Cuzco
A good primer on Andean culture, this is a wonderful and kitschy little museum that traces the uses of the coca leaf, from sacred ritual to its more…
Must-see attractions in Peru
South Coast
At one corner of the Plaza de Armas, the Casa Posada de Teresa Podesta is a stately colonial mansion with its innards still intact. It's also known as the…
South Coast
Lunahuaná is small with little of architectural significance outside of its main square, which is crowned by the Iglesia Santiago Apostal dating from 1690…
Cuzco
This university-run natural history museum houses a somewhat motley collection of stuffed local animals and birds and over 150 snakes from the Amazon. The…
Cuzco
Cuzco’s oldest church houses a vault containing the remains of the famous Inca chronicler Garcilaso de la Vega, who was born in Cuzco in 1539 and died in…
Centro Turístico Cultural San Cristóbal
Ayacucho
This remodeled colonial building's courtyard has been transformed into a hip little mall. Here you’ll find bars, restaurants and coffee shops, along with…
Casa-Capilla de San Martín de Porres
Lima
Right across the street from the Santuario de Santa Rosa de Lima, this building (now a center of religious study) commemorates the birthplace of San…
Chinchero
The most extensive ruins here consist of terracing. If you start walking away from the village through the terraces on the right-hand side of the valley,…
Huaraz
On the east side of town, Jirón José Olaya is the only street that remained intact through the earthquakes and provides a glimpse of what old Huaraz…
Lake Titicaca
Dating from 1570, the adobe baroque church of San Juan de Letrán contains richly framed escuela cuzqueña (Cuzco School) paintings that depict the lives of…
Arequipa
A colonial sillar (white volcanic rock) church and convento (monastery) complex that, despite extensive destruction from earthquakes, still retains…
Arequipa
This baroque church was originally constructed in 1575, destroyed in an earthquake in 1868 and then rebuilt by the end of that century. The exterior is…
South Coast
On the Paseo Cívico, this 6m-high bronze fountain is said to have been created by the French engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (of tower fame) but these…
North Coast
La Casa de Logia, a block south of the main plaza, is a crumbling mansion with a 67m-long, 400-year-old balcony, said to be the longest colonial balcony…
Choquequirao
On the truncated peak, follow the water channel up from the lower plaza to these ruins that include a niche house and carved upper fountain.
Arequipa
This small church in Yanahuara dates from 1750. The highly venerated Virgen de Chapi was moved here after the 2001 earthquake destroyed the church it was…
Cuzco & the Sacred Valley
The eclectic Museo Ritos Andinos has somewhat-random displays including a mummified child, an impressive number of deformed craniums and possibly an alien…
South Coast
Follow the sound of crashing waves to this blowhole located just one block west of the malecón. There's a tiny beach, plus a few restaurants with perfect…
Santuario de la Virgen del Socorro
North Coast
This church above town is worth a visit. Built between 1535 and 1540, it is said to be the second-oldest church in Peru. There are sweeping views from the…
Arequipa
It's worth a peek inside this casona (large house); the Universidad Nacional de San Agustín (UNSA) is located within its 18th-century colonial halls and…
Huaraz & the Cordilleras
Caraz's cathedral, the Templo de Piedra, dominates the Plaza de Armas. Built in a monumental style in 1870s, it's one of the few old churches in the…
Machu Picchu
At the lower end of this area is the Prison Group, a labyrinthine complex of cells, niches and passageways, positioned both under and above the ground.
South Coast
It’s a five-minute walk from the main plaza up to a scenic mirador (lookout) with great views of the town and its surrounding mountains.
Trujillo
Iglesia de Santa Ana is made of adobe and was one of the first iglesia for indigenous worshippers within a Spanish colonial city.
South Coast
The Moorish, pastel-colored City Hall building was badly damaged in the earthquake and sits on the corner of the park awaiting repair.
South Coast
Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (of tower fame) designed the cathedral, noted for its fine stained-glass windows and onyx high altar.
Arequipa
This colonial church in the city center of Arequipa has a white interior that contrasts with its gold-leaf picture frames.
South Coast
When temperatures are searing from January through to at least March, the beachside aquatic park opens alongside the sea.
Trujillo
The 1709 Casa de Mayorazgo de Facala mansion now houses Scotiabank, and is a great example of colonial architecture.
Trujillo
This noteworthy central church has twin towers and was built around the turn of the 17th century.
Choquequirao
A residential area with inferior building quality where the lower classes may have lived.
Machu Picchu
Little is known about these mysterious ruins, located opposite the Principal Temple.
Trujillo
Iglesia de San Agustín has a finely gilded high altar and dates from 1558.
Lima
The now notorious Museo de Oro del Perú, a private museum, was a Lima must-see until 2001, when a study revealed that 85% of the museum’s metallurgical…
North Coast
The town of Huaura, opposite Huacho, is where José de San Martín is said to have first proclaimed Peru’s independence a full six months before his famous…
Lima
The cornflower-blue Casa de Oquendo is a ramshackle turn-of-the-19th-century house (in its time, the tallest in Lima) with a creaky lookout tower that, on…
Lima
This landmark building is the residence of the Archbishop of Lima, and the administrative headquarters of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lima. No…
Lima
The stately neoclassical Palace of Justice is the seat of the Supreme Court of Peru.
South Coast
A few hundred meters behind the visitor complex on Cerro Colorado are the 5000-year-old remains of a necropolis related to the Paracas culture, which…
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