Lima With Kids
What Lima with kids really looks like, from a family that plans these trips for a living.
Nicole Damiano, ASTA Verified Travel Advisor with FG Luxury Travel
Is Lima worth it with kids?
For a day or two, yes. It is not a classic kids' city, but the clifftop parks, the paragliders, the spooky catacombs, the dancing fountains and the incredible food make a fine, easy start to a Peru trip. Base in safe, walkable Miraflores.
How many days?
One to two days in Lima, then fly to Cusco and Machu Picchu for the heart of the trip.
What is the one thing we cannot miss?
The Miraflores clifftops and the after dark Magic Water Circuit, plus the eerie catacombs in the old center. And ceviche, even for the kids.
Do we need a car?
No, use rideshare and walk in Miraflores. There is no tourist friendly metro and traffic is heavy, so lean on Uber or a trusted taxi and base in walkable Miraflores.
When should we go?
The southern summer, December to April, is warm and sunny, best for the clifftops and coast. From May to November the city is cooler and often shrouded in grey coastal mist. It rarely rains either way, and the seasons are flipped from the north.
The Pacific Capital and Food Capital of the Americas
Lima is Peru’s sprawling capital, perched on cliffs above the Pacific, and it is the food capital of South America, home to some of the best restaurants on earth. Most families pass through on the way to Cusco and Machu Picchu, but give it a day or two, because the clifftop parks, the colonial center and the astonishing food make a fine start to a Peru trip.
The city is huge, so where you base matters. Miraflores, the safe, green, clifftop district above the ocean, is where families should stay, walkable and full of parks, restaurants and shops. Bohemian Barranco is next door, and the historic center, best visited by day, sits across town. Base in Miraflores and use rideshare for the rest.
Getting Around
You get around by rideshare and on foot, as there is no tourist friendly metro and the traffic is famously heavy. Use Uber or a trusted taxi and build in buffer time. From the airport, across the city from the tourist areas, a prebooked transfer is the easiest and safest way in with kids and bags.
Neighborhoods worth basing in
Miraflores
The clifftop district above the Pacific, and where families should base. It is green, safe and walkable, strung with parks along the ocean, from the Parque del Amor to the Larcomar mall built into the cliff face, with paragliders overhead and endless good food. The ideal home base in Lima.
Barranco
The bohemian, artsy neighborhood just south, full of colorful houses, murals, the romantic Bridge of Sighs, and cliffside views. Lively and characterful, a fun place to wander by day and a slightly edgier base.
San Isidro
The upscale, leafy financial and residential district, quiet and green with good hotels and an ancient adobe pyramid tucked among the modern towers. Calm and comfortable, a relaxed alternative base near Miraflores.
A Miraflores clifftop hotel
Miraflores has luxurious clifftop hotels perched right above the Pacific, with pools, gardens and ocean views. The blow the budget treat, steps from the parks and the Malecón.
A Miraflores hotel
Miraflores has plenty of comfortable, well located family hotels near the clifftop parks and the restaurants. Safe, walkable and central, an easy base with kids.
A Miraflores apartment
Miraflores has roomy apartments in secure buildings, good value for a family and handy for simple meals between the big restaurant outings. Book near the Malecón and the parks.
The Three I Build Every Lima Trip Around
The Historic Center and Plaza Mayor
Spend a morning in the historic center, a grand colonial core around the Plaza Mayor, with the cathedral, the ornate presidential palace and its changing of the guard, and the balconied old streets. The showstopper for kids is the San Francisco monastery, whose eerie underground catacombs, lined with old bones, are a memorable, only slightly spooky thrill for older children.
The Miraflores Clifftops and Malecón
Back in Miraflores, the clifftop Malecón is a string of parks running along the top of the sea cliffs, made for strolling, cycling and simply watching the paragliders launch out over the ocean. Let the kids run the lawns of the Parque del Amor, ride bikes along the clifftop, and browse the Larcomar mall built dramatically into the cliff. Easy, breezy and free.
