Lima Museums

Museums

V!VA User‘s Description

Perhaps due to its unpleasant climate, Lima is home to numerous excellent museums. Although some of them are clustered in the old town near the Cathedral, many of the other good ones are spread out over the city, making them sometimes difficult to find. If you're stuck in Lima for a few days, chances are that you'll find a museum that will interest you. Some museums--such as the Archaeology Museum or the Larco Museum--are worth spending time in Lima just to see them.

• The Lima Cathedral is a centuries-old structure in the heart of the city. It houses a small art museum as well.
• Casa de Aliaga is a colonial home that has been in the same family for almost five hundred years, and can be visited by appointment.
• San Francisco is a venerable convent and church famous for catacombs. There is a small art museum there as well.
• The National Archaeology Museum is a must-see for history or archaeology buffs.
• To see one of the wolrd's largest private collections of pre-Columbian artifacts, visit the Larco Museum.
• The National Museum provides a very complete view of Peruvian history and culture.
• Although tainted by scandal in recent years, the Gold Museum is still a popular destination and worth a visit.
• Fans of bullfighting will enjoy the Bullfighting Museum. Non-fans probably will not.
• Museo de los Descalzos is a converted Franciscan church known for beautiful altars and paintings.
• The Lima Art Museum houses an impressive collection of art from every period in Peruvian history.
• The Central Bank Museum has displays of coins and currencies, as well as paintings.
• The popular Museum of the Inquisition, housed in the former headquarters of the Spanish Inquisition in Lima, offers a disturbing look inside one of history's most notorious organizations.
• The Italian Art Museum, right next to the Parque de la Exposición, offers an opportunity to sample Rennaissance Italian culture as well as modern Peruvian art.