What is the best place to stay in Lima? Tips for a family trip

Visiting Peru has always been a huge desire of our family but, we are forced to say that the main goal for our trip to Peru was to visit Machu Picchu, which is in the Cusco area. However, as for so many tourists arriving annually to Peru, our gateway to this country would be through the capital, the city of Lima.

We know that many people just pass through Lima and go as quickly as possible to Cusco, however, this was not our desire, because we wanted to know the city of Lima and, thankfully, we did it. We booked 3 nights of our family trip to the city of Peru and, it was the best thing we could do.

Of course, it would always be impossible to know a city as vast as Lima in only 3 days but, but we wanted to know the most we could, so one of the issues we had when organizing our family trip to Lima was: what is the best place to stay in Lima?

And this might not be an easy question because, in fact, Lima is an immense city that, with about 9 million inhabitants (almost as much as our country, Portugal), has a wide offer of places for a tourist to stay.

However, there were two main issues that, for us, had to be on the basis of our choice. One of them was the fact that it needed to be well located at the access level, which allowed us to explore the most we wanted to know of the city, within our possibilities for the time we had. Another key issue would have to be security. Although we have a taste for adventure and discovery, we always try to take the necessary care to feel safe, especially since we were parents and began traveling with our son, which increased our need to feel safe in any destination we travel.

In this way, we set out to explore and investigate, and we came across 3 main options, namely the Historic Center area (Central Lima), San Isiro and Miraflores. Let's talk a little about each one, and finally, the reasons that led to our choice.

Historical Center (Central Lima)

Whenever we can, we like very much to stay in the Historical Center of a city that we are visiting. There is nothing better than the feeling of waking up in the center of everything, going out in the morning to walk and enjoy a city. This was undoubtedly one of the first hypotheses we thought about where to stay in Lima, because some of the attractions that we wanted to know were actually in the Historic Center of the city, namely the Plaza Mayor, the Government Palace and the Convent of San Francisco, among others.

Another of the questions that captivated us was that, by doing a hotel survey, the prices in this area of the city were more captivating than those found in San Isiro and Miraflores, so we tried to find out why this happened, because hotels near the Historic Center of a city tend to be more expensive.

And we quickly discovered some information through the evaluations of some users of hotels in that area, who said they did not feel it as a very safe place to stay, especially at night but, not only ay night. The increase in our research confirmed that this area is not, in fact, the safest in the city and that it does not have the number of police necessary to offer security to those who visit it, and it have neighborhoods nearby that may actually pose a risk to visitors.

So, although we had the objective of knowing this area of the city, we decided not to stay there, unfortunately, because we did not feel secure in the reports we had access to.

District of San Isiro

Determined not to stay in the Historical Center of Lima, we proceeded to investigate the second hypothesis, namely the District of San Isiro. San Isiro is very different, is known as the financial district of Lima, with great infrastructures and, very important, a lot of security.

It is also known for modern buildings, so it is possible to find here some of the best hotels in Lima, as well as the most expensive ones, as well as the restaurants level, it has a lot of offer but,  you will also find here the higher prices of Lima. It is also the place where many embassies are located, as well it is the best place where you can play golf, tennis, and sightseeing with huge houses of European-style architecture.

It is also known for being a great place for just go walking, rather than the fact that it is a very safe and clean place. However, it has the inconvenience of being a little away from the center of Lima and, as previously mentioned, the prices of lodging in this area are higher. Joining the fact that this is a place more destined to those who travel to Lima on business and, that was not our goal, it was not in this district that we chose to stay.

Miraflores

Let's go straight to the subject and say right away that this was our choice and which we strongly recommend to anyone visiting Lima, especially for the first time.

Miraflores may not be as modern as San Isiro, but is very modern, clean, secure and, it also has great hotels, at great prices, and a huge offer, so you will surely find a choice that suits your tastes. 

Besides being able to obtain great prices, it has the possibility of allying security, is also a very organized, clean and safe neighborhood, with the advantage of easily you will be able to reach tourist and historical destinations in the zone or very nearby, such as Huaca Pucllana, is also a great place to go walking, something we love to do, always in great safety.

It also has the incentive to be right by the sea, which is always an asset and, it has a huge gastronomic offer, and we must also point out that this is where the Larcomar Shopping Center is located, being a great place to dine, with a wide range of offers and with a great view of the sea.

Conclusions

We have to be honest, Miraflores turns out to be really very targeted for tourists. In high season, you will easily find more tourists than locals and you will not be able to say that you met the "real" Lima just strolling through its streets. However, we really felt that the issue of safety was something we did not want to do without, especially traveling with a child and this being our first experience in Peru, so we opted for Miraflores.

At the lodging level, we got great prices for the quality of service (check here the best deals in booking) and, around Miraflores, we always feel great security walking the city, one thing we always love to do, especially walking by the sea, something privileged in this district.

Also in Miraflores, you will find a huge gastronomic offer, for all prices, but it is easy to make a great meal for very low prices when compared to European standards. We also felt that this was a great starting point to get to know other areas of the city, and it is easy to connect with Lima International Airport.

We hope that our research and experience can help when choosing where to stay in Lima. Although often, those who arrive in Peru through Lima do so with the intention of going to Lima, we invite you to reserve two or three nights at least to get to know this vibrant and lively city, for sure you will not regret your decision.

We always do our reservations with booking, they are our partners and its with them that we get the best deals. You can look for the best deals by clicking here, it won't cost you any money and, it helps us to support our blog.

We would also like to invite you to leave your opinion and questions and, in case you have already visited Lima, let us know what you think is the best place to stay in the city of Lima. Thanks for your visit to our Non Stop Family Travel Blog, come back often and, if you liked our article, don’t forget to share it with your friends.

Pin it for Later