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Peru, with the right pointers

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The guide to Peru made from Switzerland

Plan your trip to Peru with the right pointers

From Lima to the Amazon, discover the itineraries, neighbourhoods, dishes and budget pointers to build your trip to Peru.

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Discover Lima · Destinations · The map · Prices in Peru · Search

The citadel of Machu Picchu, its terraces and ruins, in front of Huayna Picchu peak and mountains in the mist
Illustration: Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu

Peru begins where your habits change

Breakfast at the market. A road between the dunes and the ocean. A conversation that leads you to a guide you would never have found on your own. Peru reveals itself in its great landscapes, but also in all the details that make a trip simpler and more alive.

SwissLima is a free guide, born in Switzerland. It helps you choose your stops, understand the country’s customs and prepare each day. And when you want to take the next step, write to us: we have local contacts (guides, drivers, lodges, excursions) and quotes to compare, which we share case by case.

Where to start?

  1. It’s my first trip to Peru Season, length, altitude, bookings and budget, then a two-week itinerary.
  2. I’m passing through Lima Neighbourhoods, museums, markets, arriving at the airport: make the capital a real stop.
  3. I’m coming for the food The dishes to try, the regional cuisines, the good places to eat and the recipes.
  4. I’m coming back to Peru The north, Chachapoyas, the Tarapoto Amazon or a month of travelling: get off the classic route.

Destinations

Which Peru would you like to discover?

All destinations

The guide’s map

Nine areas to explore

Each point on the map opens the page about that place. Start with an area, or open the full map to filter by interest.

Open the full map Every town from A to Z
Bronze fountain in the centre of a large square, the cathedral on the left and a yellow palace with carved wooden balconies, under palm trees

Lima

Lima deserves better than a night in transit

People often arrive in Lima with the Andes on their mind. Yet the capital can become one of the liveliest stops of the trip: a morning in front of unfamiliar fruit, a museum that puts Peru’s history in perspective, a lunch that stretches on, the ocean at the end of a walk.

Discover Lima Lima in 1, 2, 3 or 5 days

Itineraries

An itinerary for every trip

From three days in Lima to a month across the whole country: each route details the nights, the journeys and what it leaves out.

Filter all itineraries
Three hikers with backpacks on a path overlooking Machu Picchu, llamas grazing on the terraces
15 days, 14 nights

A first trip to Peru in 15 days

A fifteen-day first trip: Lima, Paracas and Huacachina, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and Cusco, with the nights, the journeys and two variants.

Lima · South coast · Cusco

Experiences

Experience Peru differently

Walking in front of glaciers, surfing one of the longest lefts in the world, understanding a civilisation before Machu Picchu, spending a morning at the market: choose the experience that suits you.

All experiences
  • Hikers on a path above a turquoise lake, at the foot of snow-capped peaks and glaciers

    Hiking

    Inca Trail, Salkantay, Choquequirao, Santa Cruz, Laguna 69: twelve treks compared by length, altitude, nights and access rules.

  • Two surfers in wetsuits, boards under their arms, walk towards regular waves, desert hills in the background

    Surfing

    Huanchaco, Chicama, Pacasmayo, Lobitos, Máncora and Punta Hermosa: which spot for your level and the season, and how to organise the trip.

  • Three stirrup-spout vessels painted red and cream, one shaped like a human head, in a museum display case

    Heritage

    From Caral to the Incas: Peru’s great cultures, their techniques, a site and a museum for each one, and three routes for discovering them.

  • Aisle of a covered market: potatoes, yellow and red chillies, limes, papayas and bananas on the stalls, a stallholder in the foreground

    Markets

    Neighbourhood markets, craft markets or fairs: the markets not to miss in Lima, Cusco, Pisac, Arequipa and Iquitos, and what to taste there.

Eating and cooking

Peru also tells its story at the table

The crunch of a pan con chicharrón, a glass of chicha morada, a creamy ají de gallina, a juane unwrapped from its leaf: each region has its own ways of welcoming you. Discover the dishes to order, where to eat them and how to make them at home.

