In short
If you are going on to the north or to Cusco, start with the Museo Larco (Pueblo Libre), which explains the ancient cultures through objects. For the history of Peruvian art in one place, the MALI. In Barranco, the Pedro de Osma (viceregal art) and the MAC (contemporary art) can be seen on the same day: allow about 2.6 km, a 35 to 40-minute walk on foot between the two, or a short taxi ride. Huaca Pucllana shows an earthen pyramid in the heart of Miraflores; the Circuito Mágico del Agua is an evening outing, not a museum.
Three types of visit
The six places in this section are not visited in the same way:
- The museums (Larco, MALI, Pedro de Osma, MAC) present collections in galleries: you go there to look at objects and works of art, at your own pace.
- The archaeological site (Huaca Pucllana) is visited with a guide, in the open air, on an earthen monument: you come to understand a place, more than objects.
- The outing (Circuito Mágico del Agua) is a park of illuminated fountains, in the evening: a time to relax, often as a family.
Comparing at a glance
| Place | Neighbourhood | What you see there | Periods | Suggested length | Entry (foreign adult) | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Museo Larco | Pueblo Libre | Ceramics, textiles, gold and silverwork; open storerooms | Pre-Columbian | 1 hr 30 min to 2 hr | S/ 50 | Open every day |
| MALI | Parque de la Exposición, centre | Three thousand years of Peruvian art, temporary exhibitions | Pre-Columbian to 20th century | 1 hr 30 min | S/ 40 | Monday |
| Museo Pedro de Osma | Barranco | Religious painting, sculpture and silverware | 16th–19th century | 1 hr 15 min | S/ 35 | Monday |
| MAC Lima | Barranco | Peruvian and Latin American art since 1950, exhibitions | 20th–21st century | 1 hr | S/ 20 | Monday |
| Huaca Pucllana | Miraflores | A mud-brick pyramid, a room of objects, a garden | Around 450–1000 | 1 hr to 1 hr 30 min | S/ 15 | Tuesday |
| Circuito Mágico del Agua | Parque de la Reserva | Fountains, evening shows | Park from 1929, fountains from 2007 | 1 hr 30 min in the evening | S/ 7 | Open every day |
The prices shown are those for a foreign adult; those for residents, students, children and seniors are detailed on each listing. The lengths are SwissLima’s suggestions, not times imposed by the places.
Choosing according to the rest of your trip
You are going to the north (Trujillo, Chiclayo). The Museo Larco is a must: its collection comes largely from the north coast, and you will see Moche and Chimú objects there before visiting the huacas and Chan Chan, where the objects left the tombs long ago.
You are going to Cusco. The Larco gives the pre-Columbian framework; the Pedro de Osma shows the Cusco School painting you will find again in the city’s churches. The two, one day each, make good preparation.
You are not leaving Lima or are only staying a short time. The MALI tells, in a single place, the story of Peruvian art from the pre-Columbian era to the 20th century. Combined with the nearby historic centre, it makes a full day.
You like today’s art. The MAC, then a walk in Barranco.
You are travelling with children. Huaca Pucllana (open air, interactive room), the Circuito Mágico del Agua in the evening, and the Larco’s storerooms, where the shelves laden with animal-shaped ceramics lend themselves to an observation game.
Permanent collections and temporary exhibitions
A collection is the works a museum owns; an exhibition is what is shown for a period. The MALI owns more than 21,000 works but displays about 1,200; the MAC mainly shows exhibitions that change several times a year. Before making the trip for a specific work, check that it is on display on your date: the Larco’s online catalogue, for example, indicates whether a piece is in the permanent exhibition.
Half a day per museum
The museums are far apart, and the traffic lengthens every journey. One main visit per half-day, then a meal or a walk in the same neighbourhood, leaves you with the attention to look. Two exceptions: the MAC and the Pedro de Osma, neighbours in Barranco, and Huaca Pucllana, within walking distance of the centre of Miraflores.
