Lima’s Historic Center in One Afternoon: Walking Itinerary + Map
Founded by Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro in 1535, Lima was the capital of the Viceroyalty of Peru, the Spanish empire’s administrative region in South America. This made Lima effectively the capital of the Spanish empire in South America. It’s little wonder, then, that its Centro Histórico (historic center), a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has the largest scale and concentration of Spanish colonial buildings and historical sites out of the South American capitals I’ve visited.
Unless you plan to only visit Lima for one day focused on Centro Histórico, I don’t recommend staying in this area. Besides the historic sites, which are open mostly only during the day, there’s less of a nightlife – it is actually recommended to avoid the area at night since the crime rates go up. Instead, stay in Miraflores, a lively, walkable district with a dense collection of restaurants, lodging, and the Pacific cliff (for more info, check out my Miraflores one-day itinerary!).
But, that said, the history in Centro Histórico was really amazing to explore, take in, and learn from. And its walkability is a plus – you can see most of the main sites in one half day if you go on the days when the sites are open (see the hours in the sections for each of the sites below). We chose to go on a Saturday, when everything was open at the hours in this itinerary. So here is the itinerary we followed that half day in Lima’s Centro Histórico.
Quick tips
All of the sites are within short walking distances from each other (see map below). The total walking amount of walking to and from each destination added up to around 2 mi / 3.1km, 45 minutes.
The central tourist area felt safe, but when we ventured out a little past to the surrounding area to go to an Oxxo, we felt the vibe shift a bit. Still, the area is generally safe during the day, though petty theft is relatively common. Avoid the area at night.
If you’re staying outside of Centro Histórico, I recommend taking an Uber to reach the area. Have the Uber drop you off and later pick you up at Plaza San Martin – we found the surrounding streets to be relatively friendly for pick-up and drop-off. This itinerary starts and ends there.
Itinerary
12:00 PM - 12:20 PM: Explore Plaza San Martín and surrounding buildings
12:20 PM - 12:30 PM: Walk down the pedestrian street Jirón de la Unión to Plaza Mayor
12:30 PM - 12:40 PM: Take in Plaza Mayor
12:40 PM - 1:30 PM: Basilica Catedral de Lima (Lima Cathedral)*
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM: Lunch at Bar Cordano (traditional Peruvian)
2:30 PM - 2:40 PM: Pit stop at Casa de la Literatura Peruana (House of Peruvian Literature)
2:40 PM - 3:50 PM: Tour of Convento de San Francisco & Catacumbas (Church and Convent of Saint Francis and the Catacombs)*
3:50 PM - 4:00 PM: Pit stop at Iglesia y Convento de Santo Domingo (Church and Convent of Santo Domingo)
4:00 PM - 4:30 PM: Wander back to Plaza San Martín, Uber home
* For hours, entry fees, and other notes, see their sections below.
12:00 PM - 12:20 PM: Explore Plaza San Martín and surrounding buildings
Plaza San Martín has at its center a monument to José de San Martín and is surrounded by neoclassical architecture, all together forming a cohesive white facade.
Monument to José de San Martin
Beaux-Arts building facade
Dome of the lobby of Gran Hotel Bolivar
I was especially interested in Gran Hotel Bolivar, a Spanish Revival historic hotel built in 1924 that Hollywood stars from the 40s and 50s, such as Orson Welles and Ava Gardner, stayed at and discovered the pisco sour. The lobby has a beautiful stained glass domed roof, and while the hotel itself is obviously not as fancy in modern standards, you can imagine its grandeur back in the day.
12:20 PM - 12:30 PM: Walk down the pedestrian street Jirón de la Unión to Plaza Mayor
Balconies of building on Jirón de la Unión
On the northwest corner of Plaza San Martín is Jirón de la Unión, a historic (now pedestrian) street that used to serve as a main road during Spanish colonial times and as a gathering place for the aristocratic class. Now, it’s a busy street full of modern commercial activity and was honestly quite crowded and busy. But if you look up, you can still see the old balconies and architecture.
One particular point of interest to me was the Basilica and Convent of Nuestra Señora de la Merced, a Roman Catholic Church in the Churrigueresque style, a particular Spanish Baroque style that stands out for its extremely detailed and expressively carved building facades. This facade really stood out among all the relatively simple buildings surrounding it.
