Discover Local Lima: What to Do Around Mercure Ariosto Lima

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?

Lima in 5 picks

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.

Where to eat
Lima takes ceviche seriously enough that it's traditionally a lunch dish, not a dinner one — the fish is freshest earlier in the day. Surquillo market is where local cooks buy it; Barranco and Miraflores are where you'll find it plated. Try causa rellena and picarones too while you're at it.
Miraflores to Barranco on foot
Miraflores is polished and coastal, with parks, the malecón and modern cafés; Barranco, a walk or short taxi away, is scruffier and more artistic, with old mansions and a livelier nightlife. Doing both in one day gives you a real sense of the contrast.
Right outside your hotel
Mercure Ariosto Lima sits on Avenida La Paz in Miraflores, within walking distance of Parque Kennedy and the malecón. Surquillo market is a short walk or quick taxi away, and Barranco is easily reached from the hotel by taxi or on foot if you\u2019re up for it.
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FAQ

It borders Miraflores and is within a short walk or quick taxi ride of Mercure Ariosto Lima.

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.

Where to sleep

See Mercure hotels in Lima, all within reach of these picks.

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Where to sleep

See Mercure hotels in Lima, all within reach of these picks

View hotels