3 Weeks in Lima
 

My husband and I will be in Lima November 23 - December 13. My husband will be working MTWT mornings. I am looking for recommendations of things to do & where to eat :)
I am concerned about safety & that we can't drink the water! We plan to fly to Cusco at the end of the trip for 5 days in the Sacred Valley & MP. Any suggestions & tips? Thank you!

Correction, work days are MT TF, so no 3 day weekends....

There is a great website for what to do in Lima with links to museums, how to get around, etc

www.limaeasy.com

I would not be terribly concerned about safety in Lima. After three weeks here we have found it to be one of the safer cities in South America. As with any major urban centre, take the "usual" precautions. On the face of it the crime statistics are not great but the incidence of crime will mostly be in areas that tourists tend not to visit. I imagine you will be mostly in Miraflores, Barranco and San Isidro in which case we were walking around all of these places and felt perfectly safe! even late at night.

I would not drink the water here. I am sure locals get accustomed to it but it is generally considered unsafe. Bottled water is available in supermarkets and costs 1.5-3 New soles for 2.5 ltrs.

There is a lot to do in Lima and other places easily reachable for a weekend trip. We found these sites quite useful.

http://terrahall.com/post/6136796648...-vacation-tour

http://www.indefiniteadventure.com/t...-museums-lima/

Should you feel the need for some retail therapy, jockey plaza is a massive shopping mall in San Isidro and Larcomar is very picturesque set on the cliffs of Miraflores.

Eating options are endless and varied with good options at all levels. That said, we have had some not very good experiences, usually because of overly positive reviews on TA.

In Barranco tends to have a lot of smaller restaurants and bars and, being relatively compact with almost a village feel, it is easy just to wander around and find somewhere. El Cortijo is a great steak house and a new place has just opened here which we are trying out on Friday ( will post details later). Lot of other small local type places. Rustica on the plaza is a buffet place which is a good place to try out the various Peruvian specialities.

Miraflores tends to have the more upmarket eateries. We like Punta Azul for fish and seafood, Astrid and Gaston is, of course, world famous and JW Marriott has a great Sunday buffet.

Mario Testino has a permanent exhibition in Barranco which is worth a visit. One of the best exhibitions I have been to was recommeded by mlgb, Casa. Cor, also in Barranco. An old mansion whose rooms have been re imagined by 60 different architects - amazing place! Sadly it closes on 3 nov but you could websearch to se if it is reopening anywhere.

Have fun! It is a wonderful city.

You can also read online Peru This Week which often has articles on upcoming special events.

Eg here's one for crellstons this week
http://www.peruthisweek.com/news-don...instead-101273

Sadly Casa Cor is an annual event. I was told that this year's mansion will become a hotel.

A hotel! Wow! That will be some hotel!!

Thanks for that link mlgb, I may well take a look. Also interested to see a link on that site suggesting that the sun will arrive in Lima this week - about time! Am getting a little tired of the fog and mist lately.

Crellston - thank you for the very informative response! I really appreciate it. I must admit I was not real keen on the idea of Lima, but now I'm getting kind of excited! What do people typically wear? I'm thinking capris & jeans...do people dress up in the evenings?

mlgb - I have bookmarked those sites. Thanks!

I can only comment that everyday street wear is casual, usually includes(tight) jeans, a warm jacket or vest, and a scarf. Stylish trainers/athletic shoes are fine. Some thin t-shirts under the jacket in case the sun appears. The weather is very much like Santa Monica, including the fog part, but muggy when the sun us out. I try to dress down when walking around, that includes no gold tone jewelry.

BTW Lima has quite a developed fashion industry and although I did not make it, the Gamarra center is starting to show on the tourist radar. I would try to go with a local or guide since other parts of the district are not safe.

I am guessing that DH is going to need business clothing and if going out with him have some nicer shoes and clothing (LBD always works or even black pants and a stylish top).

Really, they dress pretty much as they do in California.

PS although you really do need a hat even when it is overcast, for skin protection, it seemed that very few locals wore them!

Thanks mlgb! That really helps!

@crellston. water is safe in Lima, specially in Miraflores, Barranco, San Isidro, Surco, San Borja etc.

"Water is safe in Lima" Really, if so, how come the stuff coming out of our tap in Barranco is a nice pale brown colour?

Hahaha just another example of Harald the wanna be travel agent's great advice...

No hotel will suggest that a tourist drink the tap water, unless they have their own filtration system.

Hey guys- any tips on using my Verizon iPhone while in Peru? I can get a plan that discounts calls to US but it's pretty high per minute. How did you communicate with home while in Peru? Thanks

We use Facetime and Skype. Alternatively, buy a cheap phone and get it unlocked then buy as pay as you go SIM card when you get here. Claro shops are everywhere here.

I never needed to phone home, used email and Facebook messaging. Wifi is readily available in hotels so you could Skype/Facetime. There are also storefront call centers which I have used in the past.

Ok perfect, thanks. Another question: Nov 3-Dec 18, will we ever need shorts in Lima or Sacred Valley & MP? Thanks!

I don't really see a need for shorts unless you are going to the jungle. The sun is so strong that I prefer lightweight pants and long sleeves even when it is warm. When I have brought shorts I rarely wear them other than around the hotel.