Lima food tour: Taste 12 snacks and visit monuments

A single tour splits between the markets where Limeños actually eat and the colonial monuments that shaped the city.

A 4.5-hour walking tour of Lima combines snack tasting at local markets and neighborhoods with visits to the Main Square, Presidential Palace, Cathedral and the Catacombs of San Francisco Church, led by a certified guide in English or Spanish. The route includes 12 included snacks (ceviche, anticuchos, papa rellena, picarones and others) sampled as you move through Barrios Altos, Chinatown and the Central Market. The tour ends with free time at Plaza San Martín. A Pisco Sour at Lima's most famous bar is optional and separate. All travelers must carry a valid passport or official Peru entry document; infants sit on an adult's lap; the route involves stairs and narrow passages in the catacombs, so it is not suitable for wheelchairs or strollers.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time at each

1. Lima Chinatown30m · entry included
2. Main Square30m
3. San Martin Square30m

Explore Lima's culture and cuisine

• Pass by Barrios Altos, try ceviche and chicha morada
• Explore Lima Chinatown, taste siu maes
• Visit Central Market, try anticuchos, picarones, and jugo de lucuma
• Try pan con chicharron and emoliente at Chinitos Restaurant
• Begin tour at La Muralla Park, learn history
• Visit Lima Main Square, see Presidential Palace and Cathedral
• Explore Church, Convent and Catacombs of San Francisco, try churros
• Try papa rellena and choclo con queso on Avenida Abancay
• Relax at Plaza San Martín
• Optional: Visit famous bar for Pisco Sour and exotic fruits

The experience

What makes this tour work is the split: the first half moves through the neighborhoods where Lima's food actually lives. You navigate the Central Market with a local expert, stopping to taste ceviche and chicha morada in Barrios Altos, then move into Chinatown to try siu maes and understand how Chinese immigration shaped Peruvian cooking. By the time you reach the market stalls on Avenida Abancay, you've tasted anticuchos, picarones, papa rellena and choclo con queso, not as samples on a plate, but as food people buy and eat every day.

The second half shifts to the monuments that define Lima's center. You stand in the Main Square facing the Presidential Palace and Cathedral, then descend into the Catacombs of San Francisco Church: the tunnels beneath the colonial convent where religious communities lived 200 to 300 years ago. Before moving through those passages, you try churros. The route ends at Plaza San Martín with time to sit, and if you want the Pisco Sour that Lima is known for, the guide can direct you to the most famous bar in the city, though that drink and its cost are yours to decide.

The guide speaks English or Spanish and carries the entrance fee to the catacombs. Bring your passport or the official document you used to enter Peru. A driver's license won't work. The tour involves walking and stairs, and the catacombs have narrow sections, so it's not built for wheelchairs or strollers. Infants travel on an adult's lap. Everyone signs a safety form before starting.

What’s included

• Twelve included snacks (ceviche, chicha morada, siu maes, anticuchos, jugo de lucuma, picarones, papa rellena, choclo con queso, pan con chicharron, emoliente, churros and mim pao).
• entrance fee to the Catacombs of San Francisco Church.
• certified tour guide in English or Spanish.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 13:20

AgesAdult (13 to 59 years) · Child (4 to 12 years) · Infant (under 4): free

GroupUp to 15

Live guideEnglish and Spanish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.

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

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Easy physical levelPets welcomePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Lima Experience

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you're traveling in a small group and want to eat the way Limeños do (moving through actual markets and neighborhoods instead of a restaurant), while still seeing the colonial monuments that anchor the city's center. The split between food and history means you're not choosing between one or the other.

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English and Spanish.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (4 to 12 years); Infant (under 4): free.

What are the 12 snacks included on this Lima food tour?

The tour includes ceviche, chicha morada, siu maes, anticuchos, jugo de lucuma, picarones, papa rellena, choclo con queso, pan con chicharron, emoliente, churros and mim pao: tasted at different stops across the markets and neighborhoods.

Do I need a passport to book this tour in Lima?

You don't need a passport to book, but you must carry one on the day of the tour. All travelers must bring a valid passport, a clear photo of it, or the official entry document used to enter Peru. Driver's licenses are not accepted. Travelers without valid documents must pay an additional 18% VAT.

What happens inside the Catacombs of San Francisco Church?

The Catacombs of San Francisco are tunnels beneath the colonial convent and church where religious people lived 200 to 300 years ago. You explore the church, convent and the creepy tunnels underground as part of the second half of the tour, after tasting snacks in the markets.

Is the Pisco Sour included in this tour?

The Pisco Sour is optional and not included in the tour price. At the end, you have free time in Plaza San Martín, and the guide can direct you to Lima's most famous bar if you want to try one. The cost is separate, around $8.

Can I do this tour if I'm traveling with a baby or using a stroller?

Infants can travel on an adult's lap, but the tour is not suitable for strollers. The route involves stairs, narrow passages in the catacombs and walking through markets, so strollers are not practical and may not be safe for all travelers.

How long does this Lima tour take?

The tour runs 4.5 hours, starting at La Muralla Park and moving through the markets in the morning, then visiting the Main Square and the Catacombs of San Francisco Church before ending at Plaza San Martín.