La Caleta Hostel Peru

Main Square, Lima

It was the center of the old Colonial city. The Cathedral of Lima, the GovernmentPalace and the Provincial City Hall of Lima are located in its perimeter. At its center, there is a seventeenth century bronze fountain.


GovernmentPalaceMain Square.

Telephone: (511) 311-3908. Visiting hours: Mon. – Fri. 8:30 A.M. – 13:00 P.M. / 2:00 P.M. – 5:00 P.M.
It was the residence of Francisco Pizarro (1535), who built it on the land that used to be occupied by Taulichusco, chief of the RimacValley. Since then, the place has been the center of the political power in Peru. It burnt down and was rebuilt in the 1920’s. It features many patios and rooms dedicated to important people of Peruvian history and carefully decorated with notable art pieces. Every morning at 11:45 A.M., the Patio of Honor is the stage for the changing of the guard, soldiers of the prestigious Husares de Junín Battalion.



San FranciscoChurch and Convent

Jiron Ancash, block 3. Telephone: (511) 427-1381, extension 111. Visiting hours: Mon. – Sun. 9:30 A.M. – 5:30 P.M.
A seventeenth century architectural complex. It includes the church, the convent, and the square. The church main front was carved in stone and is characterized by its Corinthian columns. In the facade, there is an open cornice with arches with an image of the Immaculate Conception. The cloistered area, decorated with tiles, houses the Vice-royalArt Museum. Additionally, the catacombs, which was a cemetery during the Colony, can be visited.

Cementerio General Presbitero Matias Maestro
(Presbyter Matias Maestro General Cemetery)

Jiron Ancash, blocks 16 – 20. Visiting hours: Mon. – Fri. 8:00 A.M. – 6:00 P.M. Guided night visits are offered on the last Thursday of the month (except December). Telephone: (511) 385-2084 / 385-2117 (extension 233).This was the first cemetery in Lima, inaugurated in 1808 by Viceroy Abascal and designed up by the famous Spanish architect Presbyter Matias Maestro. There are more than 766 Neo-classical mausoleums, some with notable statues and statuettes representing saints and the theological virtues.


Parque de la Muralla

Jiron Amazonas, block 1, close to Jiron Abancay, block 1. Visiting hours: Mon. – Sun. 8:00 A.M. – 10:00 P.M. Free admission.
It houses a fragment of the restored old wall that surrounded Lima and was built in the seventeenth century to protect it from pirates and attacks from enemies of the Spanish crown. There is a statue of the founder of Lima, Francisco Pizarro, and a site museum with exhibitions of archeological pieces found in the area.

Church and Convent of La Merced

Jiron De la Union 621. Telephone: (511) 427-8199. Visiting hours: Mon. – Sun. 8:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. and 4:00 P.M. – 8:00 P.M.
A sixteenth century Colonial architectural complex. The church maintains the granite facade that dates from 1687. The roof is finely decorated with plaster figures. The Neo-classical upper altar with the image of the Virgin of La Merced and a carven figure of Saint Michael the Archangel is the most important interior piece. The Pedro Urraca Chapel is also found inside as well as the coarse wooden cross that, according to the stories, he used to exorcise the devil.

Museum of the Inquisition and the Congress

Jiron Junin 548. Telephone: (511) 311-7777 extension 2910. Visiting hours: Mon. – Sun. 9:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M. Web site: www.congreso.gob.pe/museo.htm
The museum preserves numerous objects and rooms which were used during the Inquisition process. Among them, there is the Courtroom where the members of the Inquisition Tribunal met. Interesting sights are the Secret Door, used to conduct individuals to the Grand Inquisitor’s private room, the Torture Chamber, the secret dungeon with its subterranean cells, and the Inquisition Library. Library of Congress. Across the street, occupying the area that used to be the old church and monastery of la Caridad (sixteenth century), there is the Congressional Building of the Republic, a Neo-classical building constructed between 1912 and 1916.

Torre Tagle Palace

Jiron Ucayali 323. Telephone: (511) 311-2400 / 311-2769. Visiting hours: Reservation required through the Ministry of Foreign Relations.
The construction of this two story building began in 1735 by order of the Marquis of Torre Tagle, Treasurer of the Spanish Royal Navy. It is considered to be one of the best representations of the eighteenth century Lima residential architectural style. Notable items are the carved wooden balcony, Baroque chapel decorated with mirrors and Colonial paintings, and the carefully worked stone entrance. Today, it is the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Relations.

