I have a friend who just came back from Peru in April. She goes every year-more like twice a year for decades to visit family. She says skip Lima. It's not safe or fun. Go to the suburb of Lima if you want to stay around Lima. Go straight to Cuzco.

Anonymous wrote:Peru was the best trip I’ve ever done. Skip Lima though, it’s just a city.

We flew to Cusco, went to MP, and then got on a boat in peurto Maldonado and did a couple nights in the rain forest. So so cool.

We did exactly this and it was awesome.

We went to Peru with our 12 year old. We went straight to Cusco. We went to MP also.
We didn't bother with Lima.
Tbos was one of the most memorable trip we have made.

A few years ago our early 20s daughter landed in Lima & as soon as taxi left airport, a guy on a motorcycle reached in and grabbed her bag with wallet & passport in it. Seemed like thief & taxi driver were in cahoots. Why don’t you go to Iceland like everybody else?

Anonymous wrote:Lima is not a great place to visit. Frankly quite ugly, and stressful to get around as the cars and taxis don’t use lanes. It does have maybe the best food in the world though? I’d consider going there for 2 days just to eat, but I’m an adult. My favorite non- food things there were the Gold Museum and paragliding off the cliffs in Miraflores (called parapente in Spanish). This was years ago but l just showed up and paid a guy for a tandem flight. Just googled out of curiosity:

https://360explora.com.pe/tour/parapente-en-miraflores-2/

Cuzco and surrounds are awesome. I’m considering taking my own 11 year old there soon. I went twice pre kids.

Lima has a lot to offer, and it also has a lot of poverty. If you can't handle poverty and traffic (they don't believe in blinkers and you can make turns from any lanes, doesn't matter which) then don't go. I used to go frequently as a kid in the 80s and 90s and I loved it. I loved seeing all the fresh flowers at the flower market (it's since been dismantled unfortunately), I loved eating the different foods, smelling the different smells, and seeing the different sights. I loved eating fresh bread from the bakery, coated in flour, and given a healthy dollop of butter. As an adult, I love eating at the fine restaurants.

Machu Picchu is great, too. But it has become very touristy since the early 2000s. Is this good or bad? Depends. I personally feel safer in Lima than Machu Picchu because I think too many tourists go to Machu Picchu with these rose colored glasses -- not even rose colored but beyond rose colored glasses. Like really overprivileged and under educated. They think you can just do whatever you want out there and it's all llamas and smiles. In Cusco or Machu Picchu I would stick to the well trafficked touristy areas and don't do stupid shit like wander into a random town for dinner or set up a tent in the country side.

Lima is not a great place to visit. Frankly quite ugly, and stressful to get around as the cars and taxis don’t use lanes. It does have maybe the best food in the world though? I’d consider going there for 2 days just to eat, but I’m an adult. My favorite non- food things there were the Gold Museum and paragliding off the cliffs in Miraflores (called parapente in Spanish). This was years ago but l just showed up and paid a guy for a tandem flight. Just googled out of curiosity:

https://360explora.com.pe/tour/parapente-en-miraflores-2/

Cuzco and surrounds are awesome. I’m considering taking my own 11 year old there soon. I went twice pre kids.

Go to Lima, Ohio instead! Much cheaper.

Peru was the best trip I’ve ever done. Skip Lima though, it’s just a city.

We flew to Cusco, went to MP, and then got on a boat in peurto Maldonado and did a couple nights in the rain forest. So so cool.

We have neighbors who have 11 yo twins. The dad is from Lima and they have visited family in suburban Lima almost every year for the last 6 years (they skipped 2020 because of the pandemic). The kids have a great time there. They've gone to the beach and many touristy places and from the photos, looks like it's a pretty safe place for them.

Lima is fine but it's kind of a blah city. It kind of feels like the Hampton Inn of capital cities? With just a week, spend the night in Lima and then fly to Cuzco. Warning: the flight from Lima to Cuzco can be quite bumpy due to the mountains and sometimes flights get cancelled due to weather.

Definitely get the high altitude meds from the doctor and take it easy the first few days in Cuzco.

Anonymous wrote:Yeah I would skip Lima and just go to Cuzco (plenty to see there separate from MP) and maybe add in the Puerto Maldnonado if you have time and are interested.

I was just going to say this. I also took the medicine for altitude sickness and didn't feel a thing. Cuzco was awesome and if you can do MP- it was great. We went with Mt Sobek and our tour guides were outstanding.

Yeah I would skip Lima and just go to Cuzco (plenty to see there separate from MP) and maybe add in the Puerto Maldnonado if you have time and are interested.

If you only have a week skip Lima and fly right to Cusco, which is at very high altitude so consider if that might be an issue.

I did the Inca Trail one April years ago and it was great.

From Cusco you can also get a 30 minute flight to Puerto Maldnonado.

So if you don't struggle with altitude and you don't mind a bit of a whirlwind you can do the Amazon and the mountains in a week. Skip big city Lima.

We went last Thanksgiving in the middle of all the political turmoil. Our trip to MP was cancelled due to train strikes. Luckily, we were smart enough to leave room in our schedule, so we went a few days later.

All of that to say, be careful. And set reasonable expectations for getting from Lima to Cusco or elsewhere and then the hours long train ride to MP. If your kid is whiny, it’s not going to go well.

We are thinking of visiting Lima, Peru with our 12 year old son for a week in March. How safe is it? What is the weather like that time of year? Is a week a good amount of time. Also, any tips for visiting Machu Picchu that week?

Thank you!