If Miraflores is where I’d tell most first-time visitors to Lima to stay, Barranco is where I want to stay next time. Every time I visit, I leave feeling like I haven’t spent enough time here. There’s the Barranco everyone comes to see—the Bridge of Sighs, colorful streets, murals, restaurants and bars—but it’s the idea…

Miraflores is still the neighborhood I’d recommend most often for a first trip to Lima. It’s easy to navigate, packed with restaurants and cafés, close to the coast and has far more hotel options than you probably need. The harder question is which of those hotel options are actually worth paying more for. You can…

Miraflores is probably exactly what most first-time visitors to Lima need. It’s familiar, easy to navigate, and packed with hotels, restaurants, and cafés. You can walk along the Pacific, grab an Uber almost anywhere, and stay in a neighborhood accustomed to welcoming visitors. But dare I say it? Miraflores can feel a little too easy….

Most first-time visitors to Lima stay along the coast in Miraflores or Barranco, and I understand why. They’re walkable, full of restaurants and cafés, close to the Pacific, and manageable bases in a city as enormous as Lima. But if that’s the only Lima you see, you’re missing an entirely different version of the city….