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Machu Picchu

The Inca citadel at 2,430 m (7,970 ft) above the Urubamba River, 3.5 hours from Cusco by road and train, visited on a timed ticket with a guide.

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Lima City Tour Half Day: Old Center and Miraflores

4.9 Tripadvisor, Viajes Cusco Perú (sister agency), 78 reviews Miraflores, Huaca Pucllana, Plaza San Martín, Plaza Mayor, San Francisco convent Daily departures
About 4 hoursDepartures 8:50 a.m. or 2:00 p.m.
Center and MirafloresColonial Lima plus the clifftop
Shared serviceLicensed English-speaking guide
Hotel pickupTransport for the whole tour
Easy walkingFlat streets, some stairs in the catacombs

The trip in one paragraph

Book this tour for your arrival afternoon or your last morning in Lima. The city sits at sea level, so you do not need a rest day first, and four hours is enough to understand how the old viceroyalty capital and the modern seaside districts fit together. If you would rather see something older than the Spanish city, the Pachacamac half-day tour goes to the pre-Inca temple city south of Lima instead.

Two Limas in one afternoon

The tour starts on the cliffs of Miraflores, where the Parque del Amor and the Larcomar terraces look straight down on the Pacific surf. On the way north you pass Huaca Pucllana, a stepped adobe platform built by the Lima culture in the middle of a residential block. You see it from the street, without going in. Then the van drops into the historic center, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988, for the Plaza San Martín, the Plaza Mayor with the cathedral and the Government Palace, and the San Francisco convent.

The part people remember

The catacombs under San Francisco are the stop everyone talks about at dinner. The passages are low and the bones are arranged in patterns in the old burial pits. If tight spaces bother you, tell the guide and wait upstairs in the cloister, which has the better tiles anyway.

Morning or afternoon

Departures at 8:50 a.m. or 2:00 p.m. We prefer the morning. Center traffic gets heavier as the afternoon goes on, and the coastal haze over Miraflores tends to lift by late morning.

San Francisco catacombsThe underground burial vaults of a 17th-century convent, with bones laid out in the old ossuary pits.
Plaza Mayor and the cathedralThe square where Lima was founded in 1535, with the cathedral, the Archbishop's Palace and its carved wooden balconies.
Miraflores cliffsParque del Amor and Larcomar along the cliffs over the Pacific, with surfers in the water below.
Huaca Pucllana from the streetA pre-Inca adobe platform of the Lima culture standing in the middle of a modern neighborhood.

Price

One price, US$97 per person, shared service, with transport, a licensed guide and the San Francisco visit. There is no hotel tier because you stay in your own Lima hotel. Groups who want their own departure get a quote through the free quote form.

Pick your tour date

Departures every day, at 8:50 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Pick your date and slot and send the free quote form. We confirm the seats within the day.

A few days ahead is usually enough. Tell us your flight times if you want the tour on your arrival or departure day.

Day by day

Open a day to see the hours, the altitude and where you sleep. Times are the ones our guides actually keep.

Day1

Miraflores, Huaca Pucllana, Historic Center of Lima

Half day, back at your hotel the same day, sea level, about 505 ft (154 m) at the highest

About 4 hours Meals not included About 1 h 30 min on foot Your own hotel in Lima
08:50
Pickup at your hotel

Pickup at 8:50 a.m. for the morning departure, or 2:00 p.m. for the afternoon one. Times below follow the morning departure.

09:15
Parque del Amor and Larcomar

A short walk along the Miraflores clifftop, with the Costa Verde road and the beach below. Good light for photos once the haze lifts.

09:45
Huaca Pucllana, panoramic stop

The guide explains the huaca, built between about 200 and 700 AD, from the street. Entry to the site is not part of this tour.

10:20
Plaza San Martín

The republican-era square with its white facades, on the walk into the old center.

10:45
Plaza Mayor

The cathedral, the Government Palace, the Archbishop's Palace and the city hall around the founding square of Lima.

11:30
San Francisco convent and catacombs

A guided visit through the cloister, the library and the catacombs under the church. Bags stay with the guide or in the van.

12:50
Drop-off at your hotel

Back at your hotel around four hours after pickup, depending on traffic.

Where you go

The tour starts on the Miraflores clifftop and drives north to the colonial center of Lima.

