Lima Attractions – Outside Lima City Center
Some of the most interesting museums, shops, and beaches are located in Lima ‘s suburbs, accessible by bus or taxi from downtown.
Museo de la Nacion, Av Javier Prado Este
Just south of the city center on Av. Javier Prado Este, is the excellent Museo de la Nacion, with artifacts from prehistoric times to the present, attractively displayed.
Museo de Oro, Monterrico
The Museo de Oro is further south, in the suburb of Monterrico. It has a striking collection of pre-Columbian gold, silver and other artifacts.
Museo Arqueologico Rafael Larco Herrera, Pueblo Libre
Soutwest of the center, in the suburb of Pueblo Libre, is the Museo Arqueologico Rafael Larco Herrera. Primarily a pottery museum, it has a fascinating collection, with a separate annex housing Moche erotica and warehouses open to the public which display an astonishing number of artifacts from the prolific Moche potters – a virtual photo gallery of Moche life.
Museo Nacional de Antropologia y Arqueologia, Pueblo Libre
Also in Pueblo Libre is the Museo Nacional de Antropologia y Arqueologia, with informative pre-Columbian displays and some colonial paintings.
Huallamarca, San Isidro
In the suburb of San Isidro, brilliant red bougainvillea grow beside the pre-Inca burial site of Huallamarca. It has a small museum with mummies and artifacts.
Miraflores
In the suburb of Miraflores, stomping ground of the children of Peru’s wealthy families you can people-watch at outdoor cafes, shop or enjoy good meals and music. The pretensions of the Miraflores youths – the Miraflorinos, are described with precision in the novels of Mario Vargas llosa. Miraflores is the best place for theaters, trendy boutiques and nightclubs.
Barranco
Nearby is Barranco, the romantic bohemian neighborhood made immortal in Peruvian waltz and still home to the city’s best artists poets and jazz bars. Here you will find the lover’s lane, Puente de los Suspiros, or Bridge of the Sighs, lined by fragrant jasmine trees and hyacinth bushes. It heads down to a lookout point over the Pacific Ocean, and to a steep stairway to the beach. Strolling here at sunset you may hear Peruvian flute music or Argentine tangos wafting from windows.
Pachacamac
The most important archeological site near Lima is Pachacamac, 31 km south of the city, and accessible by bus or tour from the city center. Rising to prominence in about AD 700, this pre-Inca shrine was later used as an Inca temple for adoration of the sun god, and it is believed that the Inca Huayna Capac once had a residence here.