Lima City Tour: Discover Pre-Inca, Viceroyalty, and Present Life on a Panoramic Bus
4.4
202 Ratings
Miraflores
Experience the Lima City Tour and uncover the rich history of Lima from the pre-Inca period to the viceroyalty era and the present. Explore ancient ruins, admire colonial architecture, and enjoy panoramic views aboard the official tourist bus.
Duration: 4 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Shopping Center Larcomar (Centro Comercial Larcomar) - Larcomar is built on an excavation at the top of the Lima cliff and most of its spaces are on the void, which gives it a floating character. The construction was carried out in the sector of the Malecón de la Reserva that was previously occupied by the Alfredo Salazar park, which was modified giving way to a larger artificial park, which is actually the coverage of the vehicle parking basements and multiplex cinemas. The underground ventilation system was resolved with large exhaust “chimneys” that appear in the park as large bluish glass sculptures.

Larcomar has an important tourist position, receiving an average of around 56,000 foreign tourists per month due to its location in the Miraflores district and its proximity to hotels.

  • Palacio Municipal de Miraflores - The building, the work of the Peruvian architect Luis Miró Quesada Garland, was inaugurated on July 28, 1944, during the municipal management of Mayor Carlos Alzamora, replacing the previous headquarters located in a mansion at the intersection of Bellavista and José Gálvez avenues.

The Palace is neocolonial in style, and has four floors that house offices and environments for customer service.1​2​

It was built in brick and reinforced concrete. As architectural elements, its corner tower and its façade stand out. In the internal spaces are the town hall, and the rotunda on the second floor, adorned with murals by the Peruvian painter Teodoro Nuñez Ureta.

  • Parque Kennedy - Parque Central de Miraflores - The Central Park of Miraflores, popularly known as the “Kennedy Park” or the Miraflores Park, is one of the most popular and visited parks in Lima due to its central location in the Miraflores district. It is made up of 2 parks: Parque 7 de Junio and Parque Kennedy, one next to the other, totaling an area of 22,000 m².
  • Huaca Pucllana - Magnificent Pre-Inka Ceremonial Center located in the district of Miraflores.
  • Circuito Magico Del Agua - Park of Cybernetic Water Fountains that holds the GUINESS record for the fountain with the highest jet in the world.
  • MALI - Museo de Arte de Lima - Magnificent 18th century building designed by Gustave Eiffel. Presents Collection of Art and History of Peru.
  • Parque de la Exposicion - The Parque de la Exposición is a park located in the center of Lima, the capital of Peru.
    It was inaugurated in 1872 and is currently bounded by Paseo Colón, Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, Paseo de la República and 28 de Julio avenues, in the Santa Beatriz neighborhood. Within its extension is the Museum of Art of Lima (located in the Palace of the Exhibition), the Metropolitan Museum of Lima, the Museum of Italian Art, the Center for Historical-Military Studies and the National Superior School of Dramatic Art.
    The Parque de la Exposición was declared Cultural Patrimony of the Nation on July 5, 2006.1
  • Plaza Grau - Plaza Grau is a square located in the center of the city of Lima, capital of Peru. It is located at the intersection of Paseo de la República with Paseo Colón, Miguel Grau avenue and Paseo de los Héroes Navales. It is named in honor of Miguel Grau Seminario, commander of the Huáscar Monitor during the Pacific War.
  • Paseo de los Heroes Navales - The Paseo de los Héroes Navales is a square located in the district of Lima, in the center of the capital of Peru, and which occupies the first block of the Paseo de la República. It was given its current name on October 8, 1979 in commemoration of the centenary of the Angamos combat.
  • Museo de Arte Italiano - The Museum of Italian Art is a public museum in Lima, Peru, which is under the administration of the Ministry of Culture (formerly the National Institute of Culture). Housed in a Neo-Renaissance-style building, it houses bronze and marble sculptures, paintings and ceramics by more than 120 Italian artists from the early 20th century.2 It is, to this day, the only European art museum in the country.
  • Plaza San Martin - Plaza San Martín is a public space located on block 9 of Avenida Nicolás de Piérola (formerly Avenida Colmena) within the historic center of Lima in Peru.

