I've been to Peru 10 times and I have read the comments below. The traffic is very bad and noisy. However, I have always had very good interaction with Peruvians anywhere. If you're polite so are they. The best part of Peru is the food. Just awesome. That's why there are so many Peruvian restaurants around the world. There are many poor parts in Lima that can be dirty and unsafe. Just don't go there. I don't go to the poor parts of Chicago either. The street vendors can be very aggressive in Lima as compared to the Mexico where they are more polite. But my worst experience was in Beijing, China. Be aware that nobody has change so always keep lots of change and small bills with you for taxi, museum fees and tips etc. Lima is one of my favorite cities and I have always had a great time.
i'm from peru and i lived 5 months in usa and i swear the biggest culture shock was the toilets lol there were no bins and i was so concerned i was being rude by flushing down the toilet until i realized it's how it's done there. i travelled with my parents after and i told them and my mom was shocked too
Lima was by far one of the cleanest cities I've ever been The traffic is crazy, and super noisy, but its not worse than the traffic in La Paz or even in Rio (except for the noise, people really love their honks in Lima) I also spent some time on non touristic areas, and even there it was pretty clean and I felt safe. Also had a surprisingly good experience with public transportation, specially on the BRT from historical center to Miraflores, worked perfectly, even late at night. I guess the main positive side that I can say about Lima and Peru itself was the people, from the police officer that stopped a random bus in the middle of Barranco traffic and escorted us all the way inside to the friend I made that showed us lots of the city, and we are still in contact some years later. The one regret I have is not staying longer there
Dear Mark, As a Lima-born person, I cannot do more than thank you very very much for this review, it definitely comes from a very experienced traveler and I think you catched most of Lima right. Hope that you can visit it soon again and thanks for your kind words and for presenting my Lima to your international audience as it is.
I LOVE Lima, but the air pollution is a little rough. Trucks and buses belch out all kinds of visible exhaust. Barranco is a great district south of Miraflores for the funky artsy folks, def recommended (I could live there, and may after retirement!)
One district in Lima I love is San Miguel. Every time I visit Lima with my kids we go there. Lots of kid friendly activities, food and fairs. Great video!
I been going to Peru about 10 yr now my wife is 💯 Peruvian and her family still lives in Lima and this small town about 2 1/2 hrs from Lima called Huacho you have to go to Chinatown in down town Lima they have great Chinese food but it is called Chifa the best outside China
I like this video, I 'm Peruvian and you are totally right about the security in Lima, it depends on the hour and also on the district. Miraflores, San Isidro, Jesús María, Pueblo Libre, La Molina are very safe places compare with others.
I was born and raised in Lima. But Lima clean? it's a very polluted city and combined with the high humidity, you got a contaminated humidity that gives me bad bronchitis. Some of the best things about Lima that you left out are the nightlife in Barranco, the artsy neighborhood. Go see a live rock show or a peña (traditional creole music show). I understand if you did since you have kids. You'll love going to an artisan market for your souvenirs. Don't forget to barter and not pay the first price, they expect you to barter. Also, go see an Universitario game!
Just booked a trip. Thank you. Love your videos and we are eager to do the things you suggest. I hope one day we meet. I live in Ecuador and you have been a huge help on our travels around South America.
Hi Mark, I've recently discovered your channel, and I have to say, it's brilliant! So informative and engaging! A lot of important tips, do's and don'ts! Keep up the good work! 👍🏼
Not flushing the toilet paper reminds me of when I went to Brazil, takes getting use to. Hopefully I'll travel to Lima in the future and be able to do a travel blog for my channel as well. Thanks for the great information Wolter.
I traveled all over Peru for more than 4 weeks last summer and I have no idea why so many people say that peruvian food is so so good haha, it's basically just potatoes, mostly fries, rice and some meat, that's it. They are proud of their big amount of different kinds of potatoes (over 3000) and do nothing with it but fries like you would get them anywhere else in the world. They got good seafood and stuff, but all in all nothing special. Besides that it's an amazing country, very diverse!
I just got back from Peru, I absolutely loved it. It was my first trip outside the US and I'm definitely coming back. I pretty much agree with everything you said. One thing you could have added is the absolute insanity of the airport.
I was born in Lima, Peru and I have been in the States 14 years. I miss Peruvian food and of course the water is chilli all times. Even though is summer hardly warm up. 🏄♀️
Thanks for the information about the good and bad about Lima. After knowing it I am certain about one thing and that is this: Lima is a very beautiful place and it should be on your must-see places list.
Surprised about the inconvenient flight times. I must have gotten lucky because when I went to Peru, I had a direct flight from/to JFK with LATAM, arrived in Lima at 7am off a red-eye and departed at 11am. One of the most convenient international trips I ever took in terms of the flights.
