⚓ Cruise Port

Lima

Currency

Peruvian sol (PEN); ATMs are plentiful in Miraflores. US dollars accepted at many tourist-facing businesses but sols give a better rate.

Language

Spanish; English is spoken at hotels, top restaurants, and tourist sites in Miraflores.

Time in Port

Ships typically dock around 7am and depart by 6pm — allowing a full day in the city if you pre-book transport.

Pier Location

Callao Cruise Terminal is in the working port of Callao, about 45 minutes by bus or taxi from Miraflores and 60 minutes from the historic centre (Plaza Mayor).

Best For

Pre-Columbian history, world-class ceviche, coastal cliffside walks, and archaeological museums

About Lima

Ships call at the port of Callao, a working industrial harbour roughly 45 minutes west of Lima's historic centre — but the distance is well worth it. Lima is one of South America's great capitals, home to a UNESCO-listed colonial old town, world-class pre-Columbian museums, and a coastal dining scene that has turned ceviche into an art form. The cliffside suburb of Miraflores, perched above the Pacific, is the easiest stop for first-timers and offers oceanfront parks, boutique shopping, and the best concentration of restaurants on the continent.

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Insider Tip

Traffic in Lima is brutal — plan 90 minutes each way between Callao and the historic centre. Miraflores is closer (45 min) and has the Larco Museum, the Malecón, and excellent ceviche restaurants; it's the smarter choice for a single port day.

Highlights

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Larco Museum (Museo Larco)
A stunning private collection of 45,000 pre-Columbian artefacts set in an 18th-century vice-regal mansion in Pueblo Libre — its erotic ceramics gallery alone is famous worldwide. About 40 minutes from Callao.

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Historic Centre & Plaza Mayor
Lima's UNESCO-listed colonial core features the ornate baroque cathedral, the Governor's Palace, and elaborate wooden balconies lining narrow streets — the finest Spanish colonial architecture in the Americas.

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Miraflores Malecón
Cliff-top promenades above the Pacific with paragliders launching overhead, the Larcomar shopping centre built into the cliff face, and direct steps down to Playa Makaha for a swim.

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Huaca Pucllana
An immense 1,500-year-old adobe pyramid sitting improbably in the middle of the Miraflores district — lit at night, with an excellent on-site restaurant for lunch surrounded by llamas and guinea pigs.

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Ballestas Islands day trip
Known as the "Poor Man's Galápagos," these rocky islets off Paracas (3.5 hours south) are packed with Humboldt penguins, sea lions, and Inca terns — feasible only on overnight itineraries.

Local Food & Drink

Ceviche — raw sea bass cured in lime juice (leche de tigre) with ají amarillo chilli, red onion, and choclo corn; order it at noon when the fish is freshest.
Lomo saltado — a stir-fried beef and fries dish that perfectly captures Lima's Chinese-Peruvian chifa fusion tradition.
Causa limeña — a chilled layered terrine of yellow-potato purée seasoned with lime and ají, stuffed with tuna or avocado.
Pisco sour — Peru's national cocktail of grape brandy, lime, egg white, and Angostura bitters; taste the original at a Miraflores bar.

Shore Excursion Ideas

1 Miraflores & Larco Museum half-day — colonial Lima highlights plus the world's finest pre-Columbian collection.

2 Barranco art-district walk — Lima's bohemian neighbourhood of painted murals, the Bridge of Sighs, and craft cocktail bars.

3 Lima food tour — a guided walk through Surquillo market and three or four restaurants sampling ceviche, anticuchos, and pisco.

4 Pachacamac ruins — a vast adobe oracle-city dating to 200 AD, set in desert cliffs south of the city, about 1.5 hours from Callao.

5 Paragliding from the Miraflores cliffs — a 15-minute tandem flight over the Pacific with certified pilots, bookable on the spot.

Sailings to Lima

Upcoming Royal Caribbean & Celebrity cruises that visit Lima

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Royal Caribbean

Greek Isles & Cyprus Cruise

Brilliance of the Seas · 7 nights

Athens (Piraeus) · July 13, 2026

Galapagos Inner Loop & Machu Picchu

Celebrity Flora · 7 nights

Baltra Island · July 19, 2026

From $25,407/pp

Galapagos Outer Loop & Machu Picchu

Celebrity Flora · 7 nights

Baltra Island · July 26, 2026

From $17,569/pp

Galapagos Outer Loop & Machu Picchu

Celebrity Flora · 7 nights

Baltra Island · August 9, 2026

From $19,291/pp

Galapagos Inner Loop & Machu Picchu

Celebrity Flora · 7 nights

Baltra Island · August 16, 2026

From $21,494/pp

Galapagos Inner Loop & Machu Picchu

Celebrity Flora · 7 nights

Baltra Island · August 30, 2026

From $17,089/pp

Galapagos Outer Loop & Machu Picchu

Celebrity Flora · 7 nights

Baltra Island · September 6, 2026

From $18,512/pp

Galapagos Outer Loop & Machu Picchu

Celebrity Flora · 7 nights

Baltra Island · September 20, 2026

From $18,053/pp

Galapagos Inner Loop & Machu Picchu

Celebrity Flora · 7 nights

Baltra Island · September 27, 2026

From $20,340/pp

Galapagos Outer Loop & Machu Picchu

Celebrity Flora · 7 nights

Baltra Island · October 4, 2026

From $17,049/pp

Royal Caribbean

Greek Isles & Cyprus Cruise

Brilliance of the Seas · 7 nights

Athens (Piraeus) · October 5, 2026

Galapagos Inner Loop & Machu Picchu

Celebrity Flora · 7 nights

Baltra Island · October 11, 2026

From $19,131/pp

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Ships That Visit Lima

Royal Caribbean and Celebrity ships with sailings to Lima in our database

Royal Caribbean

Brilliance of the Seas

Celebrity Flora

Royal Caribbean

Rhapsody of the Seas

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