khedge

Hi. We are going to be in Lima for just a day and wonder the best way to see the coast? Are there any beaches there? We will be there in October. Thanks!!

mlgb

You can see the coast from the bluffs when you are in Miraflores, eg from the Parque del Amor, or heaven forbid, the Larcomar Mall. Reminds me of Santa Monica. Look at a map of Lima, the blue stuff is ocean.

But it isn't really lay out on the sand beach, it's cobblestone.

lcuy

We walked to the beach from our hotel (the Radisson Decapolis). I sat on the sidewalk fronting the "beach" while my husband surfed for a couple of hours. People do lay on the beach, but I'd want a pretty thick towel to do that. As mlgb said, it's river rock, not sand.

We also had a great lunch at a restaurant called portofino in Larco Mall. Fabulous view of the beaches from there, not to mention the hang gliders swooping just yards about our heads!

qwovadis

mirafloresperu.com

LarcoMar area is nice best to see the ocean in 1 day

Bike tour down the coast if you like

Marriott LarcoMar best ON the ocean not cheap though

Might make a bit more time head on down to

Ballestas Galapagos of Peru perhaps Nasca if time for the

lines www.mysteryperu.com too far for 1 day though...

qwovadis

Marriott & Larcomar. Exterior & Larco Mar
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel...dt-jw-marriott

mlgb

My "dinner" at Larcomar was at the Laritza ice cream shop! I recommend lucuma and maracuya!

LatAmForLess

October is quite a cold month as it's still winter in Lima. In any case, the beaches of Lima are quite cold year round anyway. But it's a great place to catch some waves for surfing! Lots of little surf shops just below the cliffs of Miraflores offer 1 hour lessons or longer for a pretty small price.

As many others have suggested, walk along Costa Verde/Circuito de Playas which is actually a string of beaches and clifftop malecon walkways. A good point to start at is Parque Maria Reiche in the northern Miraflores district and walk all the way down until about the Larcomar. At strolling pace, this will take you about 1.5 to 2 hours.

You can also do this walk down on the actual waterfront itself rather than just gazing at the water from the top by making way to the coast.

Another good stroll is along the coast of the Barranco district just south of Lima. You have to take a huge detour if you continue on the Circuito de Playas, or just take a short taxi across the big highway gully. It's less crowded there than its Miraflores counterpart, so more peaceful. Plus you end up at the Puente de Suspiros (Bridge of Sighs) in Barranco's downtown. The Barranco portion of beachview walk is about 1 hour at a stroll.

Otherwise, enjoy a meal, icecream, or drink at any of the hotels or restaurants along the way! They're not lacking in any sense.

Connie
Latin America For Less