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Best Attractions in Lima (2026)

Lima's sights fall into two groups: the colonial city founded in 1535 and the much older world that came before it. Start in the historic centre at the Plaza Mayor, where the cathedral holds the tomb of Francisco Pizarro, then walk to the Basilica and Convent of San Francisco for its tiled cloister and catacombs, and on to Santo Domingo, where Saint Rose of Lima and Saint Martin de Porres are buried. A morning is enough for this circuit, and weekdays are best if you want to see the cathedral's museum rooms.

For the pre-Hispanic past, Museo Larco in Pueblo Libre is the essential introduction, open every day with a café in its gardens. Huaca Pucllana, an adobe pyramid of the Lima culture, sits in the middle of Miraflores, while the Pachacamac sanctuary, about 40 km south-east of the centre, needs a half-day and is closed on Mondays. MALI covers 3,000 years of Peruvian art in an 1872 exhibition palace, and the Museo Pedro de Osma shows colonial art in a Barranco mansion. In the evening, the fountains of the Circuito Mágico del Agua are a good outing for families. Group sights by area to save time in Lima's traffic.

10 places · Updated October 27, 2026

Our top 3 attractions in Lima

  1. Plaza Mayor de Lima Historic main square, Historic CentreLima's main square, laid out when Francisco Pizarro founded the city in 1535 and framed by the cathedral, the Government Palace and the Municipal Palace.
  2. Museo Larco Pre-Columbian art museum, Pueblo LibreA private museum of pre-Columbian Peruvian art in an 18th-century viceroyal building in Pueblo Libre, known for its gold and silver gallery, erotic ceramics and walk-through storage.
  3. Basilica and Convent of San Francisco Baroque church, convent and catacombs, Historic CentreA 17th-century Franciscan church and convent in Lima's historic centre, visited for its Baroque facade, tiled cloister, old library and the catacombs beneath the church.

Attraction

2. Museo Larco

Pre-Columbian art museumPueblo Libre

A private museum of pre-Columbian Peruvian art in an 18th-century viceroyal building in Pueblo Libre, known for its gold and silver gallery, erotic ceramics and walk-through storage.

View details — Museo Larco

Attraction

4. Lima Cathedral

Cathedral and religious art museumHistoric Centre

The cathedral on the east side of the Plaza Mayor, rebuilt several times after earthquakes, holds the tomb of Francisco Pizarro and a museum of colonial religious art.

View details — Lima Cathedral

Attraction

5. Huaca Pucllana

Archaeological site and site museumMiraflores

A large adobe pyramid built by the Lima culture between about AD 200 and 700, preserved in the middle of Miraflores with a small site museum and guided tours.

View details — Huaca Pucllana