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Private Full-Day Best of Lima Tour

19 reviews

from USD $178.20

For the traveler who only has one day to spare in the capital city, this is the perfect tour for you! We'll cover all of the major highlights that Lima has to offer from pre-Incan history and colonial architecture to award winning gastronomy and a privately guided tour of Lima's top attraction, the Larco Museum. With your private guide and transportation this tour not only provides a well planned and conveniently thought-out itinerary but the chance to interact and travel the city with a new local friend.

BOOK WITH CONFIDENCE: As members of ABTA and ATAS we are 100% financially bonded. You can book your day trip with us in absolute confidence, no matter where in the world you are.

Due to the impacts of COVID-19, we are currently not taking new bookings for day tours.

In Brief

Location:

Lima, Peru

Country:

Peru

Duration:

8 hours

Operates:

See Availability

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Plaza San Martin, Lima Peru

Our first stop on the historic city-center portion of our tour. Here we recognize one of Peru's most well-known liberators, Jose de San Martin.

Duration: 10 minutes

Stop At: Iglesia y Convento de San Francisco, Plaza San Francisco Jirón Lampa y Ancash, Lima 15001 Peru

Also known as the St. Francis Monastery in English, the church and convent were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1991. The site contains a world-renown library with about 25,000 antique texts and in the catacombs beneath it is estimated that this same number of people were laid to rest. Today you can explore the once hidden passages and observe the uniquely displayed remains of first Limeños.

Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Plaza de Armas (Plaza Mayor), Jr. Junin and Jr. Carabaya, Lima Peru

Here we will spend a few minutes in the heart of Lima. The Plaza de Armas is home to the Presidential Palace, Arch Bishop's Palace, Cathedral and Municipal buildings and can oftentimes be a lively place filled with people and various forms of entertainment.

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Museo Larco, Avenida Bolivar 1515 Pueblo Libre, Lima Lima 21 Peru

Built atop a seventh century pyramid, this vice-royal mansion is a site to see with its beautifully cared for gardens; you will find yourself snapping photos of the grounds as much so as the relics inside. The portion of the tour consists of captivating history, a 45,000-piece store of antiquities and an intriguing erotic collection (this room can be left out if touring with younger children.)

Afterwards we will have time to enjoy a delicious lunch surrounded by colorful gardens on the outdoor patio of the museum cafe.

Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Huaca Pucllana, Calle General Borgono s/n, cuadra 8, Lima 15074 Peru

A brief stop to observe Lima's most famous solid pyramid used as a ceremonial site for the Lima culture during the years of 200 to 700 AD. A full tour of the site is not taken, only observed from the outside.

Duration: 20 minutes

Stop At: El Parque del Amor, Malecon de la Reserva Miraflores, Lima 18 Peru

An artistic park located on the sea-side cliffs of Miraflores. Observe the para gliders sailing over head and local young couples strolling along the paths dedicated to lovers everywhere. A great place to snap a quick photo of you and a loved one!

Duration: 20 minutes

Stop At: Miraflores District, Lima Peru

See the more contemporary side of Lima with it's ocean side views and beautiful parks. Included in this portion of the tour are stops at the Huaca Pucllana and Parque de Amor (Love Park.)

Duration: 45 minutes

Stop At: Morro Solar, Chorillos, Lima Peru

Sitting at roughly 251 meters above sea level, you will get a wonderful view of the Pacific Coastline, Chorrillos Bay an the Shanty towns below. Often overlooked on other tours, this can be the highlight of ours!

Duration: 20 minutes

Inclusions

Professional guide
Hotel pickup and drop-off (from districts of San Isidro, Miraflores & Barranco - all others please see Exclusions)
Private tour
Transport by air-conditioned car or minivan
Entry/Admission - Iglesia y Convento de San Francisco
Entry/Admission - Museo Larco

Exclusions

Lunch consumption at the Larco Museum Cafe
Gratuities
Entry/Admission - Huaca Pucllana

Departure Point

Traveler pickup is offered
We can pick up from any location in Metropolitan Lima, however, if outside of Miraflores, San Isidro or Barranco, there will be additional charges. We offer this tour in the form of a layover or shore excursion, please choose the appropriate option when selecting your tour as there is a price difference from the regular tour.

If you are staying at the Wyndham Costa del Sol or Holiday Inn Hotels then you should choose the Lay Over Tour option. If you choose the Basic option from hotel then you will be charged the following on the day of the tour, to be paid in cash to the guide.

Groups of 1-2 persons - $70.00 US Dollars
Groups of 3-6 persons - $80.00 US Dollars
Groups of 7+ persons - $100.00 US Dollars

Additionally, we can pick up from the pier at the Port of Callao but you must contact us directly for rates.

We also have a small group shared version of this tour which does leave directly from the pier, look for that option under Shore Excursion.

Airports

J Chavez Intl Airport, Lima Peru

Ports

Port of Callao

Additional Information

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Comfortable walking shoes are recommended
The Catacombs portion of the tour is neither wheelchair nor stroller accessible but we can substitute the Cathedral of Lima or other venue if client is unable to participate in Catacombs tour.
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Near public transportation
Transportation is wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

Booking Information

You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.

