World City Guide

Key Attractions

Plaza de Armas or Plaza Mayor (Main Square)
The very centre of the capital and the home of government, the impressive Plaza de Armas or Plaza Mayor is the logical starting point for any visit to the historic centre. With its gardens, old street lamps and bronze fountain, the square is a picture of colonial elegance and testimony to the money lavished upon its restoration over the last five years. Dominating the north side of the square is the opulent Palacio de Gobierno (Government Palace), which stands on the site of the original palace built by the Conquistadors. During the days when Peru was a Spanish colony, the Palacio de Gobierno was the official residency of the king’s representative. These days, the president of the republic occupies it. The building was completely rebuilt in 1938. The main attraction is the changing of the guard, which takes place at 1145 and 1745, when palace guards, dressed in scarlet and blue uniforms, goosestep round the main courtyard.

The Cathedral, an example of Spanish Baroque, stands on the site of two previous churches. The first was built in 1550, although was replaced nearly a hundred years later, when a larger church was required. A massive earthquake then destroyed this building in 1746. The present cathedral, built a few years later, is a perfect copy of its predecessor. The interior is distinguished by its high nave, three aisles and carved wooden stalls. The walls bear the coats of arms of Lima and Pizarro. The Museo de Arte Religioso (Religious Art Museum) in the Cathedral contains icons and woodcarvings. Guided tours in English are available.

To the left side of the Cathedral stands the beautiful modern replica of the Archbishop’s Palace, with its Moorish wooden balcony. Also on the square is the impressive Municipalidad de Lima (Town Hall), which houses a selection of Peruvian paintings.

Plaza de Armas or Plaza Mayor
Transport: Buses marked Avenida Tacna, then a four-block walk.

Palacio de Gobierno
Tel: (01) 427 6732 (Edificio Palacio).
Opening hours: By arrangement.
Admission: Free; free guided tours available by arrangement or through agents.

Cathedral/Museo de Arte Religioso
Tel: (01) 427 9647.
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 1000-1630, Sat 1000-1530.
Admission: PEN14.50/US$4.

Municipalidad de Lima
Tel: (01) 427 6080.
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1300; tours by arrangement.
Admission: PEN4.50/US$1.20.

Palacio Torre Tagle
Two blocks east of Plaza Mayor stands the jewel of the city’s colonial architecture, the Palacio Torre Tagle. The mansion was built in 1735, for Don Jos Torre Tagle y Bracho, who received the title First Marquis of Torre Tagle, from King Charles V of Spain. The faade boasts two carved wooden balconies. The family house has beautiful staterooms and opulent staircases, while the decorative azulejos (tiling) shows a mixture of Spanish and Moorish influences. The highlight, however, is a gilded 16th-century carriage. The government took the house over in 1918 and it remains the home of the Foreign Ministry. Visitors can only enter the courtyards.

Palacio Torre Tagle
Jiron Ucayali 363
Tel: (01) 311 2400.
Transport: Buses marked Avenida Abancay, then a one-block walk.
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1700; tours by arrangement.
Admission: Free.

Museo de la Inquisicion (Spanish Inquisition Museum)
The Museo de la Inquisicion (Spanish Inquisition Museum) faces Plaza Bolivar, near the Congress building. In the main hall, the ceiling is made of mahogany carved into beautiful abstract forms. The infamous Court of the Inquisition was first held here in the late 16th century. In the basement are examples of the torture instruments used by the Inquisitors. Behind the museum is Lima’s Chinatown, a maze of grubby streets dominated by exotic sights and smells. The zone is entered through a decorative Chinese-style gateway. Here are some of Lima’s best and cheapest Chifas (Chinese restaurants). Peru’s Chinese community is now well established, a century or more after the first Chinese immigrants arrived as economic refugees to seek farm work on the coast.

Museo del Congreso y Antigua Tribunal la Inquisicion
Jiron Junn 548
Tel: (01) 427 0635. Fax: (01) 427 0635.
Website: www.congreso.gob.pe/museo.htm
Transport: Buses marked Avenida Abancay.
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1800.
Admission: Free.

El Convento de los Descalzos (The Convent of the Shoeless)
Behind the Palacio de Gobierno is the rundown Rimac area. Here visitors can stroll along the Alameda de los Descalzos, a walkway designed by the city’s ‘Fathers’ in the 17th century. At the end of the Almeda is a Franciscan monastery, El Convento de los Descalzos (The Convent of the Shoeless Ones), which gets its name from the Franciscan friars’ habit of going about barefoot. The Convent was founded in 1592 and its cloisters contain hundreds of Peruvian religious paintings.

El Convento de los Descalzos
Alameda de los Descalzos
Tel: (01) 481 0441.
Transport: Some buses marked Rimac – passengers should check with the driver.
Opening hours: Daily 0930-1300 and 1500-1800.
Admission: PEN5.50/US$1.50.

Museo de la Nacion (National Museum)
The Museo de la Nacion, a large concrete building in the suburb of San Borja, is the country’s main anthropological and archaeological museum with exhibits that highlight Peru’s history stretching back to its earliest tribal cultures. Exhibits have explanations in English and include displays of traditional peasant costumes from around Peru.

21st block of Avenida Javier Prado
Tel: (01) 476 9933 or 9897.
Website: www.cosapi.com.pe/instituciones/museonac
Transport: Bus marked Javier Prado/Aviacion.
Opening hours: Tues-Sun 0900-1700.
Admission: PEN7/US$2 (including exhibitions).

Museo de Oro (Gold Museum)
The highly recommended Museo de Oro is housed in a Fort Knox-like building, set back from the street and surrounded by trees, in the Monterrico suburb. Here, the loot that made Peru famous and Spain fabulously wealthy is on display. Upstairs are weapons and uniforms to remind the visitor of Peru’s violent past. Downstairs are hundreds of dazzling gold and silver artefacts from pre-Conquest to colonial times, including a yellow-feathered Inca poncho and a skull sporting teeth made of pink quartz.

Alonso de Molina, Monterrico
Tel: (01) 345 1291 or 1292 or 435 2917.
Transport: From junction Avenida Javier Prado/Avenida Aviacion, bus or colectivo to Avenida Angamos, then microbus 72 or colectivo to Centro Commercial shopping centre, then short walk.
Opening hours: Daily 1200-1900.
Admission: PEN20/US$6.