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Lima with Kids: Our 1-Day Family Itinerary

ByJessica Lee Updated on

Lima wasn’t the part of our Peru trip I was most excited about. Like many travelers, we were really heading to Peru for Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley, and Lima initially felt more like a necessary stop along the way. After spending a day exploring the city, though, I was glad we didn’t simply fly straight through.

We visited Lima with our 6-month-old baby and 2.5-year-old toddler as part of a 2-month round-the-world trip. We stayed for two nights, giving us one full day to explore before flying onward and continuing our Peru adventure through the Sacred Valley, Ollantaytambo, Machu Picchu, Aguas Calientes, and Cusco.

With limited time, we focused primarily on two very different sides of Lima. We explored the historic center, filled with grand architecture and centuries of history, then spent time in coastal Miraflores, where parks and city streets sit high above the Pacific Ocean.

If you’re planning a family trip to Peru, Lima can be much more than somewhere to sleep between flights. Below, I’m sharing how we spent our short stay, family-friendly things to do in Lima, foods to try, and a few practical tips from visiting with a baby and toddler. From here, you can also follow our trip deeper into Peru, including exploring the Sacred Valley with a baby and toddler and exactly what it was like bringing two very young kids to Machu Picchu.

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Our trip details

  • Length of stay: 1 day, 2 nights
  • Accommodation: Faraona Grand Hotel – great location
  • Type of trip: family travel with kids (6 months old & 2.5 years old), part of larger round-the-world 2-month trip
  • Month visited: July
  • How we got in/out: fly in, fly out
  • How we got around: taxis, Uber, and walking
  • Additional places visited on the same trip: Ollantaytambo, Machu Picchu, Cusco

Family-Friendly Itinerary Ideas for Lima, Peru

  • Explore the Historic Center (Centro Historico de Lima) – a UNESCO World Heritage Site with numerous ornate historical buildings
    • Plaza Mayor (or Plaza de Armas) – where the city of Lima began
    • Basilica Cathedral of Lima – construction from 1535-1649 led to a mix of different styles inside and outside the cathedral
    • Archbishop’s Palace of Lima – ornate Spanish Colonial building that serves as the residence of the Archbishop of Lima, and the administrative headquarters of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lima
    • ChocoMuseo Lima – from milk chocolate to 100% chocolate, to tea, tours and beyond
    • Saint Francis Monastery (Basílica y Convento de San Francisco de Lima) – Spanish baroque style church (with kids – chase flocks of pigeons in front)
    • Government Palace of Peru – residence of Peru’s President
    • Jirón de la Unión – a pedestrian-only commercial shopping street
  • Wander around Miraflores – an affluent district of Lima, the most popular tourist district with a wide variety of restaurants, hotels, and shops
    • Alfred Salazar Park – park surrounding Larcomar with ocean lookout points, watch the parasailers (with kids – check out the playground)
    • Larcomar – outdoor shopping and dining center built into the cliffs along the Pacific Ocean (with kids – separate kid-sized bathroom)
    • Playa Makaha – a rocky surfing beach
    • Kennedy Park – centrally located in bustling Miraflores, home to hundreds of cats (with kids – playground inside the park)

Food Ideas for Lima, Peru

  • Foods/drinks to try: ceviche, lomo saltado (stir-fry beef), aji de gallina (creamy chili and chicken dish), anticuchos de corazón (grilled hearts), arroz con pato (rice with duck), Pisco Sour (Peru’s national drink with alcohol)
  • Amaz Restaurante– a modern upscale Peruvian restaurant with creative Amazonian dishes
  • Punto Azul– known for great ceviche

Top Tips for Lima, Peru

  • Lima is much bigger than I realized, and it can take a long time, especially with traffic, to get from one area to another. Build in enough time for transferring.
  • There are official taxis, unofficial taxis, and Uber in Lima. We took all three options. We had trouble getting an Uber at the airport, but otherwise, we requested one successfully elsewhere in the city. Unofficial taxis are cheaper but might not be as trustworthy. We felt comfortable in an unofficial taxi where our hotel flagged one down and talked to the driver, but wouldn’t flag one down ourselves. Discuss the cost of your trip before you get in.
  • Check out the restaurant scene. Lima has gained recognition as the foodie capital of South America, we didn’t have time to try much, but there are so many great looking restaurants.

Is Lima Worth Visiting With Kids?

Lima surprised us. We originally treated it mostly as a stop on our way to the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu, but I’m glad we gave ourselves a full day to explore instead of immediately connecting onward.

For our family, Miraflores was especially easy to enjoy with a baby and toddler. We found parks and playgrounds, plenty of places to eat, and beautiful views over the Pacific Ocean. The historic center gave us a completely different side of Lima, with impressive architecture, busy plazas, and plenty to see simply by walking around.

Would I build an entire Peru trip around Lima? Probably not for our family. But if you’re already flying through Lima on your way elsewhere in Peru, I would absolutely consider spending at least one full day here rather than treating the city only as an airport connection.

We only scratched the surface, but that short stay was enough to make me glad we stopped.

Keep Planning Your Family Trip to Peru

Lima was only the beginning of our Peru trip. If you’re planning a similar route, continue with these Peru travel guides:

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