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South of Lima
In the south of the capital are the residential and tourist neighborhoods.
Miraflores
It is a residential, commercial and tourist district of the capital, where there is the highest concentration of hotels and restaurants, nice to walk around, enjoy a drink at the terrace of a cafe or shop on the Larco Avenue from Kennedy Park to the mall Larcomar overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
You can also take a walk on the boardwalk from Larcomar to beyond the lighthouse, crossing several parks including the romantic Parque del Amor (Love Park). Miraflores is modernizing rapidly and buildings now replace most of the old houses.
Parque Kennedy or Central
It is the heart of Miraflores. During the day, it's peopled with shoe-shiners and kiosks that offer specialties like mazamorra morada (purple porridge) and picarones (doughnuts).
Every night Peruvian handicrafts and antiques are exhibited and sold at the flea market which pops up on the rotunda, while the amphitheater typically hosts free shows of young artists or DJs and people can dance. Cute building on the corner is the Municipal Palace and the opposite side, the pedestrian street called "calle de las pizzas" every night comes alive with restaurants, bars and nightclubs.
General Borgoño cuadra 8
Open Wed-Mon 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Admissions: S/.15 - US$4 - 3.30€
The Pucllana Temple was the ceremonial and administrative center of the Lima civilization from 500 AD. The site originally extends over 15 hectares (37 acres). The pyramid of 400 m (1.312 ft) long and 22 m (72 ft) high consists of 7 floors made of small bricks of adobe aligned vertically like books in a library, giving the structure a high resistance to earthquakes. A small museum at the entrance teaches artifacts found at the site and tells the story of the Lima culture.
Mercado indio
Avenida Petit Thouars – Open 7 days from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Huge handicraft market to find souvenirs from all over Peru.
Parque del Amor
Malecón Cisneros
The "Love Park" offer a beautiful view of the ocean and is ideal for lovers and for wedding photos, symbolized by the huge statue of a couple kissing.
The park inspired by Antoni Gaudí's Parc Guell in Barcelona, is surrounded by a wavy wall covered with mosaics, where you can read romantic phrases from well known Peruvian poets.
Barranco
In the south of Miraflores district, Barranco (spanish for ravine) is known as the bohemian neighborhood and still retains its tradition andhouses in the colonial and republican styles. Here are most of the "peñas" of Lima, restaurants with creole and peruvian music shows. You can go to Barranco from Miraflores walk along the malecón, a pleasant 45-minute walk from the Larcomar mall.
Parque Chabuca Granda
In this small square stands the statue of the famous Peruvian singer Chabuca Granda and La Ermita, a red and ochre-colored church. On the left, a narrow walkway embroidery small restaurants leads to a mirador.
Bajada de los Baños
Passing under the romantic Puente de los Suspiros "Bridge of Sighs", the walkway lined with ficus and bougainvillea leads to another mirador and the beach. The walkway is bordered by typical houses and many little restaurants offering delicious anticuchos (beef heart skewers) and picarones (pumpkin and / or sweet potato doughnuts with sugarcane syrup).
Main Square
Going up the stairs and past the Bridge of Sighs, reaches the Parque Municipal where we can appreciate the municipality, a beautiful church and the "Biblioteca" (library) with its curious tower. From here begins the Boulevard Sánchez Carrión, a walkway that includes numerous restaurants, nightclubs, discos, bars and peñas.
Tranvía
Avenida Pedro de Osma - it works from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Today there are only 600 meters (2,000 ft) from the Railroad originally connecting Downtown Lima with the district of Barranco from 1878 to 1965, the first streetcar in South America. Passing the city park, you can take it for a ride.
Avenida Pedro de Osma nº 423 – open tue-sun 10:00 a.m.- 6:00 p.m. – Admission: S/.10 (US$2.50 - 2.30€)
This museum installed in a beautiful republican house built in 1906, exhibits a private collection of paintings, sculptures, silver pieces, furnitures, textiles and books from the colonial period.
San Isidro
This district become the financial quarter in recent years, as many banks, embassies and businesses left downtown Lima to set up their headquarters in modern office blocks. You can see elegant colonial ans republican houses in the middle of modern buildings, shops, restaurants and luxury hotels.
Parque El Olivar
In 1560, the mayor did plant three olives in this field. Three centuries after, the hacienda grew and with it the stand of olive trees to nearly 3,000, today remaining half. This park is located in the heart of San Isidro and is a promenade for the neighbors.
Casa Hacienda Moreyra
This colonial hacienda built 300 years ago at the north of the park El Olivar, has a beautiful chapel. Today this house is a luxury restaurant run by the famous chef Gaston Acurio.
Huaca Huallamarca
Calle Nicolás de Rivera 201 - Open Mon/Fri 8:00 am to 7:00 pm - Sat 10:00 am - 4:00 pm - Admission: S/.5 - US$1.30 - 1.10€
Throughout Lima, the National Institute of Culture has recognized 250 huacas (pre Inca temples), most nearly destroyed. Huallamarca was restored in the 60s and is formed by a pyramid of 3 platforms and a central access ramp. This temple belongs to the Lima culture (100 BC - 650 AD) and constructed with adobe bricks hand-molded in the form of corn. Huallamarca was a ceremonial center to the year 500, later replaced by the Huaca Pucllana in the district of Miraflores. From this time, it was used as a cemcentery, 48 sarcophagi have been discovered here. A small museum is located at the entrance of the site.
Beaches
Along the coast, from the district of Chorrillos to San Miguel, through Miraflores and Barranco, is the Beach Circuit known as Costa verde (Green Coast).
It is a succession of beaches, mostly of pebbles. In Lima, there are several beaches popular among surfers all year long.
This region covers the 100 km (60 mi) from the capital, here yo can find numerous resorts and beaches frequented in summer from December to March by lots of Peruvian families. The landscape is arid and water not so hot (17ºC - 63ºF), but all beaches are sandy.
The more affluent have their own beach houses, others rent for a week or season at very high prices. Even the people of poor neighborhoods take buses to go on weekend, carrying their pots of food for beach picnic.
Pachacámac
Open Tue/Sun 9:00 am - 5:00 pm (Sat 9:00 am - 4:00 pm) - Admission: S/.15 - US$3.30 - 3.10€
30 km from Lima, it is an enormous archaeological site near the ocean. Pachacamac was the creator god of various coastal populations. Then, visiting the site, follow six centuries of history and 4 civilizations: the Limas (100 BC to 600 AD) who have left a temple and a set of rooms, the Waris (600-1200) with a temple and a cemetery, 3 Ychsma pyramids (1200-1450) and 4 Incas buildings (1450-1533): a palace, a religious shrine, a temple dedicated to the sun and the acclawasi or temple of the "chosen women".
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