Sights Overview

Most of Lima's colonial-era churches and mansions are found in the historic center, along the streets surrounding the Plaza de Armas. From El Centro, a highway called Paseo de la República whisks you south to residential areas like San Isidro, Miraflores, and Barranco. The charms of these neighborhoods are simpler -- a tree-lined park, a bluff overlooking the sea, a wooden bridge filled with young couples.

Museums are more difficult to reach, as they are scattered around the city. Pueblo Libre, a neighborhood west of San Isidro, has two of the best: the Museo Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera and the Museo Nacional de Antropología, Arqueología, e Historia del Perú. In the other direction from San Isidro, in the residential area of San Borja, is the Museo de la Nación. Monterrico, east of Miraflores, is the site of Lima's most popular museum, the glittering Museo de Oro.

A few of Lima's most interesting museums are in outlying neighborhoods such as Monterrico and San Borja. The most convenient way to reach them is a quick taxi ride.