I was just in Lima over Christmas and it’s really important to distinguish between Mira Flores and the rest of Lima, it’s a world of difference and can be a dangerous place. I’m surprised he didn’t mention the insane passport control even leaving the country. Hour plus waiting and fingerprinting.
Just came back 2 weeks ago from a 9 day visit. Loved the country and it's people and did not want to leave. We definitely should've spent more time in Lima, and there is still the south and the north (including the Amazon) that we missed. We'll do that another time for sure.
Sorry, but I was raised in Lima, and some of your advice could get some tourists into a lot of trouble or inconvenience. You had a great time, I'm glad and proud, but you stayed in Distrito de Miraflores, which is the Beverly Hills of all Peru; so it's no great surprise that it was clean, safe, and had great restaurants. You went to Centro Historico, Barranco, San Isidro, and visited Huaca Pucllana pyramid, all highly touristy areas with a lot of cleanliness and security. Do Not venture to the rest of Lima unless you are in a tour, because you might have some very, very negative experiences. Unfortunately, Peru has a lot of poverty, and our middle class is what other countries consider poor, so everyone is always on the lookout for an opportunity to score something, and White skinned tourists are seen as rich, which could make you a target to a scam or robbery. The cleanliness stops when you leave the tourist areas, and so does hygiene, so you might want to avoid restaurants outside these areas. People's attitudes also change when they have little money or constantly stressed, so you won't feel much hospitality outside tourist areas as well. Bottom line: stay in the touristy areas, which include Machu Picchu, Cusco, Arequipa, Nazca and El Callao.
@@KenyaWright that type is very exaggerated, there are more nice and clean neighborhoods outside the tourist areas and I would not put Callao as a good area. Your comment is very contradictory, possibly he is not Peruvian but from a neighboring country that likes to make the country look bad.
Stay in touristy areas that include el Callao? You’re also giving slight misinformation. Callao has its areas where you can visit during the day but Callao is HUGEEEE. I’d definitely recommend visiting but preferably with someone from the area or some sort of guide. A couple of wrong turns and you could end up on the wrong block
This guy exaggerates a lot. He says "middle class in Lima is considered poor in other countries" 😆... really? Apparently, you did not travel too much. If you have traveled more you should know Miraflores is an upscale district at any part of the world or middle class district Surco-Monterrico is middle class even in Europe where people live in 100 mt square old not well maintenance apartments. Italians or Spaniards would be more than happy leaving in Surco
Thank you Wolter for your great review! I would like to add that is much safer to take taxis from a private company rather than randomly on the street. Unfortunately there are some bad individuals that pretend to be taxi drivers to take advantage of people. Private taxis are more expensive but worth it.
200% TRUEFAX about the arrival/departure times and the traffic. We loved Lima so much that we want to move there permanently, but when my husband was talking about what kinds of car he'd want, I looked at him like NO. I would not want to drive in Lima - let a local worry about it. The tip about hotel prices was great!!
I was born and raised in Lima. During the time i lived in Lima... the summer is hot, humidity and all the time cloudy. The sky is all the time gray.....depressing.
How is it for ‘overtourism’? I’ve seen Lima and Peru pegged as one of the ‘next big destinations’ for quite some time. Whilst you don’t want to be like a fish out of water, a McDonalds on the main square is usually the harbinger of destination saturation.
We did not think it was too touristy at ALL. Even at LarcoMar and the museums, we didn't find any loud annoying tourists. We went in early May, though, so that's the low season.
Davm97 Type the term into Google and you’ll be greeted with a number of articles. It’s quite a new term, but very appropriate for places like Venice, Florence, Barcelona, Dubrovnik.
Lima is the only capital city in the Americas with a panoramic view of the ocean. It is also a world heritage site as the center of the Spanish kingdom in south America, a food destination and as if that wasn’t enough, Lima is the oldest inhabited city on the continent nd yes, it has the pyramids to prove it.
The weather in the winter months (June - August) is mid 60s F during the day and 50s at night. I personally wouldn't consider that hot. Also it can be quite foggy which makes 60s feel pretty cold. So check the weather before you go. You might want a warm jacket.
I wonder how the UV rays in cloudy Lima compare to sunny Florida. The sun is just extreme, unrelenting and brutal here. In my city it will peak today at an extreme 11.6 on the UV scale.
