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(18)
We had a fantastic experience. Our guide was friendly, knowledgeable, and generous with his time. He provided a wealth of interesting historical information and did a great job making the tour engaging and informative. I would definitely recommend this tour and guide.
Our guide was exceptional. He was incredibly generous with his time, super friendly, and made us feel welcome throughout the experience. He shared fascinating historical context that brought each site to life and did an outstanding job answering our questions. We learned so much and truly enjoyed our time with him.
Great tour of the historic centre of Lima and catacombs. Beautiful buildings and architecture. Amadeo was a very knowledgeable guide. Would highly recommended.
My partner and I thoroughly enjoyed both tours. Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable, and the city tour was an excellent way to learn about Lima’s history, architecture, and the significance of the buildings around us. We only had a few days in Lima, but this experience was absolutely worth it. The snacks included were a lovely bonus. The churros were honestly the best I’ve ever tasted! We also enjoyed a selection of other local snacks, which made the experience even more memorable. We also joined the Water Circuit tour, which I highly recommend. It provided so much interesting information about the park that we never would have discovered on our own, making the visit far more meaningful. What really stood out was how organised and accommodating the company was. My partner and I had a night bus to catch at 9:30 pm, and they kindly arranged separate transport so we could leave the tour a little early and still make it back in time, all at no extra cost. Their flexibility and excellent customer service were greatly appreciated. Overall, this was a fantastic experience from start to finish. I would definitely recommend these tours to anyone visiting Lima!
Amadeo and Fernando took great care of me! Since I was the only person who booked the tour, there was a lot of time to just enjoy the city and exchange travel tips. Amadeo is so nice and knows so much about Lima and always has some interesting detail to share about everything we saw. Thanks again!
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! 😊 We're delighted to hear that you had such a great experience exploring Lima with Amadeo and Fernando. It means a lot to know you enjoyed the personalized tour, the interesting insights, and the travel tips along the way. We'll be sure to share your kind words with them. We hope to welcome you back to Peru for another memorable adventure! 💚
After spending a few weeks in Lima, I went on this tour as a birthday gift to myself. Even though it was just another tourist and me, Amadeo was very friendly and engaging with us. He welcomed questions and spoke English well, so there was no communication problem. The highlight was definitely seeing the catacombs. I enjoyed experiencing the center with a local. The tour also included a Peruvian churro, which was yummy. I would recommend this tour to other visitors!
Thank you so much for celebrating your birthday with us! 🎉😊 We're delighted to hear you enjoyed exploring Lima's Historic Center with Amadeo and that his friendly approach and knowledge made your experience even more special. We're also glad you loved the catacombs and our delicious Peruvian churro! Thank you for your recommendation, and we hope to welcome you back for another unforgettable adventure in Peru.
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.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review dear Alison! 💚 We're delighted to hear that you had such a great experience exploring Lima's Historic Center with Amadeus. We'll be sure to share your kind words with him and with Elvis. They'll be thrilled to know they made your day so memorable. We're also happy you enjoyed the churros (the caramel is definitely a favorite! 😄) and that the hotel transfer made everything easier and stress-free. Thank you for recommending our tour and for sharing such helpful tips with future travelers. It was a pleasure having you with us, and we hope to welcome you back for another adventure in Peru someday!
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!
