Peru - Peru: Lima airport question - sleeping and daytrip possible?

Hi,

Flying into Lima to do the Inca Trail and two questions about the airport.

1. On the way in I arrive late then want to sleep in the lounge. Will I be allowed to check in the 'night before' the flight? Any issues with closures or timing?

2. On the way back we are debating one night in Lima or flying to Lima early and daytripping from the airport. Is daytripping from the airport possible on a 7-8 hour layover? Bonus question: is a night/day in Lima worth giving up one in Cusco?

Thanks all!

1. On the way in I arrive late then want to sleep in the lounge. Will I be allowed to check in the 'night before' the flight? Any issues with closures or timing?

If you are connecting to Cusco, then you won't have access to the lounges, as they are in the International part of the terminal (airside).

Lima is my hometown so I'm not really sure how one would go about daytripping it... I think it's possible but it would have to be a very brief visit. Whether it would be a good idea to travel the previous day probably depends on the total number of days you have in Cusco. :)

Have fun on your trip.

When you arrive, you are shunted directly to immigration. You don't pass thorugh the gate area, so there would be no access to the lounges that way either.

Cuzco is more touristic and safer, especially at night, than Lima. You have of course nice areas with nightlife in Lima, but I'd stay one more night in Cuzco, if I had to decide. Daytripping into Lima is possible from the airport, however be aware that traffic is sometimes hard to predict and as such the time you need to go downtown and come back to the airport. But 7-8 hours are sufficient to get an impression from the colonial center, but you won't have time to see much more.

That's a bummer about the lounges. Are there any in the domestic terminal? I should have access or would be willing to pay. Otherwise what would you suggest about sleeping? Find an airport hotel or is the airport good for sleeping? We're on the 6 am flight to Cusco so we're talking about 4-5 hours.

Will have to consider the Lima daytrip vs. spending a night. I personally like cities and we'll have about 4 days in Cusco in addition to the 4 day trail trek so I thought it might be nice to do a Monday night and Tuesday in Lima to get some city time. But vacation is great no matter where it is :)

That's a bummer about the lounges. Are there any in the domestic terminal? I should have access or would be willing to pay. Otherwise what would you suggest about sleeping? Find an airport hotel or is the airport good for sleeping? We're on the 6 am flight to Cusco so we're talking about 4-5 hours.

As we mentioned earlier, there aren't any lounges in the domestic end of the terminal or in the international arrivals area, so unfortunately this is not an option for you. There is an airport hotel, the Ramada Costa del Sol (http://www.ramada.com/Ramada/control/Booking/property_info?propertyId=16013). There are probably some others outside the airport but I would be unsure about doing this (the location is... not good). I found this thread http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/south-america/845883-lima-airport-overnight.html and they suggested a hostel that is like 15-20 min from the airport. I would just stay put at the airport, but that's just me.

At times I've seen backpackers sleeping on the floor waiting for the earliest domestic flights. You could always wait around in the couch at Starbucks (that's what I did when I had early departures).
In any case, unless things have changed recently, if you arrive around midnight, there's always a chance that immigrations lines are long-ish and just getting outside could take an hour or so.

Thanks andreadbc, reading perhaps isn't my strong suit sometimes ;)

Appreciate the help. The couch at starbucks might be the place I'll be at 2 am.

This definitely helps me out.

Thanks andreadbc, reading perhaps isn't my strong suit sometimes ;)

Appreciate the help. The couch at starbucks might be the place I'll be at 2 am.

This definitely helps me out.

Agreed that the Starbucks is probably the most comfortable place to wait out the overnight layover. The food court around the corner also has a lot of seating, but with cleaning crews coming through and stiff metal chairs, it's a far inferior choice.

The on-site Ramada looks decent, but when I was planning our overnight layover last June, I was shocked at the prices that hotel wanted for a room. I suspect that a decent amount of its business comes from folks looking to avoid sleeping in the airport, and the rates reflect the hotel's on-site monopoly status.

