Lima: Larco Museum & Cathedral with Hotel Pickup

A 16th-century cathedral sits steps from a museum built on a 7th-century pyramid

You're picked up from your hotel and taken through Lima's old town, a UNESCO site layered with pre-Columbian, colonial and Spanish imperial architecture. You spend time inside the Larco Museum's pre-Hispanic gold and silver collection, walk through Casa Aliaga (a 1535 mansion still owned by the same family), and see the 16th-century Cathedral and Main Square up close. A professional guide in your language handles all the stops and timing, and you're back at your hotel by early afternoon.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time at each

1. Larco Museum45m · entry included
2. Main Square10m
3. Cathedral of Lima30m · entry included

Lima city and museum tour

• Visit Larco Museum pre-Hispanic collection
• Tour Casa Aliaga colonial mansion
• Explore Lima Main Square colonial architecture
• Visit Renaissance-style Cathedral of Lima
• Return to hotel

The experience

Most city tours blur together after a few hours, but Lima's layering of time stops you cold. You start in Pueblo Libre at the Larco Museum, housed in a restored viceregal mansion that was itself built directly on top of a pre-Columbian pyramid from the seventh century, so you're standing in three centuries at once, literally. The museum holds the most complete pre-Hispanic collection of gold and silver artifacts in Peru, alongside pieces of erotic art that catch people off guard. Your guide (available in English, Spanish, French or Portuguese) walks you through the rooms and explains what you're looking at, which matters because the context changes everything.

After the museum, you move to Casa Aliaga, a colonial mansion that Francisco Pizarro granted to one of his captains, Jerónimo de Aliaga, in 1535. The same family still owns it: that continuity is strange to feel, walking through rooms that have belonged to one lineage for nearly five centuries. Then the tour shifts to Lima's downtown, where the Main Square opens up with the Cathedral on one side. The Cathedral's Renaissance facade dates to the 16th century, and the square itself is ringed with colonial architecture: the Archbishop's Palace with its carved wooden balconies, the Government Palace, a bronze fountain from 1650. You see the scale of what the Spanish Empire built here, and it's impossible to ignore what that means.

Hotel pickup and drop-off are included, so you don't arrange transport yourself or negotiate timing. The guide handles the logistics. Admission to all three sites (Larco Museum, Casa Aliaga, Cathedral) is covered. Wear comfortable shoes because you'll walk between stops, and bring water. The tour moves at a pace that lets you actually look at things instead of just passing through.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and drop-off.
• admission to Larco Museum, Casa Aliaga and Lima Cathedral.
• professional tour guide in English, Spanish, French or Portuguese.

Before you book

Days and timesMonday to FridayDepartures at 09:00 and 14:00

Book up to1d before

AgesAdult (12 and older) · Child (3 to 11 years) · Under 3: can't be included in the booking

GroupUp to 50

Live guideEnglish, Spanish, French and Portuguese

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

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

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Easy physical levelInfants must sit on laps

Operated by LimaTours

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see Lima's main colonial and pre-Columbian sites in one morning without arranging your own transport or managing multiple entry tickets: the guide and included pickup handle both.

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English, Spanish, French and Portuguese.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 11 years). Under 3: they can't be included in the booking.

What's included in the tour price?

Hotel pickup and drop-off, admission to Larco Museum, Casa Aliaga and Lima Cathedral, and a professional tour guide in English, Spanish, French or Portuguese.

Can I book this tour if I'm staying outside central Lima?

Yes. You'll need to provide your hotel name when booking so the operator can coordinate your pickup time and location.

Do I need to be fit for this tour?

The tour is suitable for all physical fitness levels. Wear comfortable clothing and shoes, as you'll walk between sites.