Top Rated Attractions in Lima

Founded in 1926 by Peruvian archaeologist Rafael Larco Hoyle, the Museo Larco or Larco Museum showcases remarkable chronological galleries that provide a thorough overview of 4000 years of Peruvian pre-Columbian history. It is located in an 18th-century vice-royal mansion built over a 7th-century pre-Columbian pyramid and surrounded by a stunning garden. The museum features the finest gold and silver collection from Ancient Peru and the famous Erotic Gallery, one of Peru's most visited attractions. Larco is one of the few museums in the world where visitors have the unique opportunity to enter the storage area and view its 45,000 classified archaeological objects. Museo Larco's masterpieces are recurrently exhibited in the world's most prestigious museums. Don't miss the restaurant Café del Museo or the Museum Gallery Shop that sells certified replicas of the Museum's most exceptional artifacts.

It is the district of gardens and the busiest beaches of the city. Without a doubt, it is also the touristic and hotel district. Modern, cheerful and colorful, it is very pleasant to stroll about and enjoy the large commercial areas, parks and green spaces. It is also an area of artistic and cultural activity which unfolds in the theaters, cinemas and art galleries. It is also the site of the pre-Inca temple Huaca Pucllana. Visit its cafes, pubs and restaurants, and take in the fresh air at its restored gardens which on Sundays, attracts hundreds of locals and tourists to the painting exhibitions and music events.

Saint Francis Monastery or Convento de San Francisco has more in store than what one can imagine. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, this basilica houses some of the most dramatic Peruvian wonders. Built exquisitely in Spanish Baroque style, the magnificent altar and the symmetrical gardens are a perfect camouflage to the underground secrets it has been holding for centuries. Subterranean tunnels and pathways lead to a somewhat terrifying yet architecturally significant ossuary which contains over 50,000 mortal remains. Apart from the catacombs, the library of the convent is known for preserving over 20,000 ancient texts. A house of mystery and also some rich discoveries, Convento de San Francisco is an intriguing attraction for tourists.

The discovery of Huaca Pucllana throws light on the ancient Peruvian civilization and Lima's culture. The complex of Huaca Pucllana is an archaeological treasure that paved the way for several insights into Peruvian history. Dating back between 200 CE To 700 CE, it was an administrative and religious center run by the upper-class clergymen. The water supply and irrigation were controlled and facilitated through this zone in the desert-like surroundings of the city. Huts along with courtyards and space for meetings and rituals were found in excavation studies. Pucllana was abandoned once the Wari Culture took over between 500 CE to 900 CE. Archaeologists found mummified remains of people who were supposedly a part of an ancient sacrificial ritual. Today, a souvenir shop and an international cuisine restaurant lie on the premises of this archaeological complex.

It was Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro who laid the first foundation stone of this cathedral. The structure is bordered by 15 chapels, one of which holds the remains of Pizarro himself. The interior, adorned with cruciform pillars, and Italian marble flooring, exemplifies the beauty of colonial architecture. Also worth seeing are the altars dedicated to Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo and to the Virgen de la Evangelizacion, as well as the magnificent Pedro de Noguera choir stalls. It also serves as the Museum of Religious Art, which displays sacred artifacts, liturgical furnishings and paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries.