San Isidro

Originally the site of an extensive olive grove outside of Lima, San Isidro wasn’t founded until 1931. San Isidro is an affluent zone, home to upscale shopping, a financial district, and many of Lima’s finest hotels and restaurants. Most of the foreign embassies also take up residence in San Isidro, adding to its debonair atmosphere. San Isidro is intellectual, too—its municipal library is considered the most complete and extensive in Lima.

Visitors and inhabitants come to San Isidro for its green areas. The swank Lima Golf Club is located right in the heart of the district. For those with no clubs in tow, more green patches can be found in the famous El Olivar park, named for its centuries-old groves of olive trees. The park was declared a national monument in 1959. The pre-Columbian pyramid Huaca Huallamarca also graces this neighborhood.

Other neighborhoods in Lima: San Borja, Lima Airport, Pueblo Libre, Central Lima, Callao, Miraflores, Chorrillos and Barranco.