I'm looking to take a weekend trip at the end of the week and Lima meets two of my criteria of warm weather and abundant AA award availability. What are your thoughts on spending two days in Lima? Anything in particular that you recommend to spend the time?

Did some research and I'm looking at going paragliding, shanty tour, and a culinary tour.

Staying at the Sheraton, does anyone have any recommendations for a car driver for airport pickup? Or just take Taxi Green? We're arriving about 1am.

"shanty tour"???

I think paragliding is a good bet, but I've never heard of a shanty tour. I don't think I'd go for that if it were my first time in Lima and I only had two days.

The typical walking tour of the Centro is a must - preferably in a small group or private, which you could get info on from your hotel. That will take about half a day. As far as the culinary tour, you can find great food everywhere in the city. I'd take a good restaurant for lunch and dinner both days and get your tour that way, unless there is something truly remarkable on the itinerary of the tour.

Sheraton is a good hotel, but even though is close to the historic center (downtown), I'd recommend you to stay in Miraflores, more options for walking tours, specially at night or near the shore. And nicer in summer.

Will you stay 2 whole days? Then you also may consider a full day tour to Paracas, check other threads about this place.

I would do it. That would be a nice weekend away in Lima.

The Sheraton is not all that walkable except perhaps to the main plaza/presidential palace/cathedral/catacombs area. Miraflores may be a better bet.

Would just go with the green taxi from the airport.

Culinary tour ... how about checking out Chez Wong? Overall good experience and certainly not your typical dining experience. BYOB.

SF

Shanty tour? You're referring to what are known as "pueblos j�venes" ("young towns", literally) in Lima, slums that extend for many miles in the outskirts of the city. They are not particularly interesting and can be downright dangerous especially at night, although I suppose that the idea of a tour is to manage your security risk. In any event they are not museums. Leave those poor people alone, please. It makes me gag to think of a bunch of tourists taking snapshots from a tour bus in those desperate places.

Culinary tour? I'm sure these exist, but I'd advise against a tour as they are likely to take you to places like the Costa Verde and La Rosa Nautica that are frequented mostly by tourists.

The best culinary experience (IMHO) in Lima is the seafood lunch in one of the many good "cebicher�as" in Lima. Many posters including me have listed some of the better restaurants; do a search in the Peru forum. Briefly, ask around for Mercado, La Mar, Segundo Muelle, Pescados Capitales, Alfresco, Los Cavenecia, Kapallaq. You'll get the real thing at any of these places. None of them are located anywhere near the Sheraton, by the way.

Seafood, especially cebiche, is strictly a lunch-time thing in Lima but there are oodles of good places for dinner: Astrid y Gast�n, Central (if your wallet is fat), Rafael and La Gloria are a few that come to mind. If you're into pizza a good choice is the Antica Pizzeria (there are at least three outlets in Lima) and for something less formal in a caf�/deli setting try San Antonio; these are scattered throughout the city.

There are "tours gastron�micos" that take you to authentic markets where you can choose the vegetables, the spices, and then go to a restaurant or (better) to a family house and participate in the cooking process and then enjoy the lunch.

Some of them combine it with walking tours. I know one of them , though I have not taken it yet. Send me a pm if anybody is interested.

Thanks all for the feedback. Just got back and had a fun time in Lima. We ended up skipping most of the structured tour stuff. The ideas I proposed were mainly from tripadvisor recommendations. I had participated in a slum tour in Mumbai that was very interesting and I believe run by a non-profit that put proceeds back into the community. In any event we skipped it this time.

Sheraton was a good hotel, received good treatment as a gold. As mentioned it's not in the best location, but we mainly took the new Metropolitano BRT that has a station right next to the hotel to get around. It's easy and reasonably quick, but the buses tended to be packed to the gills. For travel away the main bus line we hailed cabs just outside the hotel on the street.

We did go for the paragliding, it's about 150 soles for 10 minutes in the air. It's pretty neat, although as someone with a bit of an aversion to heights I did find it a bit nerveracking. For an extra 70soles I bought the video that was made of the flight with an attached GoPro camera, and that is awesome and worth every penny.

We enjoyed ceviche and also had dinner at Grimanesa Vargas Antichucos for the grilled beef hearts, potato, and corn. On our second night we went to Barranco, where there was a pretty good energy with lots of people walking around and the ability to get up along the water.

Peruvian people were quite friendly. Normally when travelling to a foreign country in say Asia I'll get a few looks or stares, but never felt that once in Lima. All in all a good trip, and thanks again for all of your ideas.

glad you enjoyed your trip-i am planning to go to lima for 2 days next month-can you advise anything thats a must do?
also,how safe is it?
is arriving late at night a problem?

How did you get from the airport to the Sheraton? Did you use hotel arranged transport or a green taxi from arrivals?

Green taxi. Fixed 45 soles or 18usd. Really easy. Hotel car was 38 I think. In general hotel cab rates were crazy. We went to Barranco and got a cab on the street for 10 soles while the hotel rate was 55 soles.

For the return we hailed a cab in front of the hotel. Negotiated to 25 soles. It seems that to enter the airport the driver may need a special license which ours didnt have so he dropped us off at the pedestrian entrance. Easy five minute or less walk into the terminal with just hand luggage.

And how did you arrange the green taxi from the airport? You just walked up to a guy and said: "hi, how much to go to the Sheraton?"?
Also, you did not tell us if you speak Spanish well or not

There is a small green taxi stand to the right immediately out of customs. I told them Sheraton and they advised the price. Many taxi green drivers are there when you step out of customs. This was all done in English.

I know some Spanish, not really enough to hold a conversation but enough to communicate my intentions. For example I would say something in Spanish and some of the time I'd understand half the response and have new clue on the other half.

Thanks for the info. And is there an ATM in the arrivals hall?