Making the most of Callao Lima
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Arriving at the port
Cruise ships dock at Cruise Portao, approximately 14 km west of Lima. Buses and taxis at the port connect to Peru’s capital. Heavy, sometimes horrible, traffic means a Lima journey can take 60 minutes and cost around $12 or more.
Taxis cost about $20 an hour; make sure the driver speaks some English.
The dockside area is known to be very dangerous. Do not pass the dock gates unless on an official tour or in an approved taxi available only from inside the gates.
Cruise Portao is Lima’s cruise-passenger centre. Callao has no tourist attractions, but Lima is colourful, historic and cosmopolitan, drawing visitors worldwide. Its UNESCO World Heritage historic centre includes colonial Spanish mansions, beautiful churches and lingering Inca ruins. Lima visitors use it to explore Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca and the remarkable Amazon jungle.
A Lima trip should include Central Lima and Plaza de Armas, where the city was founded and the Government Palace, home of the Peruvian President, stands. The guard changes at 11:45. The plaza also has the Cathedral, whose construction took 58 years and which was rebuilt after a 1700´s earthquake; religious art is inside. Five minutes away, Church and Covenant of San Fransico is a national treasure, amazing and miraculous for surviving the 1687 and 1746 earthquakes. Much has been restored...
Getting around
Taxis are either formal, painted and marked, or informal cars with a “Taxi” windshield sticker. Leave informal taxis to locals, especially without Spanish. Radio taxis are more upscale and also more expensive. All other fares are neither fixed nor metered, so negotiate with the driver before entering the vehicle.
Public transport is not a good option here.
Expect a taxi tour to cost about $10 per hour.
Nearby places
Lima is a bustling city of splendid museums, ancient ruins and beautiful Spanish architecture. Visit the main square’s gardens and fountains, then tour the Presidential Palace, city hall and cathedral.
In 1535, conquistador Francisco Pizarro called the open plains where Lima stands inhospitable. Despite this, Lima became imperial Spanish power’s centre and, after independence in 1821, Peru’s capital.
More than 6,500 Incan and Pre-Incan pieces feature in the Museo de Oro del Peru's priceless holdings of fine gold, pre-Colombian treasures and displayed weapons.
Dating from about 700 A.D., this ancient religious centre is the most important archaeological site near Lima.
In a desolate desert, immense animal, bird and geometric drawings reach 1,000 feet across. They inspired the book “Chariots of the Gods.”
Food and shopping
Miraflores’ Indian Market is a good place to buy Peruvian Indian crafts.
Money
Peru uses the nuevo sol. Credit cards are usually accepted, and ATMs are available in big cities, up-market hotels and tourist areas.
Most shops and restaurants take U.S. dollars, but change is given in Peruvian soles.
Staying connected
English is spoken in tourist centres such as Cusco and Machu Picchu and in high-class hotels. Spanish is needed for other destinations, particularly in the countryside.
Peru emergency numbers are 011 / 5114; in Lima, ring 105.
In Peru, cafés offering free customer WiFi are called cabinas públicas and grow like mushrooms.
Opening Hours and
Most companies trade 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. Stores and shopping centres are generally open 10:00 am to 8:00 pm, though some companies now operate 24 hours a day.