Lima

Lima is situated in the coastal desert district between the Pacific and the western hills of the Andes mountains. Lima seems to scare off many tourists, because it is one of the biggest cities in the Americas. It is said to be poor, overcrowded, violent and dangerous. However, Lima is -- taken its size in mind -- a rather friendly metropolis. As a tourist you should be cautious of course, but shouldn't you be in New York, Rome or Rio de Janeiro? If you take some time to explore the city, you will be surprised and charmed.

The Cathedral and Plaza
Mayor in 1913

Lima runs at a slower pace than many South American metropolises; its rhythm is more traditional, and its people reflect a steadier, calmer constitution. Lima's unusually amenable inhabitants give the metropolis the feeling, at times, of a cluster of smaller towns.

The Plaza Mayor nowadays. Image © Richard Crook

Lima's physical atmosphere is slightly dreamlike, mostly because of the garua, a mist that settles over the city between May and October. Under its blanket, Lima's inhabitants meet at the peñas (bars offering folk and Creole music), shop at the open marketplaces, and dine at Lima's celebrated restaurants. Several museums display and preserve Peru's golden past, including most notably the internationally famed Museo Nacional de Antropologica y Arqueologica and the Museo de Oro, the stunning museum of Gold.

South of Lima, long white beaches washed by the cold waters of the southern Pacific stretch away in an uninterrupted string, backed by row upon row of huge, brilliant white sand dunes. In contrast to the tourist beaches of warmer climates, these shores have few amenities other than small restaurants and cafes. One of the best of these remote beaches, as if to confirm its tranquillity, is known as El Silencio. Like Lima itself, these beaches seem to exist in an eddy of time, pleasantly removed from the relentless pace of more frequented destinations.

The Plaza San Martín. Image © Edmund Fernandez

Of course Lima is also a dynamic metropolis, with all the advantages and disadvantages of any big city. About six million people live in Lima, which is spread out over a very big area. Although the city has a typical Latin, Mediterranean touch, it is totally different from the compact and crowded European cities. In fact, from a planologic point of view it could be a North-American city. For example, most people live in houses instead of apartment blocks, except for the unavoidable shantytown settlers, and for some of the very rich people who live in fancy apartments in Miraflores and San Isidro.

Museo del Arte in downtown Lima

Every part of Lima has its own unique atmosphere. Downtown Lima is crowded and busy, modern and colonial at the same time. It contains, as is commonly agreed, the most beautiful Plaza in Latin America, the Plaza Mayor. Most neighbourhoods around the centre are friendly and green, with many small parks and an unmistakable colonial touch, especially Jesús María and Magdalena del Mar.

The other heart of Lima is the uptown shopping and business area, Miraflores. Here you can find stylish avenues and fancy beaches. Close to Miraflores is the romantic, village-like district of Barranco, overlooking the Pacific.

Pictures of Lima

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