Peru Holidays: How to Have a Perfect Day in Miraflores, Lima
The Miraflores district of Lima, the capital of Peru, is the premier neighborhood in the city for modern food, fun, and entertainment. It is where the majority of the expatriates call home, and where middle and upper class Lime?�os like to enjoy themselves. With so much to do, it might be hard to narrow down the choice of activities and organize a good day. As such, we’ve taken on the hard work for ourselves and created this suggested itinerary for a perfect day in Miraflores.
Breakfast on the street
Although one should be careful about eating street food whenever traveling, one considerably safe bet is baked goods. In Miraflores, Lima, and throughout Peru, it is common to see a man or woman pushing a cart of pastries up and down sidewalks to tempt unsuspecting pedestrians. Make like a local and try an empanada de carne or torta de manzana for your breakfast. Then, wash it all down with a hot quinoa drink or bottle of cold yogurt from a bodega convenience shop.
Morning at the pyramids
Little do most travelers to Lima know, the city has a share of ruins within the city proper itself. This is because many ancient civilizations have passed through this land, and they’ve left their mark. The Huaca Pucllana pyramid, although not as grand as Machu Picchu, is in the middle of residential Miraflores and perhaps the best known of the lot as it is large and impressive with some details very well preserved. Take a guided tour which comes included with the entrance ticket price, and learn how the Lima people once lived here before they were conquered by the Wari.
Lunch at a cevicheria
Ceviche, made of fresh seafood brought in from the ocean every day, is a Lima staple. It is also often part of a Peru tour of the capital, and for good reason because Lima’s coastal setting makes it nothing but opportune for seafood. Enjoy bites of sweet potato and corn kernels alongside your fish, squid, octopus, conch, or whatever have you, not to mention a beer or crisp glass of chicha juice.
Afternoon along the malecon
Miraflores has the benefit of a set of clifftops to its western border which have been developed into a series of interlinked urban parks. The greenery is a beautiful departure from the desert-like and dustiness of the Peruvian desert around it. Travelers can watch or try parasailing over the beach and skyscrapers, or just take a stroll up and down the walkway, watching people leisurely.