peru travels
- Explore Plaza de Armas, Plaza San Martín, and Jirón de la Unión
- Discover hidden gems and iconic landmarks on a guided walking tour
- Join a friendly, English-speaking local guide in Lima
- Hotel pickup and drop off
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Lima CathedralPlaza de Armas de Lima, Jirón Carabaya s/n, Lima 15001, Peru
Main gate of the Cathedral of Lima in Plaza de Armas – dowtown. address: Jirón Carabaya) s/n Centro de Lima
End point
- V4MH+QGV, Lima 15594, Peru
Plaza de Armas or Main Square of Lima
Operating hours.1:15 pm
Itinerary
Your adventure begins at the Cathedral of Lima, located in the heart of Plaza de Armas, the city's historic center.
Wander the famous pedestrian avenue of Jiron de la Union as you learn a few simple Spanish phrases from your guide.
Continue to the city's vibrant and colorful market and immerse yourself in the bustling atmosphere; follow your guide past stalls bursting with exotic fruits and fresh vegetables, and discover sizzling local dishes. Learn about Peru’s rich culinary heritage, from the jungles to the Andes, and discover how locals shop, eat, and celebrate food.
Next, venture to the legendary Monasterio San Francisco, a UNESCO World Heritage site known for its impressive architecture and eerie catacombs. Learn more about Lima’s history while marveling at the landmark, with your guide sharing captivating stories as you explore.
Conclude the tour at the Plaza de Armas, ready to explore Lima independently if you desire. Your guide is happy to provide assistance in getting back to your hotel in Lima.
Wander the famous pedestrian avenue of Jiron de la Union as you learn a few simple Spanish phrases from your guide.
Continue to the city's vibrant and colorful market and immerse yourself in the bustling atmosphere; follow your guide past stalls bursting with exotic fruits and fresh vegetables, and discover sizzling local dishes. Learn about Peru’s rich culinary heritage, from the jungles to the Andes, and discover how locals shop, eat, and celebrate food.
Next, venture to the legendary Monasterio San Francisco, a UNESCO World Heritage site known for its impressive architecture and eerie catacombs. Learn more about Lima’s history while marveling at the landmark, with your guide sharing captivating stories as you explore.
Conclude the tour at the Plaza de Armas, ready to explore Lima independently if you desire. Your guide is happy to provide assistance in getting back to your hotel in Lima.
1
Lima Main Square
1 hour 40 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Mercado Central
40 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
Basílica and Convent of San Francisco, Lima
40 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Is this tour child-friendly? Yes, children are welcome on this tour. Kids under 6 years old can join free of charge. Just let us know in advance if you’ll be bringing a little one so we can make sure everything’s set up for a smooth experience.
- Can I get help returning to my hotel after the tour? Absolutely. If you need a ride back, your guide will be happy to help you arrange a taxi to your hotel at the end of the tour.
- Why do we use public transportation on this tour? Lima is a bustling city with over 10 million residents, and traffic can be a real challenge. That’s why we take a public bus that runs on natural gas and uses a dedicated lane—saving time and reducing our environmental impact. It’s a smart, efficient, and eco-friendly way to explore the city, just like the locals do.
- Will we try any local fruits during the tour? Yes! At Lima’s Central Market, you’ll have the chance to sample the best seasonal fruits—fresh from local producers. It’s a delicious way to experience Peru’s natural flavors and learn about regional produce from the people who grow it.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.8
based on 102 reviews
Connie_J, Dec 2023
Mariano was excellent imparting the history and culture of Lima and Peru. So knowledgeable and so easy to listen to. I fell in love with Lima and didn’t want this tour to end
Shirley A S, Aug 2017
Make this your first tour to get your orientation to the city. Paula, our tour guide, quickly adapted to our group of 3, personalized the tour for us, gave a good overview of Lima history, answered all our questions, made recommendations for dinner and called an Uber for us! We could not have asked for more....Oh Yes! We had the best Pisco Sour on the tour--where the original was developed by an American. Who Knew!
Alan R, May 2017
Pros: Paula our guide, was punctual, friendly, small group and spoke fluent English.
Cons: First and foremost, Viator failed to note that May 1st is a national holiday in Lima with many of the attractions closed. As a result, the next day we had to retrace our steps, repay the entrance fees that were to have been paid by the tour guide the day before, had the attractions been open.
The guide was not very informative. To gain anything but superficial information, easily ascertained by reading any guide book, we had to ask questions. Then when we gained access to the attractions the next day and had the pleasure of having a schooled docent guide us, we found much of the information given to us by our tour guide, to be erroneous.
There were black and white, signs affixed to the walls of certain buildings. When we asked the tour guide what these meant, she advised that it indicated the path of the religious march which was taking place that day. As it turned out, they signified the designation of a historic site.
Even the venues to which we gained access, such as the San Francisco Church, we were not shown major attractions in this case Perus version of the Last Supper.
The tour was to have lasted until 6 pm. Ours ended at 4:30 p.m., presumably due to the closure of many venues. However, in my opinion, a qualified guide would have expanded the information for those sites we were shown.
By the way, should any reader wish to visit the Palace of the Archbishop, ask for Katherine she was fantastic.