A taste of Peru The 26 recipes Where to eat cuy?
Wooden table with a ceviche, a causa, a lomo saltado with chips and rice, and two glasses of chicha morada

Understand before you book

Practical advice before you book

A beautiful photo and a “book” button do not tell you everything about an excursion. Who goes with you? How long do you spend on the road? Are the entry fees included? Ask these questions before paying.

Book in advance whatever has quotas or fixed dates: Machu Picchu, the Inca Trail, trains and domestic flights. The rest can easily be decided on the spot.

Verified pointers

Three things to know before you go

  1. Machu Picchu is visited by circuit

    The Ministry of Culture organises the visit into three circuits grouping ten visiting routes. The ticket fixes the circuit and the entry time: choose them when you buy it.

    Choose your circuit

  2. Cusco is at altitude

    The city is at about 3,400 m. Most travellers get used to it within a few days: plan two quiet days, without too much alcohol, before the big outings.

    Prepare for the altitude

  3. In restaurants, the price shown is final

    The menu must show prices including tax (IGV); only an announced service surcharge can be added. Check whether it is already included before comparing two places.

    Reading a bill

Prices in Peru

How much do things cost in Peru?

A metro ride, a dish, a museum ticket, a transfer: a few prices recorded in Lima and Cusco, with their unit and their date. Prices online are for guidance only: a private transfer to Vinicunca (Rainbow Mountain, the mountain of 7 colours) is listed there at S/ 650, while our partner in Cusco offers the round trip for 70 soles per person, breakfast and lunch included. Write to us before you book.

Prices shown online are for guidance only. Our partners on the ground charge far less (Vinicunca: S/ 650 online, 70 soles per person with our partner, meals included): write to us before you book.

Dollars at the rate of 30 September 2026 (1 USD = 3.437 PEN). All prices in Peru.

See all prices

Contact us

Planning a trip to Peru? Write to us

Your dates, what you would like to do, your budget and what you would rather avoid tell us more than a long list of destinations. We have local contacts in every field, shared case by case.

You don’t need to become an expert on Peru before you leave. A few good pointers, some time and the right people can already change your trip.

  1. You write to us Dates, travellers, stops you have in mind, rough budget and constraints. A few lines are enough.
  2. We reply personally Advice on your route, a reading of a quote, and the local contact who matches your request.
  3. You decide freely Nothing is booked or paid for on this site.
Talk about my trip How it works

Our story and our method

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to book everything from Switzerland?

No. Book in advance whatever has quotas or fixed dates (Machu Picchu, trains, domestic flights), and keep some flexibility for the rest.

Is it cheaper with your local contacts?

Often, yes. Prices online are for guidance only and our partners on the ground charge far less (see the Vinicunca example). The right price depends on the service, the group, the language and what is included. Write to us with your dates and we will reply case by case.

Can I travel without going through you?

Yes. The guides are there for you to build your trip yourself. And if you want local contacts, a quote or an opinion, write to us. There is no obligation.

Have the places in the guide been tried?

Not all of them, and each page says so. The others are based on the place’s public information (menu, website, press), dated on the page.

Is Lima worth several days?

Yes, if you enjoy food, history, cities and markets. Organise your stay by neighbourhood to make the most of the visits and limit the crossings.

All frequently asked questions · All pages

Sources and dates

Values cited

Prices, opening hours and rules change: every piece of information cited links to its source, with the date it was consulted.

Figures and rules cited

  • three circuits grouping ten visiting routes: Organisation of visits: number of circuits and visiting routes (Llaqta de Machu Picchu) (All visitors) . Four routes are only offered in high season (1-C, 1-D, 3-C, 3-D).
    Site management: Ministry of Culture, Machupicchu: circuits and visiting routes (new tab) , published on 1 June 2024 · consulted on 1 October 2026
  • about 3,400 m: Altitude of Cusco (centre) (Cusco) . Wikidata gives 3,399 m, the CDC about 3,350 m: the city spreads over several tens of metres of height.
    Press or reseller: Wikidata, Cuzco (Q5582862), altitude (new tab) · consulted on 1 October 2026

How we choose and date our information: our method. Has something changed? Let us know.

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