Is Lima Safe? 2024 Travel Safety Guide

Welcome to our Lima travel safety guide.

The Peruvian capital is slowly making its way onto more travel itineraries, and not just for the usual layover either. After all – there’s a reason George decided to live here after over a year of traveling!

Here you’ll find incredible colonial architecture, cute plazas, ancient ruins and comprehensive museums. The food here is also top-notch, and it’s one of the best places to get to know all kinds of Peruvian dishes.

Lima Quick Summary:

📍 Where is it: Central Peru
🗺 Difficulty Getting There: Very Easy
⏱ Time needed: 4 Days
☀️ Best Time to Visit: December/January

Is Lima Safe?

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore everything you’ll need to know about Safety in Lima as a backpacker or traveler to this area of Peru.

We’ll look at all the different factors, our top safety tips, other useful information as well as an FAQ section where we answer your key questions.

Is Lima Safe Right Now?

Quick Answer: Yes – But it depends on which areas of Lima you are staying in or visiting. Miraflores, San Isidro and Barranco are the safest and most touristy areas of the capital.

Other areas such as Callao, Chorrillos and areas within Central Lima are much more gritty and dangerous, and as such are not recommended.

Where to Stay in Lima

Selina Miraflores has been a lifesaver for George on numerous occasions! Not only do they have a great atmosphere, comfortable rooms as well as great staff working there, but they’re also flexible too (good for walk-ins). Of course, you’ll want to pre-book if coming around the busy holiday season.

Those who want a more comfortable and relaxed experience will want to stay at this Designer Loft in Barranco. Here you’ll have the whole apartment to yourself, and will be just steps away from the romantic area of the Municipal Park as well as the famed Puente de los Suspiros.

Things to do in Lima

Lima for us is the perfect introduction to Peru. Here you can visit some really awesome museums such as the Museo Larco, which is home to the largest collection of pre-Columbian artefacts that date to over 5000 years ago!

You’ll also want to visit the eerie Catacombs of San Francisco, which are home to over 50,000 skeletons and underground mazing alleyways. We recommend heading on this awesome tour which combines a visit here with the Larco Museum, and also includes lunch too.

The Plaza de Armas and Historic Center show us remnants of life during the Spanish Colonial period. Buildings such as the Cathedral and the Presidential Palace (both within the Plaza de Armas) as well as Torre Tagle are must-visits.

Within the coastal district of Miraflores, we can enjoy our very first taste of Incan Ruins. Huaca Pucllana sits just a few blocks north of Kennedy Park, where you can marvel at the layered Adobe pyramids. From here we can walk down to the Costa Verde, where you can ride a bike along these green coastal cliffs, or even try your luck at surfing these ever-consistent, perfect waves.

Is Lima Safe to visit?

We all know that Peru is worth visiting for more reason than one, but as always, safety is a top priority. Below we’ll take a look at the current safety situation in Lima.

Lima Peru Travel Warnings

At this time there are protests in certain areas of Lima, which are mostly in the central districts. These do sometimes make their way to Miraflores, so if you spot one just walk somewhere else (or into a restaurant) until it dies down.

Miraflores and Barranco as a whole are very safe. However, when you go outside of these areas, you’ll want to treat them differently and use caution. Robbery and assault are known issues, so avoid walking alone at night or with your phone/valuables out.

Also, knowing some basic Spanish can go along way here in Lima, carry a Latin American Spanish phrase book like this one for the ultimate travel resource while on your travels.

Crime in Lima

Outside of Miraflores and Barranco, robbery is quite common. They mostly happen by passing motorcycles, which usually target those with their phone or other valuables in their hands.

Assault is more likely within the tougher barrios such as those in Callao, which to be honest a traveler should have no reason to otherwise go to. If you do need to for whatever reason, then it’s best to take an Uber here and back instead of using public transport.

Lima Safety during the Day

Lima during the day is relatively safe to walk around.

In Miraflores and Barranco, you can relax and live freely, with these areas having a much more developed and safe feel to them. Of course don’t run around flashing your phone or wallet, and you’ll have no issues.

Elsewhere you’ll want to keep valuables in your front pockets or zipped in this secure Money Belt, and preferably use taxis to get to and from.

You’ll want to be careful in the bus stations too, since thieves often target those who are tired from the often long journeys it takes to reach Lima from other places.

Lima Safety at Night

At night is when Lima can change in more ways than one.

Within Miraflores and Barranco, it’s still safe to head out alone in most of the touristy areas (such as Parque Kennedy, The Malecón, Parque Municipal de Barranco, etc). Just be wary of taking side streets or if there’s anyone dodgy near you.

Outside of these areas, we really recommend not going alone by yourself. Whilst you may arrive late back to these areas by bus or colectivo from day trips, it’s still best to take an Uber or InDriver straight back to your apartment.

The Historic Centre should also be trodden with care, and especially in popular clubs such as Casona (where theft is very common inside).

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7 Safety Tips for Lima

Below we will list 7 of our top safety tips for when heading to Lima.

1. Stay in Miraflores or Barranco

Makes sense given everything we’ve mentioned. Not only will you feel safe both during the day and night, you’ll also have a much more memorable time in these parts too.

2. Use a Money Belt

A Money Belt is worn on your body, which hides all of your valuables from any thieves out on the hunt. It’s the safest option there is, and we definitely recommend using this one when heading around the Historic Centre.

3. Check 3 Times before Crossing Roads

As we mentioned in our Cusco safety guide, driving in Peru isn’t the most advanced. And in Lima it gets worse, where impatience often causes accidents. Make sure to triple-check even before crossing on a green pedestrian light (George got clipped by a taxi that then sped off).

4. Go with a Professional Surf Guide

Lima is home to a beautiful stretch of coast, with the waves rolling in in a consistent fashion. However, like most areas along the Pacific, they can get really strong. It’s best for beginners to go with this surf lesson.

5. Use Uber and InDriver to get around

Public transport can be useful, however, in Lima you’ll instead want to use these apps (especially at night). Whilst you can also use registered taxis, these are safer as all drivers are documented, as well as the fares being pre-set at an agreed rate (or as requested as it works with InDriver).

6. Keep Valuables in your Front Pockets

This is a nice little trick that’s helped us avoid getting pickpocketed more times than we can remember. Even better is to carry this Safe Wallet, which will keep your valuables like credit cards and cash even more secure.

7. Be Careful when using the Metropolitano

We know there are many travelers who insist on cutting costs further, so the Metropolitano bus is the best option (George uses it frequently to get around). Whilst cheaper, again be careful since they can get crowded quickly.

Lima Safety FAQ Guide:

Here we’ll take a look at the most frequent questions we get asked by our readers about safety in Lima.

Is Lima Safe? Final Words

And that’s all for our guide on how to stay safe in Lima.

This giant city can be somewhat intimidating for first-timers, however, if approached the right way, can be a great city for travelers. From ancient ruins to surfing the Pacific, you can find it all here in Lima.

When it comes to safety, it can really be hit or miss depending on where you are. Areas like Miraflores, Barranco and San Isidro are best, however, anything outside of these should be trodden with real care.

In this guide, we’ve explored the current safety situation in Lima, which includes the areas to avoid, as well as any current travel advisories. As well as looking at the best things to do in Lima, we’ve also included our FAQ which answers your most burning questions.

Be sure to read our Peru Itinerary for more tips and travel inspiration.

👉🏽 P.S. If you’ve found this guide helpful, buy us a coffee here to say thanks! Or, support us by downloading our South America Travel Bible to get our best content.

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