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Lima
About Lima
Lima is the capitol of Peru and its cultural and business center. Lima or the City of the Kings, is a relaxed city with penas (bars) offering folk and Creole music, open market places offering good shopping opportunities and restaurants offerent excellent food. It historical center is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Lima sits on the riverbanks of the Rímac River, at 154 metres above sea level and is located in the Peruvian coastal desert.
Local highlights
Explore the city
- Museo Nacional de Antropologia y Arqueologia-with a most extensive collection of pre-Columbian artefacts (including the Nazca)
- The historical city center with the monumental Plaza Mayor, the Cathedral, the Government Palace, the Municipal Theater and the "Desamparados" Train Station
- Museo de Oro with legendary gold treasures of Peru's ancient, pre-Columbian civilizations
- The Torre Tagle Palace is considered the most beautiful of Lima's 18th century mansions
- The Indio Market (Mercado Indio)
- Parque Las Leyendas-the zoo with flora and fauna of Peru's Costa, Sierra, and the Selva (jungle)
- The Church of San Francisco
- Petit Thouars Handicraft Market
- Chinatown
- Plaza de Ancho with the bullfights
Highlights in the vicinity
Explore the environment of Lima, such as
- El Silencio with quiet remote white beaches on the Pacific shore (cold waters)
- Mountain biking in such places as Pachacamac (30 km) and Santo Domingo de Los Olleros-San Bartolo (104 km) with the steepest downhill of the world
Good to know
- No. of inhabitants: 8 Million
- Timezone: UTC -5
- Weather: Lima is foggy most of the year with the sun only appearing from December to May. From June to November the weather becomes cloudy and humidity reaches 90 percent. Temperatures in Spring at 17°C ( starts at late September), 24°C in Summer (starts in December) and 13-15°C in Winter and Fall (May-September). During the months from June to August the garúa dampens the streets with a drizzle extremely fine and thin.
- Tourist Information Office (Jirón de Unión 1066)-tel. nr. 01/432-3559
- Emergency tel. nr. 011 / 5114
Local transport
- Taxis-Public (yellow) cabs have no meters, and prices should be negotiated beforehand. Private cabs are usually parked in front of hotels.
- Extensive bus system known as micros or combis
Inbound transport
- Nearest airport: Jorge Chavez International Airport- about 20 minutes from downtown
- Train: regular services run from Lima to the mountains of La Oroya and Huancayo
- Car: Pan American Highway links all the cities along the coastline, and connects with Ecuador
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