Yeah, traffic in Lima is not the best but at least is unusual people dies in a car accident in Lima if you compare of the traffic accident deaths in any city of the USA. Traffic accidents there are mortal for the speed on their avenues or highways. You don't see that in Lima
You should be wearing a 🎩 to keep head safe from UV rays. I have basal and squamous cell skin cancer and have had several MOHS surgery at UCSF. Lima needs more clouds, but due to climate change it’s only going to get worse. USF where I work has a 1 week sports immersion program with orphaned kids in Lima favella. May not like street poverty and inequality protests.
What time of year were you in Lima / Peru? I’m looking at going at the end of September through the end of October but not sure how the weather is this time of year.
I spent 4 years working there....FYI summer in the USA is WINTER in LIMA, that's the reason for very cloudy "IN LIMA" DURING THE ENTIRE WINTER MONTHS (always cloudy and misty)... if you drive 30 mins north of Miraflores you will see the sun during "winter months in Peru". Lima is so depressing during the winter months that there is a bridge called "suicide bridge" not far from the park where you are filming.... FOOD IS EXCELLENT and ALCOHOL IS VERY CHEAP (don't forget the Pisco Sour) especially the fish, which you can only order for lunch (which is mostly caught that day) so dont order fish for dinner because that is considered "old fish" and then they will know you are not a local lol... Also you can make reservations online for hotel and airfare alot cheaper (have someone from the states do it for you or carry a VPN) prices are ALWAYS cheaper online especially for air travel .... Love your channel !!!
I did not like it for Nothing when I was in Peru, I visited many places but I had many dislikes with people, they only treat you as merchandise Easy money and they almost killed me crossing the street on many occasions, I do not recommend Lima at all, at other times Parts of Peru are a bit more pleasant but I feel that people are not very receptive to foreigners, on many occasions they looked at me in a very strange way I felt uncomfortable. and when I tried the ceviche for sure I had the bad luck of eating in a bad place because I spent three days going to the hospital, I could not stand the stomach ache 😞 and well take your health insurance just in case because if you don't even attend to it is Everything such a protocol.
So sorry about your experience. I have to admit that Lima can be very dangerous but if you know where to go and places to avoid it will be safe. I have been going to Lima since 2002 every year and was robbed only once and because I went to a very bad neighborhood in error. The traffic can be bad like any big city. New York traffic is bad but pedestrians are more careful. Just follow the right signs to cross and follow large groups of people. You have to be careful where to eat and please do not drink the water from the fositt. Always bottled water. The really bad thing and agree is that in Lima if you are not well dressed or a white light eyes tourist you may not receive great service. I know so many people who visited Lima and the ones who did receive great service at public places are white, light eyes and hair tourist. My other friends who were dark skin like Puerto ricans or Mexicans had not such good experiences. It happen to me in a restaurant. The family next to me in a restaurant received great service but I got very poor one. They ignore me most of the time. I did complain to the manager and my meal was free so it was not so bad. I believe because am Peruvian, the servers did not think was a good tipper. Discrimination can be a problem. There is still a lot of ignorant people in Lima. Another important issue is Venezuelan people. Unfortunatelly, there is a large amount of immigrants who came and are not behaving well but most of them do not go to tourist places.
@@billyholic you keep on posting hate stuff about Lima and Peru, I've seen your hate comments in many other channels , what a ridiculous way of spending your time!! Get the money you need to fly back to your country and leave Lima for good if you hate it so much....
I'm an American and I actually lived in lima for 3 yrs. I needed to bring toilet paper with me when I went out. Because you not only pay to use the bathroom you also have to pay for toilet paper. That is something you forgot to say. I got robbed in plain day light. The streets were always dirty. Men urinate and poop on the streets. I dont know where in lima you went to visit. Sorry but it's the truth. It's always good to tell the truth.
I never heard someone to blame a place of UV rays , you don't have in your country ?? Why do you complain of arrival of flights ??talk to your travel agent and PAY MORE to get there the time you want . You complain about traffic , don't you have it in your country ??do you know about rush hours?? well .to avoid traffic drive non rush hour !! you don't like weather , traffic ,schedule of flights ,foreign toilets THEN STAY HOME!!!! If you just hire travel agent , tourist guides, you will NEVER know how a place really is . Let the fu&#!get car take public transportation , know people ,cultureshock ,lenguges ,folklore .Now that's TRAVEL instead of complaining
Lima have the second highest UV in the world is really important to put 🌞 screen all the time you can get horrible skin burn I am Latina and my first time I got a terrible sun burn ... So he is right you should be very careful
I think he meant it in a very nice way...he does this for every country he visits...sometimes language barriers can cause translation difficulties... Cheers! I love PERU
@David Vazquez chill dude. He's right, the traffic in lima is terribly dangerous, illegal, if the shit that was done there were to be done here in NYC, USA where I'm from. i was also surprised by charging people $$ for toilet paper in PUBLIC SPACES!