Cancellation Terms

This trip is fully refundable up to 96 hours prior to the commencement of your trip.

Booking Terms and Conditions

When you book this trip, you need to read and accept the terms and conditions for booking our day trips in excursions.

Hotel Pickup

When you book, we will ask you to select a hotel to be picked up from. Once your booking is confirmed, we'll send you a confirmation voucher with full contact information (phone number, email address) for our local operator in case you need to update or change your hotel pick-up details.

Here are answers to some commonly asked questions about hotel pickup:

What if my hotel is not listed?
That's okay. When you book you can select an hotel from our list and make your way there on the day of departure; or you can contact our local operator directly to make alternate pick-up arrangements.

What if I have not yet booked a hotel?
Once your hotel arrangements are finalised, you can contact our local operator directly with your hotel details.

What if I live locally, am staying with friends or relatives, and/or don't require pick-up?
Once your booking is confirmed, we'll send you complete details and directions to the tour/activity departure point.

Scoring an average traveller rating of 4.89 out of 5 based on the last 19 recent reviews

“

We only had one day in Lima, and it was a great day, well worth the tour. Not only get the grand city view, but also the history of Peru in wonderful Larco Museum, with drive-through of many lovely streets. Our driver and tour guide are pleasant company too.”

Kate H • Submitted 06 Jan 2020

“

We had a wonderful time with this tour of Lima. Our guide was marvelous and our driver was well aware of the ins and outs of the city. Highly recommended!”

Mark F • Submitted 02 Dec 2019

“

Our guide, Gabby, was extremely charming and knowledgeable and our driver was also cheerful and skilled. The essential elements of the tour are fantastic (San Francisco Monastery and crypts/Larco/ and a fascinating driving tour) the private aspect allowed us to add a visit to much less visited Inglesia Santo Domingo to see the remains of St. Rose of Lima (and two other notable saints). Also, in addition to being a beautiful botanical hacienda and museum, the Larco has a lovely restaurant.”

Jon S • Submitted 23 Oct 2019

“

We had a great city tour of Lima with Maricarmen. We hit all the highlights of the city and was particularly enamored with the Larco Museum. What was great was the Maricarmen had worked at the museum and was able to give us a very personal tour of the exhibits. We also enjoyed a lovely lunch at the museum restaurant. Highly recommend this especially with the crazy traffic of Lima!”

laroud60 • Submitted 03 Jul 2019

“

Michaelangelo was a fantastic guide. We were able to include everything we wanted and more in our full day tour.”

Karen F • Submitted 26 Mar 2019

“

Marco was a very knowledgeable guide and very accommodating. Cookie did an excellent job driving in the Peruvian traffic! Nice day even though very tired from overnight flight.”

Lynette B • Submitted 14 Jan 2019

“

Great tour guide Marco and driver Bernardo. In eight hours, they showed us many things in Lima and provided a lot of information about Peru's history. We enjoyed the tour very much.”

Chonglun F • Submitted 01 Jan 2019

“

Our guide was Gabriela. She was awesome! Incredibly knowledgeable about her past culture and heritage. We had a wonderful time and learned so much! I highly recommend this your and Gabriela!!!!”

Timothy H • Submitted 02 Sep 2018

“

Jan. 16, 2018 Wonderful day in Lima, Peru! We highly recommend this tour and Integrity Tourism and Transportation! Our pre-tour arrangements, complicated by: our disembarkation into Lima, with significant amounts of luggage, from a cruise ship, then to be dropped off, after our tour, at the Lima Airport, were handled expertly by Lisa. Our guide, Maricarmen, and our driver, Jesus, were warm, engaging, and endlessly informative. This being our first visit to Lima, we had questions about a wide range of topics: history, culture, geography, cuisine, etc. and Maricarmen answered all of them with ease and insightfulness. Jesus driving skills amazed us both and we couldnt have been in better hands. Our day was filled with just the right amount of site-visits, expertly accompanied by Maricarmen, and our lunch at the Museo Larco was a perfect and delicious respite. Did this tour want us to re-visit Lima in the future? Absolutely! And when we do, we will reach out to Integrity Tourism and Transportation to help make that future visit as wonderful as this first one. Thank you Lisa, Maricarmen, Jesus, and the rest of the team!”

Blake H. • Submitted 23 Jan 2018

“

We booked the tour as we had only one day in Lima. Maria was our guide and Coki was our driver. There were only the two of us and we basically went at our own pace.Both Maria and Coki spoke excellent English and they made us feel like personal friends by the end of the tour. Coki is an excellent driver ! Maria is very knowledgable about Lima's history . We enjoyed the old churches and structures in Lima. We also saw para sailers near Lovers Park. We invited Maria to have lunch with us at the Museum restaurant which lovely. We also saw the convent of San Fransisco and saw the catacombs .We really enjoyed walking in Lima. We will recommend this tour to all our friends.”

