Best Things to Do in the Miraflores District of Lima, Peru

Are you heading to Lima, the capital city of Peru, shortly? If so, then make sure to spend at least 3-days in the city, since there’s plenty to do and see. In this blog post you can read about some of the best things to do in the Miraflores District of Lima which is one of the most visited areas of the city. You can do just about anything in this neighbourhood from learning about history, relaxing in beautiful parks, doing some water sports and other adventures.

Note that this blog post only details how to spend a day around the Miraflores District of Lima. Click here to read about the best things to do in the Barranco District or Historic Centre of Lima.

If you’d like to see what we got up to in Lima, then make sure to watch our dedicated YouTube video. For more Peru videos, check out the Peru Playlist on our YouTube channel.

Get to Know the Miraflores District of Lima

Miraflores District is located in the west of the city of Lima and is one of the 43 districts that make up the province of Lima. The district is bordered by San Isidro district to the north, Surquillo district to the east, Barranco district to the south and the Pacific Ocean to the west.

In the pre-colonial period, Miraflores was a small fishing village. After the foundation of Lima in 1535, it became a popular place for recreation. With wealthy European immigrants settling in Miraflores, the area developed into an upscale suburb of Lima. The neighbourhood was officially established as the district of Miraflores in 1857. After the War of the Pacific (1879 – 1883), Miraflores developed into a residential area. Even in the 20th century is was quite small. However, with urbanisation, the population of the neighbourhood increased and it also became an important commercial centre.

Today, the neighbourhood has a population of over 90,000 inhabitants. Miraflores is considered one of the top three most expensive districts to purchase land, homes or apartments. Therefore, it’s not a surprise that the district is mainly inhabited by upper-class families and successful professionals.

Is the Miraflores District of Lima Safe?

The Miraflores neighbourhood is definitely a safe area for tourists to visit. There are plenty of hotels, hostels, restaurants, bars and cafés, so it’s also a great place to be based. For reference we stayed in this area of Lima too, and never felt unsafe.

However, as always, you’re in a big city, so definitely stay vigilant and cautious as pickpockets and petty crimes can happen.

Best Things to Do in the Miraflores District of Lima

1. Visit Huaca Pucllana, the Pyramid of Lima

Can you believe that in the middle of an upscale area of the Miraflores district of Lima you can visit an ancient Peruvian pyramid?

The pyramid, known as Huaca Pucllana, was built by members of the Lima culture around 500 CE. The Lima culture is a Pre-Incan indigenous coastal civilization that lasted from around 100 CE to 650 CE. They were masters of irrigation which allowed them to develop big settlements in areas surrounded by desert climates. The site was an important ceremonial and administrative centre with the 22m high pyramid used for religious rituals. Discoveries show that the Lima culture was overtaken by the Wari culture who used Huaca Pucllana as a burial site.

A guide will walk you along the site and tell you all about the history of Huaca Pucllana and the different cultures. If you’ve just landed in Peru for the first time, it’s a great place to start learning more about Lima and Peru, and you’ll only expand your knowledge more as you travel across the country. Therefore, a visit to Huaca Pucllana is a must when in the Miraflores district of Lima.

Entry Fee – The entrance fee to Huaca Pucllana is 15 soles per person (~£3/$4). This includes a guided tour which lasts around 40-45 minutes. You can reserve your ticket by filling out this form. For more information, check out their official website.

Opening Hours – Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday between 9:00AM and 4:15PM. The site is closed every Tuesday and Thursday. Note: every first Sunday of the month Peruvian citizens can enter for free so the site might be busier on that day.

2. Join the Locals for a Sunday Walk Along Arequipa Avenue

If you didn’t know, many cities across Mexico and South America close one of their main highways for traffic on Sundays and open it up for the people. In Lima, a 6 km stretch of the Avenida Arequipa (Arequipa Avenue) can be used by anyone every Sunday between 07:00am and 1:00pm.

You’ll see plenty of people using the main road for walking, cycling, skating, dog walking; the list goes on. We spent many Sundays walking with locals during our trip across South America and it became one of our favourite activities.

If you’re after some more authentic experiences in Lima and your visit lands on a Sunday, then make sure to go for a walk or a jog with many other locals along Arequipa Avenue.

3. Play with Cats at Parque Kennedy

Located in the centre of the Miraflores district is Kennedy Park, which – as you may guess – is named after U.S. President John F. Kennedy. The area used to be called Parque Central (Central Park) in the 1900s and consisted only of a church and open area. In 1960 Parque Central was split into two public areas called Parque 7 de Junio (June 7th Park) and Parque Kennedy (Kennedy Park). Despite the two different park names, many still refer to the whole area as Kennedy Park.

The park’s main attraction has to be the dozens of stray cats. The cats are well-fed and looked after by a team of volunteers. People can also adopt any of the cats, which is overseen by a cat-loving association. If you’re a cat-lover a visit to Kennedy Park should be a must do thing in the Miraflores District of Lima.

