22 Best Sights in Lima, Peru

From the outside, you'd never guess this was one of Lima's most opulent addresses. Commonly known as Casa de Aliaga, this stunning example of Spanish-colonial architecture a block from the Plaza de Armas was built in 1535 by Jerónimo de Aliaga, one of Pizarro's officers, and has been continuously inhabited by his descendants ever since. Each room boasts a different period décor, from colonial to republican, and Jerónimo's German-made sword is still on display in one of the salons. To visit, you must hire an officially approved guide or go as part of a city tour.

This mansion sums up the graceful style of the early 18th century. Flanked by a pair of elegant balconies, the stone entrance is as expertly carved as that of any of the city's churches. The patio is a jewel of the Andalusian baroque, with slender columns supporting delicate Moorish arabesques. The Casa Torre Tagle currently holds offices of the Foreign Ministry and is open to the public only on weekends, when you can check out the tiled ceilings of the ground floor and see the house's 18th-century carriage. Across the street is Casa Goyeneche, which was built some 40 years later in 1771, and was clearly influenced by the rococo movement.

With its ornate facade and bell towers, ancient library, and catacombs full of human skulls, the Convento de San Francisco is one of Lima's most impressive sites. The catacombs hold the remains of some 75,000 people, some of whose bones have been arranged in eerie geometric patterns (warning: the narrow, dusty tunnels aren't for the claustrophobic). Meanwhile, the convent's massive church, the Iglesia de San Francisco, is the quintessential example of Lima baroque. Its handsome, carved portal is like an oversized retablo, projecting the church's sacred space out onto the busy street, while the central nave is known for its beautiful ceilings carved in a style called Mudejar (a blend of Moorish and Spanish designs). The 50-minute tour includes the church, the library, ample colonial art, and the catacombs.

If the Iglesia de San Francisco is Lima Gothic—all skulls and penitential gloom—Santo Domingo represents the city's sunny side. From pink facade to rococo tower, every detail here glows with charm. The main cloister is especially enticing: long arcades with Sevillian tiles, gardens redolent of jasmine, coffered ceilings carved from Panamanian oak. But don't overlook the chapter room, which housed Peru's University of San Marcos when it was founded in 1551, or the tombs of Santa Rosa de Lima and San Martín Porres, the first two saints in the New World. In a city given over to the here and now, this temple offers a glimpse into another world.

Built in 1871 as the Palacio de la Exposición, this mammoth neoclassical structure was designed by the Italian architect Antonio Leonardi, with metal columns from the workshop of Gustav Eiffel (who later built the famous Parisian tower). The ground floor holds temporary exhibitions by both national and international artists, and the second floor houses a permanent exhibition that spans Peru's past, with everything from pre-Columbian artifacts to colonial-era art to republican-era paintings and drawings that provide a glimpse into Peruvian life in the 19th and early-20th centuries. One of the museum's treasures is the collection of quipus, or "talking knots": collars of strings tied with an array of knots, each with a distinct meaning (the closest thing the Incas had to writing). Leave time to sip an espresso in the café near the entrance.

This massive square has been the center of the city since 1535. Over the years it has served many functions, from open-air theater for melodramas to impromptu ring for bullfights. Huge fires once burned in the center for people sentenced to death by the Spanish Inquisition. Much has changed over the years, but one thing remaining is the bronze fountain unveiled in 1651. It was here that José de San Martín declared the country's independence from Spain in 1821.

A ceremonial arch at the corner of Jirones Ucayali and Andahuaylas marks the entrance to Lima's compact Chinatown, which consists of ten square blocks of markets and chifas (Peruvian-Chinese restaurants). Of the latter, the best are Chifa San Joy Lao, which dates from 1927, and Salón Capón and Wa Lok on Jirón Paruro.

Inaugurated in 1897, this regal structure looks more like a palace than a post office. You can buy a postcard or send a package, but most people come to admire the exuberance of an era when no one thought twice about placing bronze angels atop a civic building. At one time, locals deposited letters in the mouth of the bronze lion by the front doors. About half of the building is given over to the Casa de la Gastronomía Peruana, dedicated to the country's culinary traditions, which charges admission. The museum entrance is on Jirón Conde Superunda, whereas the post office entrance is on Jirón Camaná.

A pair of balconies with celosías—intricate wood screens through which ladies could watch passersby unobserved—grace the facade of this rambling mansion from 1760. Step inside, and the downtown traffic fades away as you stroll across the stone courtyard and admire the ancient galleries and woodwork. Peru's Catholic University, which administers the landmark, uses it for changing folk-art exhibitions, but the real reason to come is for a glimpse into a colonial-era home.

The house still retains many of its original neoclassical and Second Empire furnishings.

In its nearly 500-year history, Lima's cathedral has been torn down, built back up, razed by earthquakes, shot at, hollowed out, and remodeled too many times to count. Miraculously, however, it's still here, and today shines more resplendently than ever, despite its hodgepodge of artistic styles and endless, meddling restorations. The church visitors see today is actually the basilica's fourth incarnation, reconstructed after the earthquakes of 1687 and 1746. The facade impresses with its stately Renaissance portal and neoclassical bell towers, but the interior is where the real action's at. Here, under arched ceiling vaults traced with fretwork and delicately carved choir stalls, you'll find crypts for Lima luminaries and recently excavated mass tombs for commoners. Crowning it all is the mausoleum of Francisco Pizarro himself, complete with the lead box that once held his skull. Recorded tours in English are available.

Rising over the northeastern edge of the city is this massive hill, recognizable from the cross at its peak—a replica of the one once placed there by Pizarro. On a clear day, more common during the southern summer, the views of the city below are lovely. The neighborhood at the base of the hill is sketchy, so hire a taxi or take a tour to the summit and back. Tour buses leave continuously from the Plaza de Armas until 5 or 6 pm.

Inaugurated in 1912, Desamparados Station was the centerpiece for the continent's first railway, which stretched from the port of Callao to the Andean city of Huancayo. The station was named for a Jesuit church and monastery that stood next door at the time of its construction but that have since been demolished. It now holds the Casa de la Literatura Peruana (House of Peruvian Literature), with exhibits on national writers and a reading library. It's well worth stepping inside to admire the building's elegant art nouveau interior, especially the stained-glass skylight.

The 1713 Church of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph may be smaller than some of El Centro's other sanctuaries, but inside is a feast for the eyes. Retablos representing various saints rise from the main altar and line both walls. This is the only church in Lima to retain its original baroque ornamentation, untouched by earthquakes or changing artistic fads.

Nothing about this colonial-era church could be called restrained. Take the pink-and-gray stone facade, for instance: done in an over-the-top style known as churrigueresco, it piles on twisty Solomonic columns, geometric cornices, a scalloped entryway, and an arms-outstretched statue of the Virgin that gestures down at worshippers below. The interior is no different. The main altar has a stunning monstrance and a silverwork medallion from the 16th century, while the intricately carved choir stalls, dating from the 1700s, have images of cherubic singers. You could lose yourself for hours contemplating the layer upon layer of detail in this stunning temple. Don't miss the grave of Fr. Urraca, a Lima saint said to have been tempted by the devil within these very walls.