In 1988 it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and is considered one of the most representative public spaces in the city of Lima.

  • Jiron de La Union - The Jirón de la Unión is a street on the Damero de Pizarro in the historic center of Lima, capital of Peru. For many years it was the most important street in the city, characterized by being the most “aristocratic” and where the most famous inhabitants of the city met.
  • Plaza de Armas (Plaza Mayor) - The Plaza Mayor of Lima or Plaza de Armas de Lima, is the founding site of the city of Lima, capital of Peru.

It’s the main public space of the city. It is located in the historic center of Lima, around it soberly rise the Government Palace of Peru, the Cathedral of Lima, the Church of the Tabernacle, the Archbishop’s Palace of Lima, the Municipal Palace of Lima and the Club de la Unión. The Municipality and the Cathedral face to face bear witness to the stamp of the Hispanic trace.

The Plaza de Armas is crossed by the Jirón Junín, the Jirón de la Unión, the Jirón Huallaga and the Jirón Carabaya.

  • Palacio Municipal de Lima - The Municipal Palace of Lima is a public building that serves as the main headquarters of the Metropolitan Municipality of Lima. It is located on Calle Portal de Escribanos, block 3 of Jirón de la Unión, and facing the Plaza Mayor in the historic center of Lima.
  • Cathedral of Lima - The Cathedral of Lima was built on the site of the Inca shrine of the puma inti and the palace of the Cusco prince Sinchi Puma, a direct descendant of the Inca Sinchi Roca.

When founding Lima, Francisco Pizarro assigned a plot of land to the church, making Sinchi Puma renounce his assets on paper certified by a notary, so that the occupation of the site chosen for the church would not mean usurpation of domain.

In 1535 Pizarro laid the first stone and loaded, in a public manifestation of faith and humility, the first beam for the construction of the church (first cathedral), which was built under the dedication of Our Lady of the Assumption, finishing the construction in 1538 and inaugurated on March 11, 1540, placing the Blessed Sacrament for the first time on that day.

  • Presidential Palace (Palacio de Gobierno) - The Government Palace of Peru, also called Government House (name used to date official documents) or Casa de Pizarro, is the main seat of the Peruvian executive branch and the official residence of the President of Peru.
    It comprises a built area of 19,208 m².3 It is located in the Plaza Mayor of the Historic Center of Lima, on the left bank of the Rímac River.

In the same location there have been different buildings that have fulfilled the same function for nearly five centuries, since it was occupied in 1535 by Governor Francisco Pizarro. Before it would have been the residence of the curaca Taulichusco,4​5​ delegate of the Inca government in the Rímac Valley. During the time of the viceroyalty it was known as the Viceroy’s Palace or Viceregal Palace and was the residence of the 40 viceroys of Peru. Later it housed the liberators José de San Martín and Simón Bolívar, and most of the presidents of the Republican era.

  • Museo Santo Domingo - The Central Museum is a cultural space in which dialogue is used as a tool to generate community; a space where, by interacting with art and with other visitors, we recognize ourselves as heirs of a cultural tradition that dates back thousands of years, which has been enriched and transformed over time, giving shape to our current cultural diversity.
What's Included
  • Admission to the Cathedral of Lima and its museum
  • On-board WiFi access
  • Panoramic Bus entrance ticket
  • Guided tour in the Historic Center of Lima by an official guide
  • USB phone chargers available
  • All taxes and fees included
  • Professional guided service at the Cathedral of Lima
What's Not Included
  • Income to other attractions not indicated.
  • Tips to guides and drivers.
Additional Information

You will know three periods of the history of Lima: the pre-Inca period, the viceroyalty period and the present.