Facade of Basilica and Convent of Nuestra Señora de la Merced
12:30 PM - 12:40 PM: Take in Plaza Mayor
Jirón de la Unión directly takes you to Plaza Mayor, also known as Plaza de Armas, the main public square of the historic center now and during Francisco Pizarro’s time. The plaza is surrounded by many major landmarks, including the Government Palace (the governmental seat and residence of the President), the Municipal Palace (Lima City Hall), and Lima Cathedral, where we’re going next.
Plaza Mayor facing (from left to right): Government Palace of Peru (its corner), Casa del Oidor, Fountain of Playa Mayor (foreground), Archbishop’s Palace, Lima Cathedral.
Plaza Mayor from Lima Cathedral.
Government Palace.
12:40 PM - 1:30 PM: Basilica Catedral de Lima (Lima Cathedral)
Quick Notes (as of October 2025)
Entrance fee: 30 soles (~8 USD) for adult foreigners [less for Peruvian citizens or residents, children, older adults, and students]. You can buy tickets online (and choose an entrance time), or buy tickets at the door.
Hours: Mondays to Fridays 9AM to 8PM, Saturdays 10AM to 10PM, Sundays 1PM to 7PM [note that it’s open only in the afternoon on Sundays]
Visit type: Self-guided, you’re free to roam.
Visit length: Overall, budget around 45 minutes to 1 hour for the visit. For us, there was about a ~15 minute line to enter to buy tickets, then we could enter immediately.
I’d recommend first admiring the nave and ornate ceiling of the cathedral, then doing your visit counterclockwise (so starting on the right side when you enter), starting with the Chapel of Francisco Pizarro.
Nave of Lima Cathedral.
Ceiling art in the Lima Cathedral nave.
I was a bit shocked to see Pizarro’s bones right on display in a glass coffin, and did a bit of research on the spot to ascertain that those were actually his bones, and they were. Apparently they had originally displayed a mummified body of someone they thought was Pizarro, since Pizarro was assassinated in Lima and buried in this cathedral, but the exact location was forgotten. That display was a popular tourist attraction for over a century. But later in 1977, church custodians discovered a box labeled that the contents were the Pizarro’s bones, and the bones were confirmed by forensic analyses. So, now his bones are correctly displayed in the church.
Francisco Pizarro’s bones in his glass tomb.
Skulls in the underground crypt.
Towards the end of the right side of the cathedral, there is a little entrance to the underground crypt that you have to crouch a bit to enter. The crypt was once Lima’s main burial vaults for Spanish colonial elites, and you can see bones of family members buried in their own clusters, as well as skulls in neat stacks. These tombs are different from the catacombs of the San Francisco Convent, which I’ll talk about later, in that these tombs belonged to colonial elites, both religious and lay, who could afford to be buried in the sacred church grounds. The crypt was both eery and fascinating to see.
Turning around to the left side of the cathedral, there is a staircase up to see the cathedral organ, as well as a top-down view of the church nave. And towards the front left side of the cathedral, there is a little courtyard with a way to the cathedral library, which is an awesome space with shelves of old books (you can’t interact with any of them). On display, there is a massive book of chorus sheet music – the print is huge so that the entire choir can read and sing from it together.
Lima Cathedral’s library with its book of chorus sheet music.
After the library, that was about it for the visit. We went outside and admired the cathedral facade a bit, as well as the details on carved wooden balconies in the Archbishop's Palace next to the cathedral, a quintessential example of the Limeño Baroque style.
Balcony details of the Archbishop's Palace.
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM: Lunch at Bar Cordano (traditional Peruvian)
The lamb shank dish.
Next, we went for lunch at Bar Cordano, founded in 1905 and one of Lima’s oldest restaurants. Since it’s located right next to the Government Palace, it is said that almost all presidents of Peru have dined there. We figured, since this is a history-focused day, might as well dine at a historic establishment too.
I’d say, the atmosphere and decor was top-notch, with its old-world feel, antique furniture, and photo-covered mud walls. But the food was so-so (it felt like they might not have updated the taste to the modern palette, but that’s just my take), with an average price (like $10-12 USD per main dish). We ordered a kidney dish and a lamb shank.