Interactive map loads from OpenStreetMap when the page is online.
Route: Parque del Amor · Huaca Pucllana · Plaza San Martín · Plaza Mayor · San Francisco convent.
Stops on the itinerary Machu PicchuDashed line: road and rail route

What is included

Included

  • Hotel pickup and drop-off in LimaTourist transport for the whole route, Miraflores to the historic center and back.
  • Licensed guide in EnglishWith you from pickup to drop-off.
  • Guided visit to the San Francisco conventCloister, library and catacombs.
  • First aid kit in the vehicleAnd support from our office during the tour.

Not included

  • MealsEat before the afternoon departure or plan lunch in Miraflores after the morning one.
  • Entry inside Huaca PucllanaThe tour stops outside. The site runs its own guided visits if you want to go in.
  • Tips for the guide and driverOptional. Small bills in soles are easiest.
  • Travel insuranceRecommended for any trip in Peru.

Good to know

WeatherFrom May to October Lima sits under a grey coastal haze, around 60 to 66 F (16 to 19 C). From December to April it is sunny and close to 80 F (27 C). Carry a light layer either way.
Photos in the catacombsPhotography is not allowed inside the convent or underground. Take your pictures of the facade from the plaza.
WalkingAbout an hour and a half on foot in total, on flat streets. The catacombs have narrow stairs and low ceilings.
What to bringA small bag only, sunscreen, a light jacket, water and some cash in soles.
ValuablesThe historic center is busy. Keep your phone in a front pocket and leave your passport in the hotel safe with a copy in your bag.
Service typeShared group tour with other travelers and a licensed English-speaking guide.

Travelers on this itinerary

Sacred Lake Titikaka is new; these are public Tripadvisor reviews of Viajes Cusco Perú, the family agency that operates every package on this site.

4.9
78 reviews
Viajes Cusco Perú, Sep 2026
4.7
83 reviews
Google Maps

Reviews shown: Viajes Cusco Perú travelers (sample of public Tripadvisor reviews, read Sep 30, 2026).

C
Claudia I.Sep 2026, with friends
Posted on Tripadvisor
Dream Come True

"Incredible experience!! Beautiful landscape and beautiful people. We were lucky to be guided by Vladimir, who with his lovely personality and amazing knowledge made this trip a great learning experience."

Translated from Spanish by Tripadvisor
E
Erika C.Jul 2026, solo traveler from Argentina
Posted on Tripadvisor
I recommend them, people!

"All the tours I did (Machu, Humantay Lake, Rainbow Mountain, Sacred Valley) were spectacular!!! From picking me up at the hotel (always punctual and attentive, notifying about everything!) to the guides I had who were also excellent."

Excerpt. Translated from Spanish by Tripadvisor
M
Martin Rogelio I.Jul 2026, Sullana, Peru, with family
Posted on Tripadvisor
Professionalism, trust, and human quality

"I came to this agency by recommendation and, after traveling with them on two occasions, I can say that it was an excellent decision. I must highlight the professionalism of the guides, who made every tour very interesting and safe."

Excerpt. Translated from Spanish by Tripadvisor

Still have questions?

Everything we get asked about this package before people book.

What does the Lima city tour include?

Hotel pickup and drop-off, transport between Miraflores and the historic center, a licensed English-speaking guide and the guided visit to the San Francisco convent and catacombs. Huaca Pucllana is a stop outside the site. Meals and tips are not included. The price is US$97 per person, shared service.

How long is the Lima city tour?

About four hours from pickup to drop-off. Morning departures leave at 8:50 a.m. and afternoon ones at 2:00 p.m. Traffic in the center decides the last half hour, so leave a margin before any dinner booking or flight.

Morning or afternoon tour?

Morning. The center traffic is lighter, the plazas are calmer and you have the afternoon free for lunch in Miraflores or Barranco. Take the afternoon only if you land in Lima that morning and need a few hours at the hotel first.

Are the catacombs scary or claustrophobic?

They are low and narrow in places, and you see real bones in the ossuary pits. Most people find it more interesting than unsettling. Claustrophobic travelers can skip the descent and wait in the cloister.

Is the city tour enough to see Lima?

For the colonial center and the clifftop, yes. Add an evening in Barranco on your own and a meal at a cevichería, and you have seen the city most travelers come for. Pachacamac is the half day to add if you want pre-Inca Lima.

Destinations on this trip

From, per personUS$97
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