Best neighborhoods in Lima

6 areas in Lima, Peru — what each one feels like, who it suits, and roughly what it costs.

Pueblo Libre ($) — Quiet plazas, museums, pisco Best for Value + museums. The Larco Museum, at half the price of Miraflores. Genuinely residential and low-key central. Getting around: Buses + taxis
Surco ($$) — Leafy residential, malls Best for Families. Space and supermarkets, but you will taxi to the sights. Where middle-class Lima actually lives. Getting around: Line 1 metro + taxis
Miraflores ($$) — Clifftop parks, paragliders Best for First-timers. Cliffs over the Pacific, parks, and safe evening walks. The default choice — safe, walkable, tourist-priced. Getting around: Metropolitano + walkable
Barranco ($$) — Bohemian, murals, old mansions Best for Nightlife + art. The Bridge of Sighs, cliffside bars, and the best street art. Lima's creative quarter; smaller and softer than Miraflores. Getting around: Metropolitano + walkable
San Isidro ($$) — Financial district, olive grove Best for Business + quiet. The Bosque El Olivar and the city's calmest good restaurants. Corporate and residential; expensive and very quiet. Getting around: Metropolitano + taxis
Centro Histórico ($) — Colonial balconies, grand plazas Best for History. Plaza Mayor, the catacombs and the cathedral, all walkable. Beautiful and busy by day; thin after dark. Getting around: Metropolitano + walkable