Rudolf H • Submitted 08 Jan 2018

“

This was a very good experience, and both our guide Maricarmen and driver Jorge were very knowledgeable. We learned a lot about Peruvian history and culture on this tour. It was very convenient as they picked us up from our hotel and dropped us off at the end. We saw a good number of museums and attractions, but didn't feel rushed at all. We highly recommend Integrity Tours for an amazing Lima experience”

Dace Z • Submitted 07 Jan 2018

“

Great introduction to Lima as Gabby showed us select highlights of the City. Larco Museum particularly impressive and lunch venue there was excellent.”

robert w e • Submitted 06 Jan 2018

“

I'm not prone to hyperbole, but this trip was absolutely fantastic. We were promptly picked up by Sergio, warmly greeted, and introduced to our driver ?Cochi. Certainly the persons involved in the journey made this trip the highly educational, relaxed, enjoyable experience that it was. Our guide was enthusiastic, earnest, and quite knowledgeable, and brought to life for us, the 43 districts of Lima. His easy manner, and excellent communication skills put us at ease, being wholly unfamiliar with the language and city. He provided open and honest commentary of the history and people of the city, and provided us with a perspective unlikely to be attained otherwise. It was a suitable mixture of walking and driving..strolling the Plazas, Catacombs, Franciscan church, Presidential plaza...enjoying ice-cream treat in the promenade.. being picked up at various points along the route by Cochi, with impeccable timing. The Larco museum experience stands out as a highlight of the tour. amazing concise history of the pre-Incan to Incan civilizations..and a terrific lunch. The meal was a gastronomic triumph of the highest order!. The trip up the mountain to view the statue of Jesus and the Cross, as well as the small church dedicated to Mary offered spectacular vistas, but also an opportunity to learn of the the turmoil of time past, when the hilltop was defended against opposition soldiers. Just another example of the complexity of the city, that our guide was open enough to share. We truly appreciate his respect for his city, and all factors that make it the gem it is today. It was a very personalized experience, quite intimate in that regard, not held by script, but packed with historical information. We appreciated the flexibility of being dropped off at the Incan market rather than returned to our hotel...Perhaps this should be given as an option to all, because we were able to slowly peruse many tangible treasures on offering. Outstanding Experience..thanks Sergio and Cochi”

Paulus B • Submitted 29 Nov 2017

“

We only had one full day in Lima, and this tour was perfect to get an overview of the city. Our tour guide was great. We had a great lunch on the museum cafe. The tour was flexible for anything in particular we wanted to see. We would recommend this tour to see the most in a short period of time.”

Kathleen K • Submitted 04 Sep 2017

“

My wife and I booked the tour as we had only one day in Lima. Maria del Carmen Marie was our guide and Coki was our driver. There were only the two of us on the tour hence 'private' tour. Both Marie and Coki spoke excellent English and they made us feel like personal friends by the end of the tour. The plan was to walk around some of the old-town highlights on foot, followed by a tour of the Larco Museum, and finishing with a view of the city from the heights of the Morro Solar. Included was a photo opportunity and talk about the Huaca Pucllana pre-Incan pyramid. The tour was flexible and done at our own pace, so we spent a little more time on the foot tour and opted to skip the Parque de Amor. Marie was able to bridge the language gap for us as we stopped to buy some souvenirs. On the foot-tour we stopped at a Cocoa Museum for some tastings of chocolate liqueurs. A highlight for me was the San Francisco Convent with library and catacombs. We invited Maree to join us for lunch at the Larco Museum restaurant where she was able to point out the more typical Lima dishes to experience. The museum restaurant has an excellent menu. It turned out Coki our driver was a mad-keen tennis fan, and we shared some tennis trivial as he drove us around the city. A very pleasant way to see the Lima in a day with some very friendly, accommodating, and informed local guides. Highly recommended,”

Damian S • Submitted 02 Aug 2017

“

This was a great tour. We saw much more of Lima than did some of our fellow travellers from the cruise ship. Jorge was a fantastic guide and Sergio handled the driving expertly.”

Joseph D • Submitted 26 Jun 2017

“

A lovely and thorough tour of Lima. Our guide was very knowledgeable and charming. We happened upon a procession of a saint as it left the Church of San Francisco which was a bonus we did not expect and the Larco museum was fantastic.”

Diane M • Submitted 15 May 2017

“

This is an excellent tour and just as described. Our personable, experienced guide and his wife own the company. They are originally from the U.S. so there was no difficulty understanding what he was telling us about the sights we were seeing or visiting. His vehicle was new, clean and comfortable. We added about four hours to the regular tour since our flight back to the States was after midnight. He and his wife, Lisa, suggested the things we should experience in the extension, including a very nice seafood restaurant situated over the water for dinner. Then he took us to the Airport. One big mistake we made was to include another couple on our tour. They were on the same cruise we were on, but we didn't know them. They called us before we left for our cruise and asked if they could join us. Even thought the tour events, with timings, were clearly communicated with us,the wife of the couple severely slowed us down. She wanted to linger and shop at every opportunity thus getting us seriously off schedule.”

TERRY R • Submitted 22 Apr 2017

“

Good tour of the city. Tour guide knowledgeable and friendly. Needed better coordination and communication between guide and driver. Both were very nice.”

Donald C • Submitted 10 Jul 2017