Even if cats aren’t your thing, you can always just sit down and enjoy the beautiful green space, and see all the beautiful artwork presented by local artists. If you’re lucky, on certain days you can also grab something yummy from a street food vendor.

4. Walk Along the Malecón de Miraflores

The Malecón de Miraflores is a set of boardwalks in the district of Miraflores.  They run along the cliff edges with stunning views of the Costa Verde, also known as the bay of Lima. The Malecón is divided into four boardwalks: Malecón de la Marina, Malecón Cisneros, Malecón de la Reserva and Malecón 28 de Julio.

The Malecón has a walkway and cycle lane and plenty of points of interest along its length which I’ll detail further below. A walk along the Malecón is definitely one of the top things to do in the Miraflores neighbourhood of Lima.

5. Enjoy the Views from Larcomar Shopping Mall

I don’t normally list a visit to a shopping mall as a must do thing in a city unless it’s very unique. Well, visiting the iconic Larcomar Shopping Mall when you’re in the Miraflores District of Lima is definitely something you shouldn’t miss.

The shopping centre is built into the cliffs in perfect harmony with nature and overlooks the Pacific Ocean. It opened in November 1998 and today the mall is always filled with both tourists and locals. There are plenty of indoor and outdoor areas, clothing shops, eateries, a cinema and other entertainment facilities.

Although the shopping mall will feel very western, I think it’s still worth a visit. After all, how often do you visit a shopping mall that’s built into a cliff with stunning views?

6. Stroll Through El Parque Del Amor, Lima’s ‘Love Park’

Also located along the Malecón is a very popular park called El Parque del Amor. Opened on Valentine’s Day in 1993, Lima’s ‘Love Park’ was built to celebrate all forms of love. The park’s main feature is the ‘El Beso’ (The Kiss) statue by Peruvian artist Victor Delfín. Of course, the park also has plenty of flowers, stunning coastal views and curved benches decorated with colourful mosaics. Doesn’t this sound like the perfect setting for a lovely sunset walk?

Did you know? – The mosaics are inspired by Parc Güell in Barcelona which was designed by Antoni Gaudí.

7. Admire La Marina Lighthouse

Located only a short distance from Parque del Amor is Faro la Marina (La Marina Lighthouse). This active lighthouse was originally built in 1900 at Punta Coles before it was dismantled and reconstructed in Parque del Faro in Miraflores in 1973.

The 22m tall La Marina Lighthouse is definitely a must see feature along the Malecón de Miraflores. You can come here and walk around the park itself at any time of the day. Although, I think seeing the lighthouse during sunset would be absolutely amazing.

8. Rent a Bike

If you don’t fancy exploring Miraflores on foot, then why not rent a bike instead? Lima is a relatively flat city and has great cycle lanes, so it’s easy and safe to explore it by bike. There is a great public bike sharing service called CityBikeLima which offers very affordable bike renting options.

Alternatively, for an even more fun experience you can join an organized bike tour. This is an excellent way to explore the city and learn more about it.

9. See Lima from the Air: Go Paragliding

Want to see Lima from a different perspective? If so, then why not go paragliding?

You can float in the air with a professional pilot and enjoy spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean, Costa Verde and Lima itself. If you’ve always wanted to try paragliding, then I think doing it in Lima would be an unforgettable experience. After all, I don’t think many capital cities around the world offer such a great activity.

Luckily the lift-off site is in Raimondi’s Park, right next to Parque del Amor, so even if you’re not that adventurous, you can still just watch other paragliders.

10. Enjoy the Beach or Go Surfing

If you love beaches or are into water-sports then definitely head to the beach in the district of Miraflores. There are quite a few beaches you can choose from depending on what you’re after. You can just walk along the beach or go for a swim.

However, if you wish to do some surfing whilst in Lima then definitely head to Playa Waikiki. Although Playa Waikiki won’t look the same as Hawaii’s Waikiki Beach, it’s a great one for learners as it has the most ideal beginners waves. There’s also Punta Rocas which is supposed to be great for any level of surfing experience.

In case you’re an advanced surfer head to La Herradura just south of Lima’s Miraflores district. This is supposed to be one of the best point breaks in Peru.

Along the beach, there will be a ton of surf schools offering lessons and renting surf equipment.

Final Thoughts on Things to Do in the Miraflores District of Lima

As you can see, the district of Miraflores in Lima is packed with amazing things to do. Whether you’re into history, nature, water sports or other adventures, you can definitely do all of them in this neighbourhood. I think our favourite activity was hands down the walk along the Malecón. Via this walk we managed to see many of Lima’s best sights. Of course, seeing an ancient pyramid in a busy city centre was definitely memorable too.

Have you ever been to Lima before? How much of the city did you manage to explore? Let me know in the comments below.