Lima Peru

Our cruise ship will be staying over night in Puerto Callao, Peru, close to Lima. We have a number places we plan to visit in and around Lima both days. The question is for those that have experienced this type of stay in Lima. How long is the drive from Callao to Lima center? What in your experience is a best plan, stay in the ship and travel back and froth from Puerto Callao to Lima or stay in a hotel over night in Lima, close to the attractions?

What tours and places did you find worth while to visit?

We have heard that transport leaving the port itself in Callao is difficult due to limited transport out of the port grounds. We hear port authority does not let private tours enter the port grounds, and ship passengers are restricted to use only the shuttles provided by the ship, in and out of the port.

Specifically we are cruising Celebrity Infinity in March from Valparaiso to Ft Lauderdale.

Sorry for so many questions but the more we read the more ???? come to mind.

Thank you in advance.

I would suggest you post your questions on the Roll Call for your sailing often there are folks who have been to the ports before.

Also you can post your questions on the ports of call for South America . A search of that board may get you the info you are seeking.

Our cruise ship will be staying over night in Puerto Callao, Peru, close to Lima. We have a number places we plan to visit in and around Lima both days. The question is for those that have experienced this type of stay in Lima. How long is the drive from Callao to Lima center? What in your experience is a best plan, stay in the ship and travel back and froth from Puerto Callao to Lima or stay in a hotel over night in Lima, close to the attractions?

What tours and places did you find worth while to visit?

We have heard that transport leaving the port itself in Callao is difficult due to limited transport out of the port grounds. We hear port authority does not let private tours enter the port grounds, and ship passengers are restricted to use only the shuttles provided by the ship, in and out of the port.

Specifically we are cruising Celebrity Infinity in March from Valparaiso to Ft Lauderdale.

 

Sorry for so many questions but the more we read the more ???? come to mind.

 

Thank you in advance.

We were in Lima back in December ('16). We stayed in Miraflores....(wonderful and safe).

When our Uber arrived to take us to the airport....it took 1.5 hrs to get there. Callao and the airport area are heavy industrial areas.

Callao is not far from the airport, but you indicate you are staying in Lima....I would allow at least an hour, and a nice hotel in Lima would save time and aggravation. In our experience, Lima hotels, for US visitors, are not expensive unless you need a major hotel chain. (check Trip Advisor or Booking.com)

We did not have time for a lot of site visits but we did spend the day walking around Miraflores...found our way to Parque del Amor on the bluffs above the Pacific Ocean. We were on the last legs of our trip to Machu Pichu.

We are planning another trip to visit Lima and find a local travel co. There is a lot of history in that city.

We did a great private tour with Monicatours that included the Pachacamac archaeological site, Miraflores and sites in downtown Lima. It was great.

http://monicatoursperu.com

When we were there last March:

1. the port did not allow private tours or cars into the port. You had to meet them near the port gate. Not sure, but I recall that you could not walk between the gate and the ship either.

2. The ship I was on did have shuttles run from the ship to two places in Lima (one was a large shopping center (in San Isidro, I think, and one in Miraflores)

3. The area outside of the port is rather sketchy.

4. Traffic was rather heavy in Lima (they had a major construction project going on when we were there). Was about 30 minutes from the port to Plaza Mayor.

Traffic is awful in Lima. So...I would advise a transfer with Taxidatum.com. This was a wonderful service. Courteous drivers waiting for you and a great transfer experience. If you stay in Lima I would suggest reserving at Central for dinner (Miraflores area). It was a wonderful experience and although not inexpensive, delivered great flavors. Apparently it is the top rated restaurant in South America.

The Larco Museum is not to be missed. The Taxidatum folks will drive you there and wait until you have completed the tour.

If you are looking for a reasonably priced hotel, Hotel de Autor is recommended. However, if within budget, the Marriott looked to be amazing.

Enjoy Lima - we think it is wonderful!

Jan

The port is located about one hour from Lima. Could take more time depending on traffic.

The area near the port is not good and actually dangerous.

Yes the way this works is there is a shuttle within the port taking you from ship to the gate. If you book a private tour which I highly recommend you meet them outside the gate.

There are many private tour companies and we selected ours using Trip Advisor.

We did a walking tour in downtown Lima visiting several sites.

It is a wonderful city.

With that said you need to be very careful with valuables.

I did take my DSLR camera and in one area the tour guide advised me to hold it closely to me with two hands.

This is where you use a travel wallet.

Again a wonderful city. I would not do it on your own and would go with a guide.

Keith

If you use a taxi in Lima, be sure to ask how much before getting in. We took a taxi from our hotel to Miraflores for $7 USD. A cab driver on the way back wanted $35. We noticed little kiosks here and there staffed to give tourist info. The young women there told us to ask a driver on the other side of the street and sure enough his ride was $7. It wasn't easy figuring out which were the registered and non-registered taxis.

I second all that's been written. But traffic depends on the days of the week the ship is in port. If its a weekday and you enter the traffic at rush hour its bad. Really bad. Saturday or Sunday it's busy but not crawlingl.

As far as private tours, This is a closed port so all pickups are outside the property. You take a bus to the "Port Gate" The driver dumps you among the hoards so if you have a private tour or debark the ship, you better have made a arrangements ahead of time.

If you use a taxi in Lima, be sure to ask how much before getting in. We took a taxi from our hotel to Miraflores for $7 USD. A cab driver on the way back wanted $35. We noticed little kiosks here and there staffed to give tourist info. The young women there told us to ask a driver on the other side of the street and sure enough his ride was $7. It wasn't easy figuring out which were the registered and non-registered taxis.

This is why Uber is a great way to go in Lima. Fixed fare, no tip, no haggling.

We have joined a private tour in Lima, for 2 days. It is the best/safest way to see and do as much as possible.

Thank You all , excellent information. That was exactly what we were looking for.

This should make our planning a lot easier.

I have a fantastic private guide in Lima to recommend. His name is Aaron Leyton and here are two reviews that I did. Oh yes, he did meet us at the cruise ship gate in Callao and drop us back there at the end of the day.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=44260580&postcount=12

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=42288448#post42288448