Peruvian Food and the Larco Museum
Lima is a place you eat, and even with kids the food is an event. This is the ceviche capital of the world, and the birthplace of a celebrated cuisine. Balance the grown up foodie side with a visit to the wonderful Larco Museum, set in a beautiful mansion and gardens, whose ancient Peruvian gold and pottery bring the pre Inca world alive for kids.
Family Time, Built In: Lima With Kids
Lima keeps families happy with a mix of the coast, the parks and a few surprises. The clifftop Malecón for running and cycling, the paragliders overhead, the cats of Kennedy Park, the spooky catacombs, and after dark the Magic Water Circuit, a park of illuminated, dancing, walk through fountains that kids adore. Plus the finest food in the Americas.
The harbor ferry to the beach
Sunday fish market
Paddle boats on the the coast
Planten un Blomen
the clifftops plaza
PARK & DOWNTIME PICK
The Parque de la Reserva and its Magic Water Circuit, a dazzling after dark park of illuminated, musical, walk through fountains that delights kids, or the clifftop parks of the Malecón by day. Easy, joyful downtime between the sightseeing.
Five Things To Eat In Lima
Ceviche
Causa
Lomo saltado
Ají de gallina
PicaronesNicole’s Perspective
A clifftop capital with the best food in the Americas
I taught social studies and the ancient world for eight years, and Peru is a dream for it. Lima is the gateway, and even here the layers of history are everywhere, pre Inca pyramids among the skyscrapers, colonial palaces, ancient gold in the museums. It is the perfect appetizer before the main course of Cusco and Machu Picchu.
I steer families to give Lima a day or two to enjoy the coast and the food before flying up to Cusco and Machu Picchu, the real reason most come to Peru. Base in Miraflores, eat well, see the center and the clifftops, and let it set the stage for the Andes.
The Day Trip: Pachacamac
An hour south of the city lies Pachacamac, a vast complex of ancient adobe pyramids and temples that was a major pilgrimage site for over a thousand years before the Spanish came. Kids can walk among the weathered pyramids overlooking the desert coast, and a good site museum tells the story. A fascinating, tangible taste of ancient Peru close to the city.
Things I Would Tell A Friend Before They Booked
How Many Days
One to two days suits Lima itself, as most families are en route to Cusco. Give the historic center a morning, the Miraflores clifftops and food a day, and a Pachacamac visit a half day, before flying to the Andes.
Day one for the historic center, the Plaza Mayor and the catacombs, then the Miraflores clifftops and the Magic Water Circuit after dark. Day two for the Larco Museum, a Pachacamac visit, and the food, before flying up to Cusco.
Add a Pachacamac visit, then fly to Cusco and Machu Picchu, the highlight of any Peru trip with kids.
Lima is the gateway to Peru. From here it is a short flight to Cusco for the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu, or south to Paracas and the Ballestas Islands, so give Lima a day or two and build the Andes into your trip.
Lima With Kids, Answered
Is Lima worth it with kids?
For a day or two, yes. It is not a classic kids’ city, but the clifftop parks, the paragliders, the spooky catacombs, the dancing fountains and the incredible food make a fine, easy start to a Peru trip. Base in safe, walkable Miraflores.
How many days?
One to two days in Lima, then fly to Cusco and Machu Picchu for the heart of the trip.
What is the one thing we cannot miss?
The Miraflores clifftops and the after dark Magic Water Circuit, plus the eerie catacombs in the old center. And ceviche, even for the kids.
Do we need a car?
No, use rideshare and walk in Miraflores. There is no tourist friendly metro and traffic is heavy, so lean on Uber or a trusted taxi and base in walkable Miraflores.
When should we go?
The southern summer, December to April, is warm and sunny, best for the clifftops and coast. From May to November the city is cooler and often shrouded in grey coastal mist. It rarely rains either way, and the seasons are flipped from the north.
Ready To Put Lima On The Calendar
Send me your dates and your kids’ ages and I will map the Lima days, sort a safe Miraflores base, add a Pachacamac visit, and plan the flights and stay for Cusco and Machu Picchu.
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