Looking for where to stay in Lima?
Lima is one of the best touristic destinations of South America, strolling by its streets you will always find tourists and its the perfect city to get to know walking.
It has a lot to offer like its well known gastronomy, its beautiful coast and the endless attractions that represent the history of Perú and its diverse cultures. Lima is really big, so you must be wondering: Where to stay in Lima?
With everything it has to offer, Lima turns out to be quite a big city, with 43 districts. This makes it hard to know where to stay in Lima so that you can see all of the cool places and not be moving all day and getting stuck in traffic. Some of the best areas to stay in Lima are the districts of Miraflores, San Isidro, Barranco and the famous Centro Histórico.
Each of this areas has its own charm and particular style. We will thoroughly describe each one so that it’s easy for you to decide which one suits you best and is where you should stay in Lima.
Miraflores
Miraflores is the most common place where tourists decide to stay in Lima. It’s situated above of the pacific coast, which can be seen from its malecones, which are the perfect place to walk around with a great view. In Malecón you can find various parks where you will see the LightHouse in Faro de la Marina and you will find people doing all sorts of sports, you can also go to Parque del Amor where you will find the great sculture “El Beso”.
If you keep walking you will run into the classic crepes from “El Beso Frances”, which are a must have for this walk. Finally you will end up in the shopping center Larcomar which is built literally inside the mountain, so it has a great view while shopping.
Near Kennedy Park in Miraflores you will see all of the night life, the clubs and bars, and a lot of different restaurants according to your budget.
You can decide to eat the classic menus for lunch that for 10 to 15 soles get you a great meal with a drink, an entry, a main course and dessert. If you are willing to spend a bit more some restaurants I would recommend are Siete Sopas, Cevichería La Mar, Pancita, La Lucha, Amaz, EDO Sushi Bar and Tanta.
Also, in Miraflores you can find the famous restaurant Maido that has been awarded for several years in the top 10 best restaurants in the world, but for this one you will have to book in advance.
If you want to get a taste of the Inka Culture you should head to the Inka Market and the Indian Market located in the street Petit Thouars, where you will find hundreds of stands that sell all the typical products of Perú. Another place to see in Miraflores is the Museo de la Huaca Pucllana, its a ruin in the middle of the city, which makes for a really interesting view.
To stay in Miraflores, you will find all types of options. Some hostels I can recommend are Selina, Pariwana and Loki. If you want to stay in a hotel or Airbnb there’s also plenty of options available.
If you are looking for a good location, to be able to walk everywhere and to be in the middle of all of the city life, then Miraflores is the place where you should stay in Lima.
San Isidro
To the back from Miraflores, going into the city you will find the district of San Isidro. This is a less busy area where it’s more calm. It’s more residential and recommended for families or business trips. This is the perfect area to go on long chill walks.
In San Isidro you will find Parque El Olivar, a beautiful long park filled with trees, where you will find fish and more than 22 species of birds. There’s to Hotels right in front of this park, which are Hotel Sonesta and AKV Hotel.
In San Isidro you can also walk around the street Los Conquistadores where you will find a lot of streets and restaurants. This street meets Ovalo Gutierrez that connects Miraflores with San Isidro and here you can find a bunch of restaurants, stores and a cinema.
So, San Isidro is a beatiful and tranquil district where you can go to rest and enjoy, but it has the perk of being really close to Miraflores.
Barranco
The next best place to stay in Lima is Barranco, a bohemian district that you can stay in in Lima. Here you will find yourself immersed in the street life with the colorful streets, the street art, music and a lot of entertainment. During the day it’s perfect to go have lunch to a Cevicheria looking into the ocean. And during the night you can go to a bar and get to now the mystical night life in Barranco.
Something you can’t miss when in Barranco is to go to El Puente de los Suspiros, a bridge where it’s said that if you cross while holding your breath, once you get to the other side you have to make a wish and it will come true.
You should also go see the MATE Museum by Mario Testino. To stay in Barranco you will find hostels and boutique hotels.
Some recommended places to eat in Barranco are: Canta Rana, this one is famous for their amazing ceviche, Caleta Dolsa known for their breathtaking brunches and as Miraflores has Maido, in Barranco there’s Central, a restaurant that also makes it year after year into the worlds’ top 10 best restaurants.
Barranco is the place to go explore and walk willing to get lost on its streets, knowing that you will always find some interesting view o some live spectacle. This district is also next to Miraflores, but a bit more slow paced.
Centro Histórico
At last, the famous Centro Historico. If what you are interested in is the history of Lima, then this is the place for you! In the center of Lima you have to go see the Plaza San Martín, Plaza Mayor, Paseo Jirón de la Unión, Catacumbas de San Francisco and Basilica de la Merced.
When in the center of Lima, you have to go try the Churros San Francisco. Its a really small shop in the street Jirón Lampa, where for only 2 soles you get churro filled with either manjar, custard or chocolate. They are to die for. There’s always a queue that goes out of the entry of the shop, but the service is really fast so you will not have to wait much. But anyways, if you had to wait, it would be 100% worth it.
Even though a lot of tourists choose to stay in Centro Historico in Lima, all of its attractions can be seen in one day. I would recommend to just stay in one of the other districts and go for a day tour of Centro Historico.
No matter where you decide to stay in Lima, there’s no doubt that you will have a great trip. Each district has its own charm and it’s easy to move around them.
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Hi! I am George and I am the Content Lead for Stasher.com. I love travel, writing, making music and meeting new and interesting people.