If you are going to Cusco you might be spending some time in Lima as well on the way. You may be wondering what to do in Lima. There are a lot of interesting things to do in this city, and many different kinds of things to see. For example, Pachacamac is a pre-Inca site in Lima, and numerous other pre-Inca and Inca sites exist in the Lima area. Colonial buildings abound in some areas, and the Palomino islands off of Lima’s coast are another great place to visit.
Lima is one of the most interesting and challenging cities in South America with a huge archaeological, historical and cultural past.
Lima was founded on January 18th 1535 by Francisco Pizarro. Lima was for a time the capital of all of Spanish ruled South America, and was the wealthiest city in the New World for a time. When Peru became independent in 1821, Lima became the capital of Peru. Lima is today one of the largest cities in the world. With a population of about 10 million people it has more people than some countries. It is the second largest city in a desert after Cairo, Egypt. Lima is home to numerous national and international companies, and has the largest export industry in South America. The city center of Lima has the largest fountain complex in the world. Lima is a very diverse city, people of mixed indigenous and European ancestry are the largest group, followed by European Peruvians, then Asian Peruvians, and indigenous peoples.
Due to this diversity, Lima has a variety of food. Peru has been rated as having the best gastronomy in the world. There are numerous different types of foods in Lima.
Among the places you can see in Lima are the pre-Inca ruins of Pachacamac, the Palomino Islands, the Historic Center, the Cathedral, other colonial buildings, the beach, the numerous museums, the Monastery of San Francisco, and more. You can see more about these by looking at our Lima Tours. We have daily tours in Lima and the Palomino Islands. You can see these places for yourself, and do something with your time in Lima if you will be waiting there before going on to Cusco or another city.