Finally, I think seven or eight hours is enough time to get a sense of Lima -- in fact, that's exactly what we did. Friends who live in Lima picked us up after our morning CUZ-LIM flight and showed us around town before dropping us back off at the airport for our late-night LIM-JFK flight. For me, that was more than enough time to see Lima's highlights, get lunch and dinner, and we had the flexibility of their car, knowledge, and a place to store the luggage. Might be tough to do on your own, though.

My mother and I spent a night at the food court in the Lima airport in 2005 and while neither of us slept, it wasn't a horrible experience. There were probably 30 or so tourists, many of them Americans, whose international flights arrived around 11pm-midnight and stayed in the food court before early morning flights to Cusco. It was clean and we felt safe because even though the food court was closed (and if starbucks was there at the time, it too closed) because there were workers around all the time. This site will have up-to-date information if you decide to spend the night in the airport. http://www.sleepinginairports.net/

The Ramada wasn't open in 2005 but that could be a good option, although when we went there had been an increase of attacks on taxis and buses leaving the airport carrying tourists. If the room rates are high, Wyndham Rewards points might be a good alternative.

We didn't spend any time in Lima so I can't speak to a daytrip during a layover that but I don't recall any place to store luggage and we couldn't check in/check our bags for our flight until 1 or 2 hours before even though our international and LIM-CUS flights were both on LAN.

I would spend 1 more day in Cusco. You'll be exhausted by the time you arrive in Cusco (luckily most hotels allow you to check in at 8am) and might be affected by altitude sickness.

I had a 10 hour layover in Lima just last May. Some things to know. There is luggage storage right after the baggage claim. It took a long time to get downtown. I arranged a half day tour with a group from the airport in advanced. We were scheduled to see 8 or so sights and had to cut a few due to traffic. I still got a good vibe of the city and there were some interesting areas but it was really rushed. I believe my layover was from noon till 10pm? So maybe traffic isn't as bad earlier in the day but I doubt it.

As far as is it worth giving up a day in Cusco for 1 in Lima. I wouldn't go into Lima unless I had at least 1 full day to cover the sights. How many days are you going to be in Cusco? I loved Cusco and thought it was a great, diverse city. I spent a lot of time checking out all the cathedrials and going to the farmers market. Don't get me wrong Lima had some highlights and I don't regret even my rushed visit but a full day would be needed to do it justice and if you are in Cusco for limted time it would best be spent doing Cusco right.

That's a bummer about the lounges. Are there any in the domestic terminal? I should have access or would be willing to pay. Otherwise what would you suggest about sleeping? Find an airport hotel or is the airport good for sleeping? We're on the 6 am flight to Cusco so we're talking about 4-5 hours.

Will have to consider the Lima daytrip vs. spending a night. I personally like cities and we'll have about 4 days in Cusco in addition to the 4 day trail trek so I thought it might be nice to do a Monday night and Tuesday in Lima to get some city time. But vacation is great no matter where it is :)

I did this exact same thing in April of 2009. Landed in Lima at 11pm, and had a 6am flight the next morning to Cuzco. Buying a hotel room for 4 hours is silly. Find the food court, eat and drink a little, and take some naps in the seats.
Unfortunately you can't check in until early that morning.
IF YOU CAN STAY AWAKE - I highly recommend watching out the window for the flight to Cuzco. You fly over some EPIC passes of the Andes Mountains!!

Due to a schedule change, my 19yr old son and 2 of his mates will have a 9hr lay over in Lima (coming from Cusco then flying out GRU). They want to visit the Miraflores area of Lima - have a nice lunch, catch a glimpse of the Pacific, hang out on the beach, etc. They are not really that interested in seeing the historical sites.

I would like to know about how long it takes by Taxi from Lima airport to Miraflores? What charge can they expect to pay?

Also not quite sure if he will need to collect his luggage at Lima or if he can check it through from Cusco to GRU. I note from above there is somewhere to hold luggage for a few hours. Thanks for your help.

A taxi from Lima Airport to Miraflores takes about 40 mins to an hour, depending on how fast your taxi driver is, traffic etc.

