Lima: Cultural City & Catacombs Tour with Pachacamac Ancient Site Visit
4.9
7 Ratings
Lurin
Immerse yourself in the rich history of Peru with a cultural city and catacombs tour in Lima. Explore the ancient Inca remains at Pachacamac, marvel at the colonial buildings in the historical center, and visit the San Francisco Monastery Museum and Catacombs.
Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Museo de Sitio y Santuario Arqueologico de Pachacamac - This is one of the largest religious centers in ancient Inca times on the Peruvian coast. Remarkable religious compound, buildings from different kingdoms since 200 AD origin. Incas built here majestic pyramids dedicated to the Sun. Admire the architectural precision of the buildings while learning about the customs and traditions of the ancient civilizations in Peru.

LUNCH: at midday there will be a break of 1 hour 30 minutes so you can have lunch. We will recommend you some good local restaurants.

  • Plaza San Martin - In the second part of the tour, we visit this Plaza made in 19 hundred to commemorate 100 years of Peruvian independence. The surrounding buildings are great, displaying Neoclassic style.
  • Plaza de Armas (Plaza Mayor) - Then, we will go to the Main square, the most representative one in Peru where you will see impressive buildings such as “The Presidential Palace”, “The City Hall of Lima”, “The Cathedral” and The Archbishop’s Palace”, etc.
  • Museo Convento San Francisco y Catacumbas - Finally, we will take you to the most interesting museum in downtown Lima. Your expert guide will explain you here about the rich history of Peru’s capital. Explore the underground Catacombs!
What's Included
  • Guided tour to The San Francisco Monastery & Catacombs
  • All entrance tickets for this tour
  • Knowledgeable Tour Guide
  • Guided tour to Pachacamac Archaeological Site & Museum
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
  • Pick up and Drop off from Lima: Miraflores, Barranco, San Isidro or places nearby
What's Not Included
  • No meals or beverages included
  • Transfer from/to Lima’s Airport or Callao area
Additional Information

Uncover the fascinating historical journey of Peru, starting with the pre-Columbian era by exploring Lima’s most iconic archaeological sites. Gain insights from your expert guide about the civilizations before the Inca era. Then, tour the historic heart of Lima to witness its exquisite colonial buildings and impressive architecture design.

Experience the Pachacamac Inca ruins and its museum, frolic in the San Martin Square and Plaza de Armas, visit the Cathedral, the City Hall, the Presidential Palace, explore the San Francisco Monastery Museum and the Catacombs, and much more!

Location
Museo de Sitio y Santuario Arqueologico de Pachacamac
Antigua Carretera Panamericana Sur Km.31.5
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.9
(7 Ratings)
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Dgttrans
Sep 28, 2023
Well worth it - It was a great tour. We had to miss a bit due to the traffic in Lima but it wasn't the drivers fault. Once the guide knew what my interests were she tailored the experience to me. It was a very good day, I really enjoyed the tour.
Review provided by Viator
Scott_m
Sep 2, 2023
Great Tour - The experience of the whole tour was outstanding. The pick up and drop off is at the front door of your hotel. The guides are knowledgeable, friendly and patient while answering questions.
Review provided by Viator
Kukuiokalani_kelii
May 7, 2023
Perfect and Fascinating Tour thru Lima’s Historic Center and the Pachacamac Archeological Site! - What an incredible tour of the historic center of Lima and the Pachacamac archeological site! I cannot speak highly enough about this tour! From start to finish, it was wonderful and packed so full of fascinating information. :) Jonathan was the driver who picked me up from where I was staying in Miraflores and drove us to the historic center of Lima, giving us information about the different districts we passed along the way. He also later drove me out to the Pachacamac site and back to Miraflores at the end, expertly and safely navigating us through Lima’s crazy traffic. William met us in the center of Lima and was soooo full of information and interesting details about the historic buildings and sites! This happened to be a Sunday and mass was being held in the churches that we toured through, which added a beautiful touch to these historic buildings. William explained all the different architectural styles dating back hundreds of years! It was amazing to see the colonial Baroque, Moorish, and Neoclassical styles merge throughout the various structures. My favorite part was probably the Basílica y Convento de San Francisco de Lima. Once again, mass was being held while we were there and it really brought the rich cultural past to the present. The convent’s architecture was gorgeous - I loved seeing the Moorish tiling and woodwork - and the artwork and the library are beautiful preservations of the time period. We also went into the catacombs which was really fascinating! :) After lunch, I met up with Leidy and she was the one who was going to be taking me out to the Pachacamac Archeological site. Leidy is so full of interesting information! I can’t even put into words how much I learned about the various districts we went through in Lima just on the 45 minute drive out to the Pachacamac site! Once there, Leidy showed me through the Pachacamac Museum and told me all about the four cultures and took part in building up the site, from the Lima peoples to the Incas, who were in control of the area when Francisco Pizarro arrived. After the indoor portion of the museum, she walked me through the horticultural area where they grow the various types of foods that would have been grown in the Pachacamac area when people made pilgrimages to the site. As we walked through the ruins, Leidy described the uses of the various structures, the canal system that would have fed water into the different parts of the site, the unique layout of the geography around Pachacamac - she was so full of cool stories and facts and information! Once again, I don’t have enough adjectives in my head to describe what a font of information Leidy is! The communication for pickup times was great. The whole tour from pickup to drop off was eight hours and I did so much in those eight hours! The Lima tour is quite accessible, only a few stairs and quite flat and easy to walk. The Pachacamac site has several sets of stairs and a steep hill. The site itself is massive, so we drove to each spot. The Temple of the Sun is up a big hill and very, very worth the climb. :) Overall, the whole tour is AMAZING! I can’t recommend it highly enough! :D
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nikki_r
Jun 12, 2022
Great tour of Lima! - We, me and my 2 friends, had a fabulous time! Pamela has so much knowledge to share about the history and culture. The sites were incredible and the information was fantastic! We would highly recommend this tour. Pachacamac is quite a drive but we definitely felt it was worth it. If you have an interest in Peru's archeological sites be sure to include Pachacamac. Oh yes, and ask for Pamela! Thank you, Viator & Pamela.
Review provided by Viator
David_u
Mar 14, 2020
Excellent Tour of Central Lima and Pachacamac - Guides were friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. Spoke excellent English and provided good commentary on life in Lima. Tour was for up to six but there were only 2 of us for the day. Lunch was provided and was at an excellent restaurant. Tour was so good that we booked another tour for the following day with the same guides.
Review provided by Viator
T315zymichaell
Sep 4, 2021
Worthwhile tour - The guide, Jonathan from Lima Highlights tour group, was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. I enjoyed his guiding very much. The lunch he chose was typical Peruvian and delicious. I would recommend him.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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May 2024
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