Lima Historic Center Walking Tour & San Francisco Catacombs
Description
Explore Lima’s Historic Center through its most important squares, streets, and landmarks, while discovering the stories, legends, and key events that shaped the city from colonial times to the republican era. This small-group experience also includes a visit to the famous San Francisco Catacombs, making it a memorable and enriching way to understand Lima’s history.
Tour Options
Itinerary
After picking you up, we will have a quick 20 minutes ride towards the first stop "The Plaza San Martín" which is surrounded by magnificent structures such as the Gran Hotel Bolívar, The Colón Theater, unique Art Nouveau Style Buildings, and so on. This beautiful square was built in 1921 to honour the first centenary of Peruvian independence, for many art historians is one the largest and most beautiful squares in Lima. Besides, for many locals, this plaza is important because is dedicated to General Jose de San Martin, a key leader for the struggle of independence in Southern America.
We will travel through time by walking along the renowned Jiron de la Union a famous pedestrianized street, considered since the colonial times as the most important street in Lima where aristocrats and famous people congregated. In addition, along the way we will observe magnificent constructions of different centuries as well as impresive colonial churches. Your tour guide will love to tell you misterios and enterteining curiousties that each building, hides and is witing to be discover.
We will visit our impressive Main Square, which is surrounded by important buildings such as the Government Palace, the Cathedral, the Archbishop's Palace, the City Hall, the Union Club, etc. We will have a smooth sightseeing explanations of all this important buildings. Ofcourse, we will not miss the oportunity to know the story about the ocupancy of this place by native peruvians before the arrival of the spaniers.
For many arquitects and art historians "CHURCH LA MERCED" has one of the best example of baroque style facade in the whole historical center, so it is impossible not to admire its beauty and take stunning photos. The original church was a small wooden construction and built already before the foundation of Lima. However, the church we see nowadeys has gone through different restaurations but is still beautifull. Only If it is opened we may have the chance to visit inside the curch, you will love it.
We will visit one of the most impressive and visited churches called "Saint Francis of Lima Church", in this museum we can find the oldest library in latin amaerica with more than 25,000 original books; the elvated choir room, which is surrounded by an incredible hand carved chairs, the incomparable main cloister and charry of the cake is the impressive and misterious Catacombs located under ground the church, this misterious place was a public cemetery of the colonial times for catholic people. Along the las centuries, many stories have been told about this place, I am sure you will love to hear it.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Pickup and drop-off are included only for travelers staying in Miraflores, Barranco, San Isidro, or Lima Historic Center. If your accommodation is outside these areas, an additional transfer fee may apply.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- This tour lasts approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes, depending on the selected pickup or meeting-point option.
- Travelers choosing a meeting-point option must arrive directly at the designated location 10 minutes before departure.
- This experience includes moderate walking through Lima Historic Center. Comfortable shoes are recommended.
Reviews(11)
This was a great way to explore the historical city. We were very lucky to be the only two on the tour so had a private guide Amadeus. He was brilliant. Very warm, enthusiastic and knowledgeable. He was great at taking photos and answering all our questions. He gave us some great tips on places to go after the tour too. The churros included in the tour are soooooo good. Definitely get the caramel. I added on the transfer the day before as I thought it would be easier than travelling from miraflores ourselves as we were worried about traffic. The company were very responsive. Everything was very easy to organise and went smoothly. Elvis the driver was punctual and pleasant and our guide Amadeus was with him so our tour started from hotel pick up. Definitely go this tour when in Lima. Our tip - go in the morning, finish at the palace for the changing of the guards and go to the Terrace club at 12 when it opens for a cocktail with a view of the palace. It’s beautiful inside too.
Amadeus, Amadeus....Amadeus is a fantastic guide. Super chill dude, extremely open and funny. Kept things light, but still managed to teach us a lot about Lima, from history to culture to food (including a great restaurant recommendation!). If we were staying longer (or perhaps on a return trip), we would def book another tour. Rock on, Amadeus!
Thank you so much for your kind words! We're thrilled to hear you had such a great time with Amadeus. We'll be sure to share your wonderful feedback with him! We're glad you enjoyed learning about Lima while having fun along the way. We hope to welcome you back for another adventure on your next visit to Peru!
We walked around Lima and saw all of the amazing architecture from all around the world and the catacombs under the church. We also got delicious Peruvian churros which was one of the best parts!
Thank you for your lovely review! We're so happy you enjoyed Lima's beautiful architecture, the catacombs, and the delicious Peruvian churros. 😊 It was a pleasure having you with us, and we hope to welcome you again on your next visit to Peru!
The guide, Jimmy, was so informative and very friendly. I learnt so much. Highly recommend.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review dear Janine! 💚 We're delighted to hear that Jimmy made your experience both enjoyable and insightful. It's always our goal to share the history and culture of Lima in a way that's engaging and memorable. We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you back for another adventure in Peru someday!
Super tour, definitely recommendable! We had Saúl as our tour guide, and he provided us with a lot of interesting information about the development of the city.
Vielen herzlichen Dank für Ihre wunderbare Bewertung! 😊 Es freut uns sehr zu hören, dass Ihnen die Tour gefallen hat und dass Saúl Ihnen mit seinen interessanten Erklärungen zur Entwicklung der Stadt ein tolles Erlebnis bereiten konnte. Ihr freundliches Feedback bedeutet uns sehr viel. Wir hoffen, Sie bald wieder auf einer weiteren Tour begrüßen zu dürfen. Vielen Dank für Ihre Empfehlung! 🌟
Jimmy, our guide, led an engaging and informative tour of the historic section and the catacombs. We highly recommend this company for the quality of experience provided. We loved the personal touches provided (that included the best churros ever).
Thank you so much dear Deborah! We are truly delighted to hear that you enjoyed your time with Jimmy and that the tour of the historic center and the catacombs was both engaging and informative. It means a lot to us that you appreciated the personal touches we strive to provide and we're especially happy to know that the churros were a highlight of your experience!
We had a wonderful time with Jimmy - he was very knowledgeable about the history and very kind. He was also very hospitable and offered us a ride to our next destination. We will definitely recommend!
Thank you so much for your kind review and your recommendation dear Roshni. 😊 We are delighted to know that you enjoyed the tour. I will let your guide Jimmy know that, It was a pleasure assisting you, and we hope to welcome you again on your next visit to Peru!
The city tour was fabulous! Pamela took me to all the key areas I wanted to see and shared so much knowledge with me. She was also an excellent photographer!
Thank you for your lovely words! ✨ We’re so glad you had a fabulous time exploring the city with Pamela. She is passionate about sharing the history and culture of each place, and it’s wonderful to know you enjoyed the experience so much and her photographer skills. 😊 Thank you for choosing us, and we hope to see you again on another adventure in Peru!
Guidance Pamela was sensational, demonstrated high knowledge of local history and culture. In addition, it was very friendly and cordial. The tour was enriching!
Muito obrigada pela sua avaliação! ✨🤗 Ficamos felizes em saber que a Pamela tornou seu passeio tão especial com seu conhecimento e simpatia 🙌🏻 Esperamos recebê-lo(a) novamente em breve!
Jarlin from Apullay Tours was very helpful. She was very responsive to my questions. Our guide Pamela was amazing. She is knowledgeable and friendly. We really enjoyed our tour.
Thank you so much for your kind review! We truly appreacite you enjoyed your experience as much as we enjoyed organizing it for you. We hope you have a pleasant rest of your journey. Warmest regards from the Apullay Team!
