This post's overview:
- 1 Why is Lima so great?
- 2 Haven’t booked your accommodation in Lima yet?
- 3 Got a few days? Here are some of the best tours in Lima:
- 4 The most Instagrammable places in Lima | Lima photography guide
- 5 Summary of the most Instragrammable places in Lima
- 6 Here are some other posts that you might find useful:
Hi folks, in this article, I’ll share with you some of the most photogenic and Instagrammable spots in Lima that we have discovered on our recent trip to Peru! Many people skip Lima in favour of other, more touristy locations such as Arequipa, Cusco or Iquitos, but in my opinion, Lima definitely deserves a day or two. There are plenty of beautiful spots in Lima and overall, the city’s atmosphere is amazing! Lima quickly rose to the top of the list of my favourite capitals in Latin America, and I hope that we can revisit it at some point.
Why is Lima so great?
Lima has a very relaxing vibe, plenty of amazing cebicherias, some of the best restaurants in the world and a lot of beautiful places. We felt very safe in Lima (it’s worth mentioning that we spent most of our time in Miraflores and Barranco, which are considered pretty safe) and found the city very clean and the people – very respectful and friendly! By the way, if you’re interested, here’s another article I wrote about Lima, which talks about our 2-day itinerary for Lima!
Haven’t booked your accommodation in Lima yet?
When visiting Lima, I recommend staying either in Miraflores or Barranco. Most Instagrammable locations are located in Barranco, but Miraflores is a more common area for tourists to explore.
Here are some amazing and photogenic hotels in Lima:
Hostels: Selina Miraflores
Medium budget: Hotel Antigua Miraflores
Luxury hotels: Miraflores Park by Belmond
Got a few days? Here are some of the best tours in Lima:
Street food and Old Taverns tour in the historic centre of Lima
Sandboarding experience in Lima
Lima bike tour around Miraflores
Without further ado, let’s get started with the most Instagrammable spots in Lima!
The most Instagrammable places in Lima | Lima photography guide
I thought it would make sense to divide Instagrammable places in Lima by areas where they are located. This way, it would be easier to mark them on your map (I don’t know if you usually do that, but I always add all the exciting places to my Google map, so I can find them easily later). Let’s start with the most photogenic area of Lima, Barranco:
Instagrammable places in Barranco:
Colonia & Co
One of the prettiest cafes in Barranco is undoubtedly Colonia & Co. You get curious by just looking at the front door – you immediately see a very welcoming and stylish cafe by the entrance. However, it gets even better when you walk in – inside, there are a couple of differently designed spaces where you can either have breakfast, lunch or brunch. You can also come in for a coffee (and a couple of alfajores) and even bring your laptop with you to work for a couple of hours.
Angel wings in front of La Posada de Angel
Another lovely Instagrammable location in Lima is located right by Colonia & Co – you just need to walk for 30 metres – and there you’ll see it. Regardless of whether La Posada de Angel is open or not, the wings are always there, so you can come there any time during the day!
The bridge of sighs (The Puente de los suspiros)
Another place in this Lima photo guide is probably the most famous place in all of Barranco – it’s the Bridge of Sighs that connects two parts of Barranco over a small gorge (that now has a street at the bottom of it). It’s a fully pedestrian bridge and it was built in 1876 and it became very popular with poets, writers and couples in the beginning of the 20th century.
Right now it’s both a practical bridge and a tourist attraction and it’s definitely worth visiting as it’s located in the heart of Barranco.
The street art of Barranco
Barranco is famous for its street art, so if you’re into street art, Barranco is a place to go. We saw fantastic street art all around the district, but the highest concentration of amazing works was right next to the Bridge of Sighs!
The street leading to the beach – Bajada de Baños & very photogenic stairs
Bajada de Baños is a lovely pedestrian street in the heart of Barranco that leads directly to the beach. There are plenty of cafes and restaurants located on this street and a lot of street art as well. That’s where we found these very photogenic stairs!
Lima beach
Lima beach is lovely! Surely, it’s not the Caribbean, but I loved how foggy it was in the morning. We took some amazing photos there! Just after we actually started walking back to our hotel, it got sunny and the beach started looking pretty tropical!
Alright, now it’s time to talk about the most Instagrammable places in Miraflores. Miraflores is located right next to Barranco, so you can easily walk there. Alternatively, you can also take an Uber or a taxi, it would take you around 5-7 minutes driving. In comparison, it would take you about 30-45 minutes to walk there (depending on where you decide to go first).
Instagrammable spots in Miraflores:
The promenade of Lima
My absolute favourite spot in Miraflores would be the upper level of the promenade near the beach, with a lot of different smaller and larger parks located all around the promenade. An excellent place to start exploring the promenade would be the Larcomar shopping mall. From there, you can walk all the way to La Mar Cevicheria Peruana (which, by the way, is one of the most popular places for ceviche in the entire Lima). The views from the cliffs are stunning, especially if you get there after 4 pm, when the light is especially beautiful! As a bonus, you can see some people paragliding there as well.
Parque del Amor
One of the best and most photogenic parks located on the promenade of Lima is Parque del Amor. It was inspired by the famous Park Guell in Barcelona and it’s absolutely gorgeous (although pretty small).
Street food market Mercado 28
Another fantastic and photogenic location in Miraflores is Mercado 28. It’s a street food market with a large variety of foods available and really pretty interiors. If you’re looking for a cute dinner spot, it’s a very good option!
Other Instagrammable places in Lima:
The main square of Lima: Plaza de Armas & Historic Centre
Of course, this article wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the most beautiful square in Lima – Plaza de Armas. Plaza de Armas is the main square, which means it’s always busy! It also has a stunning cathedral you can visit. Besides Plaza de Armas, there are plenty of beautiful buildings all around the historic city centre, so I recommend taking a Lima walking tour to explore the city centre or just wandering on your own looking for beautiful locations in the heart of Lima!
Surquillo Market N1
Our final spot in this photography guide to Lima is Mercado 1 Surquillo, located relatively close to Miraflores. We actually walked there in just 18 minutes and while it’s not the prettiest market in the world, there are so many stalls with fruits, where you can take wonderful photos. Besides that, you can try some pretty amazing fresh juices and smoothies and eat a very good seviche in Bam Bam Y Sus Conchas Negras Cevicheria right outside the market.
Summary of the most Instragrammable places in Lima
Alright, here was my selection of the most Instagrammable spots in Lima, which, I hope, you found helpful. Of course, there are way more photogenic and overall very beautiful places in Lima, however, these are the ones that we managed to visit during our 2 days in Lima! If you have any questions, feel free to DM me on Instagram at @lizatripsget – I might be able to help!
Here are some other posts that you might find useful:
2 days in Lima: the best things to do (our weekend itinerary for Lima)
3 days in Bogota, Colombia – the absolute best things to do
The most Instagrammable hotels in Tulum that you need to visit
The itinerary for 5 days in Tulum