Peru Attractions

You have to take a private tour in dry season to get to this remote village. (April to October). We drove up a narrow dirt road, but we were one of the only cars for hours as most people do not have cars. We took in some wonderful views of Sacred Valley. We visited a group of lovely ladies who weave the scarfs that you find in the Pisac Market. They offered us coffee and stories about the trips down to the market in the wees hours( they walk for hours to the market down to the valley and then back up at the end of the day) Then we went to meet a nice lady who has a room she rents out to people who want to stay with a local. We also went to see how they farm the potatoes and after this, once in Pisac Market, I had a whole new appreciation for all the people who were there selling their wares.

The best thing to do is to take an overnight in Aguas Calientes. This way you will have time to go twice to the ruins. There are many hikes around the ruins which you can take to get a wonderful view of the ruins from above. One is the Sungate which is where I took this package. The best hotels to stay in are the Sumaq, the Inkaterra Pueblo, and the Sanctuary Lodge. You should book your trip to Peru before you go as much as you can because the best trains sell out and if you wait until you are there you will be stuck with trains that give you little time to see the ruins.

We were so happy to hear about this cruise because before there were no good upscale options for Amazon Cruises. This cruise was perfect, the rooms even have AC which is unheard of in the Amazon. We took the kids to visit a local school and gave out little packages of crayons and notebooks to all the kids, what a wonderful experience to show these manhattan kids another kind of school. The boat is working to make minimal impact on the environment. I have those details in any one is interested. The tours are not Strenuous at all so this is a great tour to take with your parents or your kids( kids over 7 are welcome)

Mancora is mostly for Surfers and Peruvian Families with second homes. It is not full of tourists. It is though an interesting option for clients who want to add some beach to the Peru Vacation. It is a rather long drive from the airport and hotels are at most 4 star.

great place to watch the sunset from as the lake is bigger enough to see the curvature of the earth

The church of San Francisco houses a valuable collection of religious paintings that date from the colonial period to the 19th century. The work of the acclaimed canvas painter Francisco Zurbarán is a highlight. Also on display are other types of religious art such as sculptures, paintings, murals, furnishings and altars, which illustrate the colonial and republican periods.

Located on the Plaza Mayor, this is one of Lima's most important historic monuments. Although the existent building was constructed in the mid-20th century, it retains elements of colonial design. The pinacotheca is interesting and the library contains veritable treasures including the written act of the city's founding, signed by the conquistador Francisco Pizarro in 1535.

This colonial palace, together with the Iglesia del Sagrario church and the Cathedral, occupy an entire block facing the city's main square, Plaza de Armas. Although the palace bears important historic and cultural significance, its current use as administrative offices for the Catholic Church does not allow for public visits. Nonetheless, the outstanding and lavishly carved, dark wood balconies, characteristic of the period of the Viceroys, can be appreciated from a street perspective.

Built in the last part of the 18th century, this house was named in honour of its last proprietor, the distinguished writer Don José de la Riva Agüero. The Roman floor plan-introduced by the Spaniards-characteristically found in Lima, harmoniously integrates the ceramic tiles from Seville skirting the plinth of the interior walls. The passing of time and generations through the house is clearly reflected in the different styles of furnishings. It currently belongs to the Universidad Católica and houses the Instituto Riva Agüero Museo de Arte Popular, the Centro de Etnomusicología, dedicated to Andean music, as well as a vast library and historic archives, with over 60,000 volumes.

It was here, in 1535, that Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro founded Lima. All the important colonial institutions were established around the Plaza and remain today as part of the historic center: the Cathedral, the Parroquia del Sagrario (Parish of the Sacristy), Palacio Arzobispal (Archiepiscopal Palace), the Municipality and the Palacio de Gobierno. The large bronze fountain in Plaza dates from 1651. The Act of Independence of Peru took place here in 1821. Few people know that Pizarro held the first bull fight here. The Plaza was also used to execute those condemned by the Spanish Inquisition.

It was Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro who laid the first stone here. The cathedral is bordered by 15 chapels, one of which holds the remains of the conquistador himself. The interior, adorned with cruciform pillars, candelabras and Italian marble flooring, exemplifies the beauty of colonial architecture. Also worth seeing are the altars dedicated to Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo and to the Virgen de la Evangelizacion, as well as the magnificent Pedro de Noguera choir stalls. The sacristy serves as the Museum of Religious Art, which displays sacred artifacts, liturgical furnishings and paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries. Museum admission is five soles; students and children under eight pay just three soles.

The construction for the first church and cloisters of the Dominican Order was completed in 1578. The Altar de Los Santos Peruanos; a magnificent neo-classical Altar to The Peruvian Saints is decorated in turquoise and gold. Other highlights include the chapel of San Martín de Porres, the altar to the Virgen del Rosario (Virgin of the Rosary) and the beautiful sculpture made by Italian artist Melchor Caffa of Santa Rosa de Lima. The church boasts one of the most beautiful panelled ceilings in Lima. A museum is open to the public and provides Spanish and English speaking guides, who receive voluntary donations.

This excellent example of baroque colonial architecture is comprised of the Convent of San Francisco, and the Capilla de la Soledad y del Milagro (Chapel of Solitude and of the Miracle), which has a neo-classical facade. Dating from 1542, an extensive system of catacombs lies beneath. The cloisters are famous for the authentic Sevillian tile work, which was completed in 1620. There is a Museum of Religious Art, the Zurbaran hall and a library. English and Spanish tours are available with a voluntary donation.

It is said that the Jesuits longed for a place of worship that was worthy of the Jesuit order, and so when the time came to build their church, they modeled it on the Iglesia de Gesú. The church was constructed between 1624 and 1638 by Martín de Aspirate, who built the three naves and a dome. Today, it is considered one of the most beautiful in Peru. The church has baroque altars decorated in gold leaf, as well as a dazzling sacristy. Also of note are the numerous colonial paintings and the San Ignacio de Loyola altar. The church retains its original bell, La Abuelita, which is the oldest bell in the country.



Mass takes place at 7am, 8am, 9am, 12pm, 6pm and 7:30pm Mon-Sun.

Santa Rosa is a much-worshipped figure in Peru; today, her house is a sanctuary that serves as a testimony to her life. The hermitage that she built has been conserved in the garden, and so has the well into which she threw the only key to a chain that she wore round her waist as a sign of penitence. She was declared a saint in 1671 by Pope Clement X. This church was built in her honor in 1670, next to the large house where she was born in 1586.