I always have a taxi pick me up and take me back and it costs between S/.35 and S/.45 (between 13 and 16 bucks-ish) The supposedly authorised taxi service from the airport is Taxis Verdes, as coincidence would have it, I have their number written on a bit of paper next to my lappy. it is +51 1 355 5555

Given my own preferred taxi driver gets waved on by the police when dropping me off, I presume that the guys hanging around outside domestic arrivals are indeed Taxis Verdes. They wear lanyards and ID badges, that's about as "above board" as you are going to get in Latin America.

Note taxis in Peru do not have meters as that would be too sophisticated so a price would normally be agreed before getting in the Taxi. This is probably less of a problem going than coming back. At the airport you have other taxi drivers over hearing your haggling. In Miraflores you may be invited to pay a gringo tax. You could also try saying "Johnny says it costs 35 to 45 Soles so get screwed innit?"

Your lads absolutely don't want to be hanging out on Lima's beach, Lima's beach isn't particulary pleasing, that and it is currently winter. If they want to go to see the Ocean then Parque del Amor is a far more fitting place, on the cliff overlooking the beach. It also has parapenting if they are interested in that. From there they can walk to CC Larcomar, the apparent pride of the mirafloreños but actually just a pretty lame collection of shops and restaurants wedged in the side of the cliff. If they don't fancy the romance and parapenting of Parque del Amor they could just go straight there.

From Larcomar they can walk up Av Jose Larco to Parque Kennedy and take in the cafe culture. If they want to have a nice mindblowing Peruvian lunch, they should go here http://puntoazulrestaurante.com/ which is halfway between Larcomar and Parque Kennedy

Many thanks for your advice - I will pass this info on to my son. Is the area called Barranco worth seeing? You mentioned you have a "preferred" taxi driver - by any chance do you have any contact details you could let me know (PM perhaps?).

I was thinking that it might be a good idea for the boys to have a "tour" of Lima by taxi so they could perhaps see some of the historial sites as well as the "cafe culture" which I think is more there seen. Will let them know about your recommend for lunch - but might be over their budget. Up to them ofcourse - if it were me, I would be there in a blink of an eye - haha.

Punto Azul is definitely not an expensive place, if they are in Miraflores then it is relatively economical but certainly excellent. For example a ceviche mixto at Cafe Cafe in Miraflores or Larcomar costs S/.27 in Punto Azul it is better and costs S/.20 that is about US$7

I will send you a PM about taxis.

Ooops forgot to mention Barranco, it is OK, more of a night place than a day place. I have been through there during the day and it is quiet, if they are going to be there for the evening though then Barranco is a cool place for drinks

I have the same flight coming up in about a month. Have a question about the "check in the next morning" part. I am on a single ticket (LAN) SFO-Lima-Cusco, arriving Lima about midnight, connecting to Cusco at 6am. Will I be able to get my boarding passes and check my bags all the way through? I know I may have to claim bags and clear customs, but after that, what happens? Thanks.

I have the same flight coming up in about a month. Have a question about the "check in the next morning" part. I am on a single ticket (LAN) SFO-Lima-Cusco, arriving Lima about midnight, connecting to Cusco at 6am. Will I be able to get my boarding passes and check my bags all the way through? I know I may have to claim bags and clear customs, but after that, what happens? Thanks.

You will have to claim your bags, go through customs, and exit the secure area. Then you'll have to go to the LAN counter (I assume you'll be connecting with LAN PERU) to check your bags and get your boarding pass, if you hadn't already got it at SFO. I'm not sure if the counter is open all night for local flights. After checking your bags, you can proceed to the secure area and wait for your 6am flight and maybe catch some sleep. Watch out for pickpocketers, especially if you leave the terminal or while outside the secure area.

Got it, thanks for the tip. I guess I should get my bags out of the way and then stick to the secure area as much as possible. I'm going to have a pile of equipment cases so I certainly will stick out like a sore thumb.

we would recommend seeing some of Lima, even if just for the historical center while you await your flight. You can take a taxi to the historical center from the airport for about 15 to 20 soles and it takes about 20 minutes. In the historical center I would recommend you visit Barrio Chino (china town) or any of the many museums in the area, although personally I would just go to the restaurants as the food in Lima is great and very varied. Don't forget to try the Pisco Sour at Hotel Maury of the Rotisserie Chicken at Pollos Begui near plaza San Martin.