Lima
Travel advice for Seniors: Lima
Peru had been on Mom’s bucket list for many years. Ever since she read a book about Lake Titicaca when she was a child she had wanted to visit. With so much to see and do, we opted for a small-group tour where all of our travel was pre-arranged and all of the sights we wanted to see were featured.
We do like taking private tours because we get a more in-depth look at the country, particularly the areas that we are most interested in, but if you can book into a small group tour that is exactly what you are looking for, you can save a lot of money and we have found that for the most part, the small group tours are well run and pretty fun. For this trip, there were a lot of single people of all ages, which was really nice.
We did get a bummer flight that landed around midnight with the tour starting up around 8am, but that was the only serious downside. Also, on this particular tour all of the tour feedback was online through your phone, which was a bit irritating and unnecessarily repetitive. Thankfully, there were no chronically late people on the tour and everyone was friendly, so it was pretty smooth, and we really enjoyed meeting everyone and sharing experiences.
Our first day in Lima was a very full day. Most small-group tours are very fast-paced. You get one or two days in each location and then, bam, on to the next location and in a country as large as Peru, there is a lot of flying. While you do get a bargain, you can’t ever really get settled into one location for long and the sights go by very quickly.
Lima was founded by Francisco Pizarro 1535. It was the center of Spanish colonial rule in South America as it was more accessible than Cuzco. It was royalist during the independence period. We came to the conclusion that that there was still some animosity and tension between the “have’s” and “have nots” in the country. And even though the city was damaged by earthquakes in 1687 and 1746, the city appeared thriving to us.
We began at Plaza de Armas or the Plaza Mayor, the main public square in the historic center of the city. The square dates back to the founding of the city in 1535 and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Many important buildings surround the square.
The Basilica Cathedral of Lima, or the Metropolitan Cathedral of Lima, is a catholic cathedral and the seat of the archdiocese. It was built between 1535 and 1797. Interestingly, Francisco Pizarro is buried here after his assassination by his former partner, Almagro in 1541. On a lighter note, José de San Martín was crowned here after liberating Peru from Spanish rule. The cathedral has chapels dedicated to historical Peruvian saints including Santa Rosa de Lima, the first saint of America. This did not appear to be accessible.
The Basilica and Convent of San Francisco of Lima, known as San Francisco el Grande is also located near the Plaza Mayor. The bright-yellow Franciscan monastery is most known for its bone-lined catacombs (containing an estimated 70,000 remains). It was originally the cemetery during colonial times up until 1810. It also houses a great many antique texts some of which predate the conquest. This also did not appear to be accessible.
The Huaca Puciliana Archeological site was our next stop. This is an adobe pyramid built from seven staggered platforms around 500AD by Lima culture. It is remarkable for its engineering and was used as a ceremonial and religious site. This did not appear to be accessible.
We also stopped by the Parque del Armor in Miraflores, or “Park of Love” dedicated to lovers and romance with a stunning view of the bay at sunset. Check out the mosaiced walls and the statue of “El Beso” (The Kiss) from Victor Delfín.
The Barranco area is Lima’s most bohemian area with a great art scene with a vast number of coffee cafes, museums, shops and restaurants. Make time for a stroll and enjoy a coffee!
Next up on our busy day was a market visit and interactive cooking class. We don’t usually go in for this type of thing, but it actually turned out to be pretty fun and of course our cooking was great! We started off with Pisco Sours…so what could be bad after that, right? Peru claims to have invented the Pisco drink, but of course Chile says that they did, either way, it is delicious! It’s like a whisky sour, only using a local liquor called Pisco.
I don’t know what I enjoyed more, the market visit where we got to do a bit of shopping and tasting while our restaurateur was giving us shopping and tasting tips, or the actual meal we prepared! We prepared ceviche (raw fish marinated in lime) for an appetizer and lomo saltado, a stir fry of beef and vegetables for the main followed by a dessert of some type of crepes. All in all, it was an exhausting day, but it ended in a fun way with lots of camaraderie!
Where we stayed: Casa Adina Premium Miraflores. Accessible entrance, elevator and rooms. Nice hotel. Breakfast included.
How we got there: Flew from US to Lima. This was part of a two-week small group tour through Peru.
General Accessibility Information: See notes above.Lima is more accessible than other cities and areas, with major hotels, sights and some transportation accessible. Call in advance to verify and make specialty arrangements. See our sections on specialty apps and accessible travel for more on accessibility assistance.
