Chiclayo city tour: Witch Market and colonial landmarks

Three stops through Chiclayo's colonial heart and its most curious market

A guided tour of Chiclayo visits the Paseo de las Musas urban park, the Cathedral and Municipal Palace in the city center, and the Mercado Modelo, known as the Witch Market, where shamanic products and traditional remedies fill the stalls. The tour includes hotel pickup, a professional guide in English or Spanish, and all fees. It runs three hours.

Step-by-step itinerary

Chiclayo city tour and witch market

• Pick up from hotel in Chiclayo
• Visit Paseo de las Musas park
• Explore main park and see Cathedral
• Visit Municipal Palace exhibitions
• Tour Mercado Modelo witch market
• Drop off at hotel

The experience

The tour starts with pickup from your Chiclayo hotel and heads to the Paseo de las Musas, an urban park built around nine sculptures of Greek muses carved by local sculptor Miguel Ángel Díaz Dávila. The park's squares and gardens give a sense of how the city uses its public spaces, and it's a common stop for families moving through the center.

From there the route moves to the main park and the Cathedral of Chiclayo, also called Santa Maria Cathedral. Construction began in 1869 and took until 1939 to finish, partly because of funding gaps. The design came from Gustave Eiffel and follows a neoclassical style. You'll also see the Municipal Palace, a Republican-era building that now hosts exhibitions by local photographers in its rooms. The guide explains that Chiclayo itself was founded in 1720 as a rest stop for merchants traveling during the colonial period, which shapes how the city's landmarks are arranged.

The tour ends at the Mercado Modelo, the Witch Market, where stalls sell products tied to shamanism: potions, remedies, and items used in traditional healing practices that remain central to mountain and jungle communities in Peru. It's a working market, not a museum, so the goods and vendors change. After this stop, you return to your hotel.

What’s included

• Private transportation from your hotel.
• professional guide in English or Spanish.
• all entry fees and taxes.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 09:00 and 14:00

Book up to2d before

AgesAdult (11 and older) · Child (2 to 10 years) · Infant (under 2): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and Spanish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 37 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effortPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Tangol

Is this one for you?If you speak English or Spanish comfortably, this tour works for you. The guide delivers commentary in whichever language you choose, so you follow the history and context at each stop without translation delays.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Spanish.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (2 to 10 years); Infant (under 2): free.

What is the Witch Market actually like when I get there?

The Mercado Modelo is a functioning market where vendors sell products related to shamanic and traditional healing practices, including potions and remedies used in Peruvian mountain and jungle communities. It's a real marketplace, not a tourist display, so what's available shifts with demand and season.

How long does the whole tour take?

The tour runs three hours from pickup at your hotel to drop-off, including all three stops and travel time between them.

What is the Cathedral of Chiclayo notable for?

The Cathedral of Chiclayo was designed by Gustave Eiffel and built in a neoclassical style, though construction took seventy years, from 1869 to 1939, due to funding constraints. It's one of the city's most recognizable landmarks.

Is hotel pickup included, or do I need to get to a meeting point?

Hotel pickup is included in the tour price. The guide will collect you from your Chiclayo hotel at the start and return you there at the end.