Lima by a local: a tour of Peru’s historic capital of contrasts

In this video, we take a pre-Covid trip to Lima, where local resident Maria Clara shows us the sights of the Peruvian capital, from the Old Town – a UNESCO World Heritage site – to the nightlife district.

With just under 11 million inhabitants, Lima is the second largest desert city in the world after Cairo, and a study in contrasts. On the one hand, it is surrounded by shantytowns where poverty is rampant, on the other, many of its suburbs are rich and prosperous, its business district boasts skyscrapers and its shopping malls are ultramodern.

Laid out across a wide, flat, alluvial plain, Lima’s buildings fan out like a concrete phoenix in long, straight avenues and roads from its centre. The old colonial heart, Lima Centro, is of both architectural and cultural interest, as well as being the seat of government and religion.

Stately museums here display sublime pottery and the galleries debut edgy art. Lima’s solemn religious processions, meanwhile, recall the 18th century.

But visiting Lima isn’t only about site touring, as worthwhile an activity though that is. Any visit here should also entail savouring the local gastronomy, given that the city’s culinary genius is part of a gastronomic revolution over 400 years in the making.

Landmark highlights of Lima include:

• The Historic Centre, known as ‘Ciudad de los Reyes’ or City of Kings
• Plaza Mayor
• Basilica Cathedral of Lima
• Government Palace
• Archbishop’s Palace
• Torre Tagle Palace
• Basilica and Convent of Santo Domingo
• Basilica and Convent of San Francisco

View the original video here.

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