Weather
The average daily temperature in July is around 18°C (about 64°F). The daytime highs for this time of the year get up to 19°C (around 66°F). July is the middle of winter in Lima, Peru and that means lower temperatures, cooler conditions and plenty of cloudy and foggy days. Check the current local forecast here.
Currency
The official currency in Lima, Peru is Nuevo Sol (S/.). Click here for currency conversion. Before leaving Peru, it is a good idea to exchange all Nuevos Soles back to dollars.
The US dollar is the most commonly accepted foreign currency. It is accepted in most shops, supermarkets, restaurants and hotels, but it is convenient to exchange them for soles to make smaller purchases. You can change money inside the bank or at the Lima's casas de cambio (foreign-exchange bureaus).
Banks are plentiful and most have 24-hour ATMs, which tend to offer the best exchange rates. For extra security use ATMs inside banks (as opposed to ones on the street or in supermarkets), cover the key pad as you enter passwords and graze the whole keypad to prevent infrared tracing of passwords. Avoid making withdrawals late at night.
Lima’s casas de cambio give similar or slightly better rates than banks for cash, although not traveler’s checks. They’re found downtown on Ocoña and Camaná, as well as along Av José Larco in Miraflores. Consider using street moneychangers carefully as counterfeit is a problem.
Electricity
Electricity in Lima is 220 Volts at 60 Hertz. Plugs are typically the 2 pronged flat type found in the US, though some facilities have been noted to use the 2 rounded prongs instead. If you travel with a device that does not accept 220 Volts at 60 Hertz, you will need to bring a voltage converter with you. You may also need a plug adapter if your appliance's plug has a different shape.
Attractions
Museo Larco
In an 18th-century viceroy’s mansion, this museum offers one of the largest, best-presented displays of ceramics in Lima. Founded by pre-Columbian collector Rafael Larco Hoyle in 1926, the collection includes over 50,000 pots, with ceramic works from the Cupisnique, Chimú, Chancay, Nazca and Inca cultures. Highlights include the sublime Moche portrait vessels, presented in simple, dramatically lit cases, and a Wari weaving in one of the rear galleries that contains 398 threads to the linear inch – a record.
Pachacamac
Situated about 31km southeast of the city center, the archaeological complex of Pachacamac is a pre-Columbian citadel made up of adobe and stone palaces and temple pyramids. If you’ve been to Machu Picchu, it may not look like much, but this was an important Inca site and a major city when the Spanish arrived. It began as a ceremonial center for the Lima culture beginning at about AD 100, and was later expanded by the Waris before being taken over by the Ichsma.
Museo de Arte de Lima
Known locally as MALI, Lima’s principal fine-art museum is housed in a striking beaux-arts building that was recently renovated. Subjects span from pre-Columbian to contemporary art, and there’s also guided visits to special exhibits. On Sunday, entry is just S1. A satellite museum is under construction in Barranco.
Iglesia de Santo Domingo
One of Lima’s most storied religious sites, the Iglesia de Santo Domingo and its expansive convent are built on land granted to the Dominican Friar Vicente de Valverde, who accompanied Pizarro throughout the conquest and was instrumental in persuading him to execute the captured Inca Atahualpa. Originally completed in the 16th century, this impressive pink church has been rebuilt and remodeled at various points since.
Lima Plaza Mayor (Main Square)
Located in the Historical Centre of Lima, the Plaza Mayor is surrounded by the Lima Cathedral, Government Palace and Archbishop’s Palace of Lima, the Municipal Palace, and the palace of the Union. A highlight of the central part is a bronze fountain from the 17th century.
Lima Cathedral
Next to the Palacio Arzobispal, the cathedral resides on the plot of land that Pizarro designated for the city’s first church in 1535. Though it retains a baroque facade, the building has been built and rebuilt numerous times: in 1551, in 1622 and after the earthquakes of 1687 and 1746. The last major restoration was in 1940.
Government Palace
Residence of Francisco Pizarro (1535), who built it on the ground previously occupied by Taulichusco, chief of the Rímac valley. Since then, the site has been the centre of political power in Peru. The building was rebuilt in the 1920s after a fire. It has many courtyards and halls dedicated to important figures in Peruvian history which have been carefully decorated with outstanding works of art. Daily, at 11:45, the Patio de Honor (Honour Courtyard) is the setting for the changing of the guard under the responsibility of the glorious Battalion of the Hussars of Junín.
San Francisco Church and Convent
A 17th-century archaeological complex. It includes the church, convent and plaza. The main façade of the temple was built using stone and features Corinthian columns. The façade boasts an open cornice with arches in which the Immaculate Conception is depicted. The cloisters area, decorated with tiles, houses the Museum of Vice-Royalty Art. The catacombs (subterranean galleries), which served as a cemetery during the colonial era, can also be visited.
Gastronomy House
The museum offers a tour through over 500 years of history and ancient wisdom, up to the fusion of flavours and the influence of other cultures on Peruvian cuisine. Located in the house of Lima's old Post Office, next to the Government Palace, there are four rooms: the Permanent Hall, the Temporary Hall, the Multimedia Hall and the Pisco Hall, dedicated to our national drink. The tour also demonstrates the evolution of Peruvian cuisine, which also shows the products used in the present day.
Visit the Tourism Bureau website for more information on traveling to Lima.