Bar Cordano interior.
2:30 PM - 2:40 PM: Pit stop at Casa de la Literatura Peruana (House of Peruvian Literature)
After lunch, we made a pit stop at the museum Casa de La Literatura Peruana, right down a short pedestrian street. It’s located in the Desamparados railway station, though now, the museum occupies basically the entire building. The main station hall area is an exhibition hall, most notably a presidential wagon. And the old rail tracks and boarding area is now an area with benches where people can sit, drink coffee, and read. We didn’t stop too long, but it felt really nice to be able to relax and read with others in the area, seeped in the history of the old, overgrown rail tracks.
Main station hall turned exhibition area.
Little reading area next to the old rail tracks.
2:40 PM - 3:40 PM: Tour of Convento de San Francisco & Catacumbas (Church and Convent of Saint Francis and the Catacombs)
Quick Notes (as of October 2025)
Entrance fee: 20 soles (~7 USD) per person. Tickets are sold in person at the door.
Hours: Everyday 9AM to 6PM. See most updated hours here.
Visit type: Guided tours only (Spanish or English), you’re not free to go around by yourself.
Visit length: The tour is around 1 hour, though there could be a bit of a wait to start the tour.
Pictures are not allowed.
When Lima was founded in 1535, the city was divided and distributed, and this lot was given to the Franciscan order of the Catholic Church. The Church of San Francisco was built in the Liman Baroque style, and I have no pictures of the interior of the convent and the catacombs since pictures were not allowed, though the Wikipedia page has some pictures :)
My partner and I joined the Spanish version of the tour, and I tried my best to understand. The first half of the tour was focused on the church and convent areas, including the church nave and altar, the cloisters with the view of the courtyard, chapter house, and more. The guide was super detailed, giving a history of each of the rooms. One of the most fun things to see in this section was a giant depiction of The Last Supper with Jesus and the apostles eating traditional Peruvian foods, including cuy (guinea pig), chicha (a corn-based beverage), and Andean dishes.
The second half of the tour was focused on the catacombs, which were absolutely insane. The catacombs served as the main cemetery of Lima’s parishioners for 300 years during the Spanish colonial era, and housed an estimate of between 25,000 to 70,000 people, depending on the source. The bodies were buried in large pits, many of which had bones that were layered in various geometric or artistic arrangements (like circular long bones with corresponding skulls). Some of the bones were also organized seemingly by the type of bone, like skulls or femurs.
The difference between these catacombs and the crypt below Lima Cathedral is that the catacombs housed ordinary citizens, not just the clergy or elites, and the people were also buried in mass graves, rather than individual tombs. Seeing the sheer number of bones there was definitely a very unique experience.
The tour ended after we emerged from thirty minutes with bones in the underground, and we were led to a gift shop area and a courtyard where we could freely explore.
Exterior facade of the Church of San Francisco.
3:50 PM - 4:00 PM: Pit stop at Iglesia y Convento de Santo Domingo (Church and Convent of Santo Domingo)
As the last stop, we went to the Church and Convent of Santo Domingo, of the Dominican order. We were debating whether to also enter the cloister area (which required a ticket for entry) to look at the colorful Sevillian tiles (azulejos sevillianos), but we ended up just resting a bit in the church nave. Both the interior of the church and the exterior were constructed in beautiful light-blue tones, which we found to be pretty unique from the colors of historic Catholic churches.
The little surrounding plaza of the church was nice too, with wooden benches and buildings also in similar shades of blue.
Exterior Facade of the Church of Santo Domingo.
Nave of Church of Santo Domingo.
Plaza opposite of the Church of Santo Domingo.
4:00 PM - 4:30 PM: Wander back to Plaza San Martín, Uber home
Afterwards, we slowly made our way back through Jirón de la Unión, this time observing the commercial activities around us a bit more (it’s a bit too touristy for us), back to Plaza San Martín to take an Uber back to Miraflores, where we were staying.
Want more Lima inspiration?
Explore my neighborhood guides for Miraflores and Barranco [coming soon], or check out my Lima overview guide [coming soon] for where to stay, what to eat, and what to see across the city.