Santo DomingoChurch and Convent

Intersection of Jirones Conde de Superunda y Camana. Telephone: (511) 427-6793. Visiting hours: Mon. – Sat. 9:00 A.M. – 12:30 P.M. and 3:00 P.M. – 6:00 P.M. Sunday and holidays: 9:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M.
The church has three naves with an impressive cupola and finely carved cedar pews in the choir. The convent walls are decorated with tiles from Seville, and the main room features Baroque carvings. In 1551, the first university founded by the Spanish crown in the New World, the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, was established in the convent.

Santa Rosa de Lima Church and Monastery

Avenida Tacna, block 1; 4 blocks from the Main Square. Telephone: (511) 425-1279. Visiting hours: Mon. – Sun. 9:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. and 3:00 P.M. – 6:00 P.M.
The complex is made up of the Church and the Sanctuary. It was built between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries next to the house where Santa Rosa de Lima, patron saint of Lima, the Americas, and the Philippines, was born and lived. Highlights to see are the chapel, built in 1614, the lemon orchard planted by the saint, and the 19 meter deep well where, as the story says, she threw the key to the belt that she cinched on herself as a sign of penitence.

Church of Las Nazarenas

Intersection of Jiron Huancavelica and Jiron Tacna. Telephone: (511) 423-5718. Visiting hours: 7:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. and 4:00 P.M. – 8:30 P.M.
It was constructed in the second half of the eighteenth century on the old lands of the Colonial neighborhood, Pachacamilla. The central part of the altar is formed by two fluted and gold leaf covered Tuscan pilasters that hold up the Baroque front. In the interior of the altar, like an urn, you see the image of the Lord of Miracles, an oil painting on a rough adobe wall.According to tradition, during the seventeenth century, this image of Christ was painted by a black slave. It is the only wall that remained standing after the earthquakes of 1655, 1687, and 1746. Each year in October, a huge procession with the replica of the image of the Purple Christ, as he is also known, moves through the streets of Lima.

LimaArt Museum

Paseo Colon 125. Telephone: (511) 423-4732 / 423-6332 / 423-5149. Visiting hours: Thurs. – Tues. 10:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M. Web site: www.museodearte.org.pe
This was set up in the former WorldExhibitionPalace (1869). They exhibit pre-Hispanic ceramics, textiles, and fine metal works. There are also collections of the most important paintings and works of art from Peru.

China Town

Jiron Paruro, Barrios Altos.
It is one of the largest in South America. Walking through its streets means getting to know the customs and products of this millenial culture. Mainly, it is about eating the delicious food found in the numerous area restaurants called “chifas”. The EntranceMonument to Calle Capon is a nice architectural piece.

Los Descalzos Church and ConventAlameda de los Descalzos.

Telephone: (511) 481-0441. Visiting hours: Tues. – Sun. 10:00 A.M. – 6:00 P.M.
The convent was established at the end of the sixteenth century. It is characterized by its large and peaceful rooms where valuable paintings of the Lima, Cusco, and QuitoSchools are preserved.

Lookout on Cerro San Cristobal

You reach the lookout via Alameda de los Descalzos. Museum visiting hours: Mon. – Sun 9:00 A.M. – 3:00 P.M.
In pre-Hispanic times, it was considered an “Apu” or holy mountain that watched over the ancient populations in the RimacRiver valley. In 1536, one of Francisco Pizarro’s first actions was to take the hill and place a cross on it. On the first Sunday of May, there is a pilgrimage to its summit. From there, with clear skies, it is possible to see the entire city of Lima and the coastal islands.

Plaza de Toros de Acho (Acho Bull Ring)

Jiron Hualgayoc 332, Rímac. BullfightingMuseum. Tel: (511) 482-3360. Visiting hours: Mon. – Sat 10:00 A.M. – 6:00 P.M. Sun. – Upon reservation.
It was built in 1760 by order of the Viceroy Amat y Juniet. Acho is the oldest bullring on the American continent and the third oldest in the world. It was completely remodelled in 1946 and has kept this same form to the present. The BullfightingMuseum gathers a collection of relics like suits, capes, swords, muletas (small red cape on a stick), posters, and canvasses of famous painters. In October, Acho is the scene of the Feria Taurina del Señor de los Milagros (Bullfighting Exposition for the Lord of Miracles).