Lima today is no longer the wealthy, beautiful colonial settlement and most important city in the Americas like it used to be during colonial times; or the lovely capital of independent Peru with nice haciendas, fishing villages and lots of green surrounding it. Today Lima with its over 8 million inhabitants, shantytowns and sometimes tatty facades isn’t attractive or seems to be inviting to its visitors. Arriving at the Lima International Airport with crowds of people offering taxi and hotel services and finally the ride to your hotel through Lima’s chaotic traffic can be quite shocking or even scary, especially for those who heard good meant warnings about general safety and security in Peru’s capital.

But Lima’s first appearance to its visitors is deceptive. Lima is one of the most interesting and challenging cities in South America with a huge archaeological, historical and cultural past. Most of its treasures might be well hidden, but are worth being discovered. For many visitors Lima is just an unavoidable must; a sprawling, chaotic, dirty and ugly metropolis, the starting and ending point on their trip to more interesting and exciting gems Peru has to offer. But this assumption doesn’t do justice to Lima.

Lima is not just the name of the capital of Peru. The district of Lima where the historical city center is located is called Lima. The region around it is called Lima. And to make it a little bit more complicated, Lima is also the name of the Province, located in the Department of Lima. Confused? Lima, the largest city in Peru, is home to roughly one third of Peru’s population and a melting pot of immigrants from Europe, the Peruvian highlands and jungle, China, Japan, Africa to just name a few. All these ethnic groups played a vital role in Lima’s history and development to make Lima to what it is today.

Today Lima forms the region ‘Lima Metropolitana‘. It is divided into 43 districts (distritos). Thirty of these districts belong geographically to the city of Lima and unbelievable but true, each of these neighborhoods has its own flair, charm and character. Miraflores for example is the place for tourists, visitors, foreign expats and locals (who can afford it) to find accommodation, go shopping, have a good meal, relax in a nice café, party in the many bars, clubs and discotheques and savor the cultural life; Barranco is Lima’s artistically bohemian district with a great nightlife; on the other hand San Isidro is the financial district and known for classy, over-the-top shopping, bars and restaurants, while in La Molina the (wannabe-) high society lives.

Other districts are Ate Vitarte, Breña, Lima (Cercado de Lima, actually the Historic City Center), Chorrillos, Comas, El Agustino, Independencia, Jesús María, La Victoria, Lince, Los Olivos, Magdalena del Mar, Pueblo Libre (former Magdalena Vieja), Puente Piedra, Rímac, San Borja, San Juan de Lurigancho, San Juan de Miraflores, San Luis, San Martín de Porres, San Miguel, Santa Anita, Santiago de Surco, Surquillo, Villa El Salvador and Villa María del Triunfo.

Thirteen of Lima’s districts are surrounding the core of the urban area and are located outside of Lima in more rural zones: Ancón (a fashionable spa and beach resort in the 19th and 20th century), Carabayllo, Chaclacayo and Cieneguilla (popular getaways for Limeños in the winter month), Lurigancho , Lurín, Pachacamac (known for the archaeological complex), Pucusana and Punta Hermosa (districts to enjoy the summer at the beach), Punta Negra and San Bartolo (as well seaside resorts popular in summer), Santa María del Mar und Santa Rosa.

Additionally the province of Callao counts with the following districts that officially belong to the Lima Metropolitan area: Bellavista, Callao (downtown), Carmen de la Legua, La Perla, La Punta and Ventanilla.