Timothy_B, Apr 2017
This was a fun way to see Lima. Our guide was very informative and we had a lot of fun. Would highly recommend this anyone with a half day to see Lima.
Duncan_P, Jan 2017
Great way to start our visit to Peru MilagrosMilliewas an informative and dynamic guide full of history and facts about the city.
SukLing_L, Oct 2016
I was the only person on the walking tour and had a great time with the guide Millie who was informative and funny. It was a great trip. Thanks Millie!
Jennifer L, Sep 2016
Our tour guide was awesome and since there were only 2 of us on the tour, she adjusted to what we wanted to see and was super patient in answering all of our questions about Lima and the area.
Richard_K, Sep 2016
I don't think I can say how incredible our walk tour around Lima with Millie was. She gave us 100 of her energy, time, sense of humor, knowledge for over 3 hours. We saw architecture, food markets, monistary, catacombs - it was the best day ever. At the end she treated us to a Pescos Sour which was delicious. Thank you, Millie, for a great day. Di and Richard
Maria O, Jun 2016
Traffic is a terrific headache in Lima so walking to discover downtown is really the best option. We loved the tour, very interesting history and Fabiana, the guide was great!!
Melanie C, Jun 2016
We learned so much from Fafiana.She was smart, funny,and very sweet. She explained th sights to us in perfect English. The tour was very worthwhile and recommend to all to get a flavor of downtown Lima and its history. Fafiana even accompanied us on our taxi ride to Park de la Reserva afterwards
Melissa H, May 2016
This is advertised as a 4 hour tour we were through in 2 hours. Our guide Paula was very nice and answered questions when asked but was not really forthcoming with lots of info, would have appreciated much more info about Peru and Lima.
JulieIreland_C, Apr 2016
Paula was knowledgeable and picked up on what we wanted to see and moved along when we were ready to visit the next site. The length of the tour was perfect and Paula was easy to talk to and her English was excellent. Lovely person.
Fran on-the-go, Nov 2015
The tour leader was excellent. She concentrated on the most interesting sites and made sure that
we did not bump into large tour groups. She was caring and personable and ended with a relaxing
stop in a small cafe where we could all talk and discuss the tour.
Sachin C, Oct 2015
Our Guide Paula was amazing and made the tour enriching, fun and a great experience for the entire group. Definitely look up Paula for an amazing time during your vacation.
Angie , Oct 2015
What a great tour this is. Very informative and you get to see so much. Lima is such a beautiful city and is well worth a closer look and this is the way to do it. Our first taste of the legendary Pisco Sour at the Hotel Maury was a highlight. You feel that you are walking into a bank and then there's this beautiful bar. We had a great time.
gsdpublic, Sep 2015
We loved this tour. It was just the right amount of time and our guide was wonderful. Taking the tour was much more efficient than trying to find the things we saw on our own. If we were on our own we would have passed by buildings not knowing what they were. Having the guide was an absolute benefit. We highly recommend this tour.
DANI S, Sep 2015
We started on time which is good, however, the tour was cut short. I anticipated it would have been a 3 hour walking tour as stated in the website, but instead in 2 hours we finished at a downtown bar to drink the traditional Peruvian drink pisco?
NancyRedicsn_R, Aug 2015
Loved the tour and the guide and really loved the pisco sours at end!
Darren_M, Jun 2015
Very good. A great mix of history, architecture, and a bit of contemporary life.
Mikhail_K, May 2015
The tour was very nice, a lot of things to know and to see. Thanks
David C, May 2015
Only my wife and I made up the tour group. Guide was superb. Got to see so much of everyday downtown Lima life. Market was very interesting. Catacombs, shopping areas, etc. Wow!
Charles B, Apr 2015
This was a great tour - one of the high lights of our trip and put Lima in a different light. The tour guide, Paula, was wonderful.
Emily S, Mar 2015
Georgio our guide was really friendly and knowledgeable and brought everyone on the tour together! Toe covere a good range of places and was worth the money!
Jessica P, Jan 2015
Our guide was so lovely! She even even when the extra mile to make sure we were out of the city before the roads were blocked from a student protest that was due to begin at 5pm. I really enjoyed the tour and we saw all of the main sites of Lima.
Steven K, Nov 2014
Teresa was excellent.
It was a great introduction to the city.
Very happy that it all worked using the Viator app. Will definetly recommend using this service in the future.
Gordon i, Nov 2014
I was the only one so had a personalized tour and felt I was walking with someone who had more than a passing knowledge of both the architecture, the politics and the people. The market with the different fruits and vegetables and the guide's explanation of how to use it was fascinating
Alison D, Nov 2014
Theresa was amazing. She was aware of our needs and was very pleasant. Her knowledge of the tour was superb. A 5 star tour leader.
Alonso H, Oct 2014
Nice tour!! Too bad there was a protest and we couldnt go to a few places, otherwise i had a great time, the tour was very nice
Simeon N, Sep 2014
Paula does an amazing job and gives a great overview of downtown Lima and some of the highlights. Would highly recommend for anyone wanting to see the city.
Osama_A, Aug 2014
Our guide was informative, spoke excellent English, and very friendly.
From $49.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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