Accessibility
The MALI announces ramps, lifts, wheelchairs and adapted toilets. The Museo Larco publishes an accessibility page and a page for visitors with special needs. Huaca Pucllana has climbs and steps on part of the route; ask at reception what is possible. For the other places, check with reception before you come.
Beyond these six places
Lima has other interesting museums and sites, presented in the neighbourhood pages: the Lugar de la Memoria in Miraflores, devoted to the period of political violence from the 1980s to 2000; the Casa de la Literatura Peruana, in the former Desamparados railway station in the centre; the National Museum of Archaeology, Anthropology and History in Pueblo Libre; the great sanctuary of Pachacámac, south of the city.
Sources and dates
6 sources
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
- about 2.6 km, a 35 to 40-minute walk: Walking distance and time, MAC Lima (av. Grau 1511)–Museo Pedro de Osma (av. Pedro de Osma 421) (Barranco) . Automatic calculation (2.59 km, 35 minutes at the calculator’s pace), not a timed walk; about 2 km as the crow flies. The earlier figure of 800 m was wrong.
Press or reseller: Walking route calculated on OpenStreetMap (FOSSGIS routing server, pedestrian profile), between the two geocoded entrances (new tab) · consulted on 7 October 2026 - S/ 50 per admission: Museo Larco: general admission at the ticket office (Museo Larco (Pueblo Libre), Lima) (General admission (at the ticket office: S/ 35 for over-60s, S/ 25 for students and ages 9–17, S/ 1 for ages 3 to 8, proof required)) . The museum’s prices change from time to time.
Price recorded: Museo Larco, “Planea tu visita” (prices at the ticket office and online) (new tab) · consulted on 7 October 2026 - S/ 40 per admission: MALI: general admission, non-resident foreigner (Museo de Arte de Lima (MALI), Lima) (Non-resident foreigner)
Price recorded: MALI, visits (new tab) · consulted on 2 October 2026 - S/ 35 per admission: Museo Pedro de Osma: admission, foreign visitor (Museo Pedro de Osma (Barranco), Lima) (Foreign adult (student S/ 20, retiree S/ 30, with proof; free up to age 10)) . Price published by the museum on its visit-planning page; the museum also publishes a list of exceptional closing days.
Price recorded: Museo Pedro de Osma, “Planea tu visita” (new tab) · consulted on 7 October 2026 - S/ 20 per admission: MAC Lima: general admission, non-resident visitor (Museo de Arte Contemporáneo (MAC Lima, Barranco), Lima) (Non-resident (S/ 12 for students, children aged 5 to 12 and seniors; S/ 12 at the general resident rate))
Price recorded: MAC Lima, buying tickets (new tab) · consulted on 2 October 2026 - S/ 15 per admission: Huaca Pucllana: daytime visit (Museo de sitio Huaca Pucllana (Miraflores), Lima) (Published general rate)
Price recorded: Visita Miraflores (municipality), Museo de sitio Pucllana (new tab) · consulted on 2 October 2026 - S/ 7 per admission: Circuito Mágico del Agua: general admission (Circuito Mágico del Agua (Parque de la Reserva), Lima) (General rate (free under 5 on showing an identity document; 50% for over-65s and people with disabilities))
Price recorded: Circuito Mágico del Agua, official website (new tab) · consulted on 2 October 2026
Sources consulted
- Museo Larco, opening hours and admission (new tab) (consulted on 2 October 2026)
- MALI, visits and collection (new tab) (consulted on 2 October 2026)
- MAC Lima, tickets (new tab) (consulted on 2 October 2026)
- Y tú qué planes? (PROMPERÚ), Museo Pedro de Osma (new tab) (consulted on 2 October 2026)
- Visita Miraflores, Museo de sitio Pucllana (new tab) (consulted on 2 October 2026)
- Circuito Mágico del Agua, official website (new tab) (consulted on 2 October 2026)
How we choose and date our information: our method. Has something changed? Let us know.