EXPLORE ANCESTRAL LIMA Get to know ‘Huaca Pucllana’, a magnificent pre-Inca ceremonial and archaeological center built in the 4th century AD. Be dazzled by VIRREINAL LIMA, where you will get to know the historic center of Lima, where you will admire more than fifty Monuments and colonial buildings, including Avenida de la República, Plaza San Martín, Plaza Mayor, Government Palace, Archbishop’s Palace, Cathedral, Municipal Palace.
Our tour includes: Entrance and guided visit to the Cathedral of Lima and its Museum of Religious Art.
Enjoy CONTEMPORARY LIMA where you will get to know the modern neighborhood highlighting the unique view of the beautiful Bay of Lima aboard our panoramic bus.
Lima Official Tourist Bus is the best tour to get to know Lima and its history through an exciting and unforgettable tour at 4 meters high.

  • free wifi
  • USB phone chargers in all seats.
Location
Mal. de la Reserva 616
Malecón de la Reserva
MEETING POINT: Larcomar Tourist Booth (across from Armendariz Avenue and Marriott Hotel).
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.4
(202 Ratings)
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239madeleinec
Mar 22, 2024
Excellent - I loved the experience, Carme was our guide, very kind and very good at telling you the history of the corners of Lima.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Marco
Mar 22, 2024
Panoramic Turibus - Genial, very good disposition of our guide and visit to interesting places in Lima, adequate time to visit each place and good return time to Larcomar
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Gfbravo
Mar 21, 2024
Beautiful city, great guide - Even considering the intense traffic of Lima, the tour was pleasant, with an extraordinary guide, Carmen. The walking tour through the center of Lima allowed us to know the most important things about colonial Lima. Carmen's information, attention and kindness was exceptional.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Brandon_j
Mar 17, 2024
Cool Bus Ride - This bus tour around the city of Lima was great. It was cool being immersed in Peruvian culture. Our tour guide was cool.
Review provided by Viator
Venture68144633667
Mar 3, 2024
Luis is great - Great bus, great route, great Louis guide. Dont forget your sun-cream and comfortable shoes for that final walk with him.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Julianquinton
Mar 24, 2024
Condensed with lots of walking. Very interesting - Tour guide was very knowledgeable and made the trip interesting. Covered lots of things during tour in only a few hours so great if you only have limited time to see some of Lima. The tour does include a lot of walking - so if you have mobility issues then don’t do this tour. I was tired after 2 hours of walking and standing. And be prepared to duck when the open roof bus passes by tree lined streets and the tree branches slap you silly. But overall it’s a good tour although it would have been better if it was a little longer time to allow the group to stop at some places to buy a drink or a snack (while resting) and time to pause to enjoy the locations more.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Marilynn_c
Mar 11, 2024
Lima Bus Tour: Get Oriented! - Bus tour: Got my bearings in this city of 13 million and multiple districts. Like going to the summit before exploring the lowlands. It helped me to understand geography, get a sense of differences in neighborhoods and what to experience in each--Central historic, Barranco artsy, Miraflores tourist vibe with pre-Inca ceremonial adobe-constructed site, San Isidro a gorgeous residential and business area.
Review provided by Viator
Urmi_c
Mar 27, 2024
Tour not as described here - Tour bus passed many of the sites from afar and only one side of the bus could see / take photos of those. We did not go to any museum. The English speaking guide on the bus had a very thick accent making it hard to understand. The English speaking guide on our walking tour was great and her name is Melisa. Would have given the tour 2 stars otherwise.
Review provided by Viator
Beverly_g
Mar 31, 2024
Pass this tour up. - This was a disappointing experience. I think everyone in our group deserves a refund. We were on an English speaking bus that turned into a Spanish/English tour. We couldn’t hear her narratives and the back and forth from English to Spanish was VERY distractive. The 1 1/2 hour audio potion of the walking tour for 40 plus people could NOT be heard for lack of audio equipment for the guide or the group. I’ve booked several tours through the years for our groups and this one is a waste of money.
Review provided by Viator
889allynh
Mar 19, 2024
Very poor your - This is not hop on, hop off. It’s a guided tour with mandatory stops at certain locations. I didn’t realize I HAD to get off the bus. I thought it was optional to get off. I ended up getting driven to a parking lot, and had to catch up with the group later. The guide is very difficult to understand. She was very soft spoken and not good English. This is another reason I didn’t understand about getting off the bus.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
June 2024
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