Walking City tour including the Monastery of Santa Catalina
Description
Discover the heart of Arequipa on this immersive walking tour. We begin at the vibrant San Camilo Market, a colorful hub of daily life filled with local products, flavors, and traditions. Then, stroll through charming streets toward the Main Square, where your guide will share the rich history of one of Peru’s most beautiful plazas. Visit the ornate Church and Cloister of La Compañía de Jesús, home to the stunning Saint Ignacio Cupola, a masterpiece of colonial art. Continue to a 17th-century tambo, a traditional communal housing complex that reveals the city’s colonial past. Finally, explore the breathtaking Santa Catalina Monastery, a city within the city, with over 300 years of fascinating history. Your guide will assist with your entry before bidding you farewell.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Our tour begins visiting the popular market of San Camilo; declared Historical Heritage in l987 and where you can find many products such as groceries, flowers, clothes, and other quality items at low cost. This is a place full of color, activity, variety of flavors, that show a little bit the daily life of our city.
Then we will continue walking toward to the city center (Main Plaza) exploring the streets of the city center and arrive to Arequipa’s Main Square, where your guide will give you a historical introduction of one of the most beautiful Peruvian main squares.
We’ll continue our tour, visiting the church and cloister of La Compañía de Jesús, this Cloister and Church are one whole unit, with semi-archways of heavy pilasters fully decorated on all four sides. Each sides exhibits identical reliefs, of three thick clusters of grapes, papayas, shells, cantutas, roses, grapes etc. In the Church we will visit the famous Cupola of Saint Ignacio; a chapel so beautiful that is an example of colonial Arequipean art.
We will walk to the Monastery of Santa Catalina; monument that belongs to the most important attractions of Arequipa city, keeping behind their malls more than three centuries of history.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(7)
Had an amazing time with Giardino Tours. Right from the moment I made an inquiry to the website, the booking lrad Lisbet was prompt with her responses, helpful and designed the ideal private tour for me. Upon arrival to Arequipa, my guide Sam was super responsive via WhatsApp as some of my plans had changed. Sam was an excellent guide who is a born and raised local, and had a wealth of knowledge and insight to share. Responsive to my requests during our tour, including a stop to drop off Laundry. 5 stars+ - couldn't recommend Giardino Tours enough!
Thank you so much for sharing this, ArtYee! We're thrilled to hear that the experience exceeded expectations from the very first inquiry all the way through the tour itself. It's wonderful to know that the flexibility and local knowledge of our team made such a difference, even when plans changed along the way. We hope to welcome you back for another adventure in Peru! Warm regards, The Giardino Team
We had a fabulous time with our guide Brian. He was punctual and extremely knowledgeable about Arequipa. The expertise and enthusiasm that he conveyed as we went through the monastery was infectious and it was an incredible experience. I wish we had booked all of our tours around Colca Canyon through Giordano based on the experience with Brian.
Thank you so much, Tanya, for your kind words! We’re delighted to hear that you had such a memorable experience exploring the White City and that the enthusiasm and knowledge of the Giardino team made the visit to the monastery so special. We hope to welcome you again in the future to continue discovering the magic of Peru together. The Giardino Team
We loved the city and the excellent and friendly guide Mrs. Lila explained us with great detail and knowledge the history of this beautiful city. Highly recommended.
Estimado Toni, ¡Qué alegría leer sus palabras nuevamente! Nos llena de satisfacción saber que también disfrutaron del recorrido por la ciudad y que la experiencia resultó enriquecedora y agradable. Con aprecio, El equipo de Giardino
We had the great pleasure of joining a guided tour in Arequipa with Giardino, and it was an experience we will never forget. Everything from the planning to the actual tour was professional, safe, and well-organized – but what truly made the day so special was our amazing guide, Lila. Lila was not only incredibly knowledgeable about Arequipa’s history, culture, and nature – she shared it all with a warmth, energy, and positivity that inspired the entire group. She was attentive to everyone’s needs, took the time to answer all our questions, and made us feel both welcome and comfortable. Her kindness and passion for her work turned the tour into so much more than just sightseeing – it felt like exploring the city with a good friend. We can highly recommend Giardino, and especially Lila, to anyone looking for an unforgettable experience in Arequipa. Thank you for amazing two days – we would do it again without hesitation!
Dear louises, Thank you so much for taking the time to share such a heartfelt and glowing review! We are truly delighted to hear that your experience in Arequipa was not only professional and well-organized, but also warm and memorable thanks to the dedication and passion of our guide, Lila. She will be overjoyed to know that her knowledge, energy, and genuine care made you feel both inspired and at home during your time with us. Your words perfectly capture what we strive for at Giardino – turning each journey into more than just sightseeing, but a genuine connection with our culture, people, and landscapes. We are grateful for your trust and your kind recommendation, and we would be thrilled to welcome you back for more unforgettable moments in Peru! Warm regards, The Giardino Team
I discovered the city of Arequipa, Colca canyon and many other places of this beautiful country. I thank again our guide Antonio “banderas”. You are one of the best guides I have had with your energy , good humor and passion for your country , thank you . You are excellent!!
Dear Dreamer58354501915, Thank you so much for choosing Giardino Tours and for sharing your wonderful experience! We’re thrilled to know that you enjoyed discovering Arequipa, the Colca Canyon, and many beautiful places in our country. A special thanks for your kind words about our guide Antonio a.k.a. “Banderas” 😊 — we’re proud to have such passionate and energetic professionals on our team. Your message truly inspires us to keep creating unforgettable experiences for our guests. Thank you again, and we hope to welcome you back one day for more adventures in Peru! Warm regards, The Giardino Team
Highly recommended visit to get to know the city of Arequipa, white city between three volcanoes, this is how Maya begins her explanation, the Guide who accompanied us and showed us her city, in an entertaining way seeing the monastery of Santa Catalina, the market and some other monument of the city, recommending places in the city, she helped us a lot on our first day, always happy, attentive and smiling, if you can do not hesitate, Maya is a great Guide for this city !! Thanks Maya!
Querido cliente Izcoana74; Gracias por elegir conocer Arequipa con Giardino Tours. Nos llena de alegría saber que disfrutaron su visita a la Ciudad Blanca junto a Maya. ¡Gracias por sus amables palabras hacia ella! Nos motiva a seguir ofreciendo experiencias auténticas y memorables. Un abrazo, Giardino Team.
The city walk in Arequipa was very beautiful and culture. We've been through several buildings. Our guide Stephanie really tried, she talked about the different architecture and also the history. She's one of the best. We enjoyed very much and feel like all the city
Dear Client; Hartelijk dank voor het delen van uw ervaring met de stadswandeling in Arequipa. We zijn erg blij te horen dat u genoten heeft van de tour en dat onze gids Giardino u een geweldige ervaring heeft gegeven. We zijn blij om te horen dat u zich verbonden voelde met de cultuur en architectuur van onze stad. Feedback zoals de uwe motiveert ons om onvergetelijke ervaringen te blijven aanbieden. We hopen u in de toekomst opnieuw te mogen verwelkomen! Nogmaals bedankt dat u met ons heeft gereisd. GIARDINO TEAM
