It borders Miraflores and is within a short walk or quick taxi ride of Mercure Ariosto Lima.
Discover Authentic Lima: A Local Travel Guide by Mercure
At Mercure, we believe you shouldn't need a guidebook to feel like you belong somewhere. That's the idea behind Discover Local: since 1973, every Mercure hotel has been built around its neighbourhood, not just dropped into it — from the décor on the walls to the flavours on the menu. Step into any Mercure and our teams are on hand with the kind of tips you won't find in a guidebook: the market stall locals queue for, the bar where nobody speaks English, the walk that skips the crowds. They live here. They know. Discover Local isn't a generic city guide — it's a short, honest list of the restaurants, markets and neighbourhoods our own hotel teams actually recommend to guests, updated as the city changes around us. Below, you'll find our picks for Lima, an interactive map to help you find your way, and answers to the questions travellers ask us most. So — where will Discover Local take you?
Our map pins local favourites such as Central, the Malecón de Miraflores and Huaca Pucllana.
Top 5 Things to Do in Lima
Mercado de Surquillo
A working produce and seafood market bordering Miraflores, where you can watch ceviche made from fish that arrived that morning. Come hungry and go early.
Parque Kennedy
Miraflores' central plaza, known for its resident stray cats and its evening buzz of street food carts and live music. A good spot to get your bearings.
Malecón de Miraflores
The clifftop path running along the Pacific — paragliders overhead, surfers below, and one of the easiest ways to spend an hour in Lima without a plan.
Barranco
A short ride from Miraflores, this bohemian district is all colourful mansions, street art and small restaurants serving causa rellena and picarones.
Barrio Chino (Calle Capón)
In the Centro Histórico, this is Lima's Chinatown and the place to try chifa — Peru's Cantonese-Peruvian cuisine, distinct from anywhere else in the city.
Explore Lima's Best Local Spots with Our Interactive Map
What's on the map in Lima
We've mapped local spots across Lima, from world-famous kitchens to pre-Inca pyramids. Hungry?
Food
Central
Named The World's Best Restaurant in 2023, Virgilio Martínez and Pía León's Central serves tasting menus that travel through Peru's coast, Andes and rainforest, with sustainability at heart.
Barranco · Fine dining · Made for a once-in-a-lifetime meal
Mercado No. 2 de Surquillo
A lively market packed with fruit, vegetables and seafood. Try ceviche, anticuchos and juane, discover ají peppers and chirimoya, and wash it down with chicha morada.
Surquillo · Food market · Perfect for Peruvian flavours
Maido
Chef Mitsuharu Tsumura's Nikkei restaurant, where Peruvian dishes meet Japanese technique – ranked number one on the World's 50 Best Restaurants list in 2025.
Miraflores · Fine dining · Ideal for a special dinner
El Infusionista
A pharmacy-themed cocktail bar with DJs – and drinks served in transfusion bags. Doctor's orders.
Barranco · Bar · Great for a night out
Primos Chicken Bar
A local favourite for pollo a la brasa, anticuchos and lomo saltado.
Miraflores · Restaurant · Perfect for comfort food
La Lucha Sanguchería Criolla
Sandwiches of roast chicken, beef or sweet potato with salsa criolla, plus a glass of chicha morada.
Miraflores · Sandwich bar · Ideal for a quick bite
Coast, history & art
Malecón de Miraflores
A 6 km clifftop promenade linking Parque del Amor and its 'El Beso' sculpture, the lighthouse and Parque Chino, with paragliders over the Pacific and Larcomar's shops below. Walk it at sunset.
Miraflores · Coastal promenade · Made for sunsets
Huaca Pucllana
Built around 500 CE by the Lima culture, a 25-metre adobe pyramid rising among Miraflores' buildings. Guided tours and a museum reveal its ceremonial role.
Miraflores · Pre-Inca site · Perfect for history
Museo Pedro de Osma
In a 1906 French-style mansion in Barranco, colonial art: Cusco School paintings, Huamanga stone carvings and silverwork.
Barranco · Art museum · Great for colonial art
Puente de los Suspiros
Built in 1876, Barranco's wooden Bridge of Sighs is a romantic sunset spot. Hold your breath as you cross and, legend says, your wish comes true.
Barranco · Landmark · Ideal for an evening stroll
Parque Kennedy
Miraflores' lively central park – and home to a colony of friendly cats.
Miraflores · Park · Perfect for people-watching
Catedral de Lima
Founded in 1535 by Francisco Pizarro on the Plaza Mayor, blending Renaissance, Gothic and Baroque.
Centro · Cathedral · Ideal for history
Plaza Mayor
Where Lima was founded in 1535, framed by the cathedral and the Archbishop's Palace.
Centro · Historic square · Great for a walk
Museo de Arte de Lima (MALI)
Three thousand years of Peruvian art in the 19th-century Palacio de la Exposición.
Centro · Art museum · Made for art lovers
Museo Nacional del Perú (MUNA)
Opened in 2021 near Pachacámac, with more than 500,000 artefacts from early societies to the Inca Empire.
Lurín · Museum · Perfect for history
Parque del Amor
A clifftop park over the Pacific, with mosaics and Víctor Delfín's sculpture 'El Beso'.
Miraflores · Park · Ideal for sunset
Mercado Artesanal
Crowded stalls of alpaca wool ponchos, carved wood and traditional instruments. Bargain gently.
Miraflores · Craft market · Great for souvenirs
Playa Makaha
A Miraflores beach with surf schools and beginner-friendly waves. Catch your first one.
Miraflores · Surf beach · Perfect for learning to surf
MAC Lima
The museum of contemporary art, showing modern Latin American art in all its forms.
Barranco · Art museum · Made for contemporary art
Parapuerto de Miraflores
Ten-minute tandem paragliding flights over the Miraflores cliffs. Ready to fly?
Miraflores · Paragliding · Great for thrill-seekers
FAQ
It\u2019s a short taxi ride or a longer walk along the coast — close enough to visit as an extension of a Miraflores day.
Tradition holds that the fish is at its freshest earlier in the day, so many Limeños eat ceviche for lunch rather than dinner.
Central, by chefs Virgilio Martínez and Pía León, was named The World's Best Restaurant in 2023.
A 25-metre adobe pyramid built around 500 CE by the Lima culture, in the heart of Miraflores.
At Mercado No. 2 de Surquillo, where stalls serve ceviche made with fresh fish.
Where to Sleep in Lima
See Mercure hotels in Lima, all within reach of these picks.