fun things to do with kids in lima peru   Travel for Kids
Peru
   
     
   

Lima

lima central plaza
The oldest colonial city in the Americas, Lima was founded in 1535 by Francisco Pizarro, after he conquered the Inca. The city is filled in 16th century buildings and churches, but Lima also has museums with treasures from the great Moche and Inca civilizations, as well as parks to relax.
  Museo del Oro (The Gold Museum, Monterrico) – If you only have time for one museum, this is the one. Room after room of every imaginable item of gold, artifacts from the Inca, Mochica, Chimu, and Nasca peoples, plus gorgeous textiles. Your kid's eyes will glaze over with daydreams of Indiana Jones-type adventures.
      Museo de Armas del Mundo – In the same building with the Gold Museum is the "Weapons of the World" museum, a collection of arms dating back to the 1500s. And what a collection – guns, knives, daggers, battle axes, blunderbuses, swords, pistols, armor, spurs, saddles and military uniforms from Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and South America! Highlights of the collection include the sword made for Pizarro and sword of the Marquis de Lafayette.
    Convento de San Francisco – The convent is a time warp into sixteenth century colonial Lima. Beautiful both inside and out, with grand medieval style and lovely Sevillana hand-painted tiles and a magnificent library.
      But to really spook the kids – lead them down to the 400 year old catacombs below the Convent, where you'll wind your way through corridors stacked with ancient bones from the colonial period.
lima cathedral
  Catedral de Lima (Lima Metropolitan Cathedral) – Get up close and personal with history, for this is where the colonial conquistador is buried: Francisco Pizarro who, with only a few hundred soldiers, subdued the great Inca Empire. The cathedral is quite grand and dates back to 1555.
Parque Japones – A small Japanese-style park with a lovely koi fish pond, local children like to feed the enormous fish, while parents relax in the tranquility of the spot (you can buy fish food there). Located on 28 de Julio Avenue (Parque de la Exposicion).
Museum of Anthopology and Archeology (Museo Nacional de Arqueologia, Anthropologia e Historia del Peru, Plaza Bolivar)The museum has wonderful exhibits from pre-Inca and Inca cultures, including Paracas mummies and skulls with trepanning, Moche ceramics (thematically organized by food, transportation, music, etc.), a detailed model of Machu Picchu, a recreation of the frozen Inca girl from Mt. Ampato, dioramas of prehistoric scenes.
parque de las leyendas
Parque de las Leyendas (Park of the Legends) – This park is situated amidst the ruins of pre-Inca Maranga "huacas" (holy sites). The zoo is oriented towards Peruvian plants and animals. It's divided into the three principle climatic regions of Peru: coast, mountains, and jungle. This is the place to see Andean condors, llamas, vicunas, guanacos, pumas, great horned owls (mountains) jaguars, green anacondas, toucans, parrots, coatis, spider monkeys, owl monkeys, caymans, (jungle) and Galapagos tortoises (coast). If you can't get to all three zones in Peru, this is a nice way to get a taste of these areas.
      Don't miss the Mina Modelo, a replica of the interior of a mine, with mining cars piled high with minerals such as quartz, phosphates and galena.
    The park has a big picnic area, where you'll see Lima school kids playing soccer. The picnic area is next to the ruins of two huacas from 700 years ago.
    Kids will enjoy the huge playground with swings, slides, teeter totters, a maze, train to climb on and circle roundabout. There are also amusement rides for little kids, and a go-kart track, Chachikart, for bigger kids.
Miraflores
miraflores park
    El Malecon Parks, cafes, playground, coastal path that extend for miles on cliffs above the beach.
    At Parque Chino is children's playground with climbing structures, and big boat to play on.
      Parque el Faro – Watch the paragliders sailing on the wind currents coming off the cliffs above the beach.
      Parque Kennedy (also called Parque 7 de Junio, Parque Central) – In central Miraflores this pleasant park has swings, slides, and an excellent kids' playground. Around the park are cafes where you can find snacks.

Parque de la Amistad (Santiago de Surco) Looking for a park to relax, the Parque de la Amistad has miniature steam train and typical Andean train station, artificial lake, Cultural Center and lots of grass to run around.

Beaches – If you need a beach day, El Silencio, San Bartolo and Santa Maria are good family beaches. Spend the afternoon relaxing and building sand castles.
      However, if you come in summer, days can be gray and overcast in Lima.
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