Recommended Stay Time

7 nights: 3 nights in Lima, 4 in Cuzco

Currency

Peruvian Sol

EUR	PEN	USD	PEN
1	3.7621	1	3.3043

Transport

Unfortunately for our student budgets, there are no reliable low cost airlines to get to Lima, the beautiful capital of Peru. Most big airlines though do fly there regularly. Depending on where you are flying from, a flight can cost between 400 and 800 euros, depending on the season and flying time of course. Once you land, you can take a cheap 10 euro taxi to the vibrant city center; Miraflores.

Officially, the “centro de Lima” is the city center, but most tourist attractions and hidden local gems are found in Miraflores, which happens to be where I live. Lima doesn’t have a very good public transport system, but taxis like Uber and EasyTaxi are very cheap and safe.

To get to more incredible cities, like Arequipa in the south, Piura in the north or Cuzco in the center, you can book flights in advance for 40 euros. Taxis are even cheaper there.

Hotel

As a local myself, I’ve never stayed in a hotel in Lima, but many of my friends have and always follow my advice to stay in Miraflores, near Kennedy Park, close to the ocean, beautiful parks and lively bars and restaurants. Hostels like Loki, Flying Dog, Kokopelli and the fancier Casa Andina offer a wide price range for all kinds of budgets.

Machu Picchu is of course the most popular of tourist attractions, but I don’t recommend Aguas Calientes, the town where its located, as a good place to stay, because it is basically the middle of nowhere. Cuzco’s city center has plenty of Incan history, and many cheap hostels. Personally, I stayed in the Tupac Yupanqui Hotel, and paid just about 110 USD for 6 (yes, six) nights. Incredibly cheap, clean AND breakfast included.

Activities

There is so much to visit in Peru that it is hard to summarize it in a single blog post.  

My favourite place in Lima, my hometown, is the “Malecón”, a beautiful walkway on the cliffs next to the ocean. With beautiful parks, coffee shops and runners, it is the perfect place for a morning or sunset walk. There are many huacas (pre-incan constructions) and colonial buildings all around the city.

Cuzco alone could take up a week to visit the old capital city of the Inca Empire. A visit to Machu Picchu takes about a day, including a train and then bus ride. A rock forest, ancient buildings and burial sites, as well as entire half buried civilisations around every corner.

Monuments like the Coricancha, the cathedral, San Blas square and market can be visited throughout the day. At night, do not miss a party at Loki or Wild Rover, but make sure to separate your trip between party and tourism; most guided tours to Machu Picchu or the Seven Colours Mountain pick you up at 4am.

Food

Peru has been recognized as some of the world’s best cuisine. My favourite dish is Lomo Saltado, a meat, tomato, onions, french fries and rice stir fry. Ceviche is a people’s favourite, made with raw fish cooked in lemon. Tequenos, puff pastry filled with melted cheese, are the cheese fingers of the Inca Gods, no exaggeration. Make sure to taste every dish you can, they are all so different and so good. Try the many types of Causa, made out of potato, avocado, rocotos (a spicy pepper) and tuna, chicken or crab. Aji de gallina is also one of my favourite dishes, made with aji (spicy, yellow pepper), rice and chicken.

Packing Tips

No matter when you visit Peru, you might always find an opportunity to go for a swim, either in Lima’s pebble beaches or a nice heated pool in Cuzco. Do not forget your swimsuit! Both cities demand a lot of walking, especially Cuzco. If you plan to hike to Machu Picchu (of course I took the bus) you must bring hiking boots for a few hours walk uphill in the 3000+ m.a.s.l. Lima does not get very cold, but Andean nights can drop to 0C, so bring warm clothes for sure.

Written by Sofia Bedoya-Lira