City of surprises: Why Lima rewards visitors who linger for longer

I take a deep breath before stepping on to the Bridge of Sighs in Lima’s bohemian quarter of Barranco. As tradition goes, if I hold it until I reach the other side, my wish will be granted. It’s a short distance, but a feat that feels amusingly high stakes – and a fitting ritual in a city that is richly storied and wonderfully quirky.

Typically, it’s the city’s celebrated culinary scene that often captures visitors’ attention. “There are as many restaurants in Lima as there are books in a library,” says our Abercrombie & Kent guide, Rodrigo Zanabria. Indeed, the prospect of snagging a coveted seat at one of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants – four of which call the city home – is difficult to resist. Yet it quickly becomes clear that there’s far more to persuade clients to extend their stay in Peru’s eclectic capital.

Lima is a city of contrasts. Honking traffic and high-rise buildings surround ancient ruins – quite literally in the case of Huaca Pucllana, a pre-Inca pyramid marooned within a traffic circle. World-famous restaurants rub shoulders with hole-in-the-wall eateries serving pan con chicharrón (fried pork sandwiches), washed down with bottles of neon-yellow Inca Kola. Visitors drift between neighbourhoods splashed with street art and Unesco-listed districts lined with historic colonial-era architecture. 

One thing’s for sure: those who take the time to explore Lima will be delightfully surprised.