Things to Do in Cercado de Lima

A former train station turned literary centre. Two floors of exhibits on Peruvian authors, with original art, manuscripts, and a reading room.

🕐 Tue–Sun 10am–7pm

💡 Check the basement for rotating exhibitions on comic books and graphic novels. Free guided tours in English happen at 1pm weekdays. Quietest time is Tuesday mornings.

Small museum dedicated to indigenous textiles, ceramics, and folk art from the Andes. Housed in a striking 1940s building.

🕐 Tue–Sun 9am–5pm; free on Sundays

💡 Free on Sundays. Ask at reception to see the storage room with thousands of uncatalogued pieces; the garden cafe sells the cheapest coffee in the district at 4 soles.

The main square, with the Government Palace, Cathedral, and historic Archbishop's Palace. Watch the changing of the guard at midday.

🕐 Open 24 hours; guard ceremony daily at 11:45am

💡 Best light for photos is early morning before the crowds; free walking tours meet here daily at 10am near the central fountain.

A 19th-century park with ornamental gardens, statues, and small lakes. Hosts free outdoor concerts and art fairs on weekends.

🕐 Daily 5:30am–7:30pm

💡 Enter through the back gate on Avenida Paseo Colón to avoid the fake 'park guides' who demand money near the main entrance; better views of the Moorish-style Palacio de la Exposición from the Parinacochas side.

17th-century church with famous catacombs holding an estimated 25,000 skeletons. The library has 25,000 antique texts.

🕐 Daily 9:30am–5:45pm

💡 Entrance is 15 soles. Skip the guided tour and ask to wander the cloisters alone; most of the catacombs are replicated sections, the original tunnels are shorter than guides claim.