Plan your trip to Lima, Peru

Lima is the capital of Peru and its largest city. Founded in 1535 by the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro, Lima is now a curious mix of a modern mega city (with some upscale neighborhoods), several large but orderly slum areas and a wealth of colonial architecture in the city center. Lima was, along with Mexico City, the seat of the Spanish rule for 300 years, and as such it has wonderful churches, cloisters and monasteries that are worth a visit.

In particular, the Plaza Mayor—with its 16th-century cathedral and the Presidential Palace—and the catacombs of the Convento de San Francisco are popular tourist attractions. Like many other world capitals, Lima is home to the country's most prestigious museums, including the National Museum of Anthropology, Archeology and History and the Rafael Larco Herrera Archaeological Museum, both in the Pueblo Libre district.

Lima is a great place to experience wonderful Peruvian cuisine, which utilizes a huge variety of ingredients from the country's coastal, mountain and Amazon regions. Due to the richness and quality of seafood from the ocean off of Peru's coast, fish and seafood restaurants are the best bet and are usually not expensive.

Lima is built upon a valley surrounded by an extremely arid desert, and therefore boasts a mild subtropical climate with almost no rainfall, popular among visitors wanting to sunbathe on the beaches around the city.