Peru’s official non-working public holidays include internationally celebrated days such as New Year, Easter and Christmas, church festivals in honor of Christian saints such as All Saints Day or Saint Rose Day, a day honoring the brave men of Peru’s military that fought in the Battle of Angamos (War of the Pacific in 1879) and of course Peru’s "Fiestas Patrias", a two-day celebration for the country’s independence from Spain.

Peruvian public holidays

On Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, Peruvian employees usually only work half a day.

It is quite common in the public and private sector to have a "puente" (bridging day) if a public holiday is on a Thursday or Tuesday; meaning government agencies, offices, banks and lots of companies are closed on the Friday after or the Monday before the holiday and employees have off.

But no matter if it’s a public holiday, banking holiday, bridging day or weekend most supermarkets, fruit and veggie markets, the little bodega around the corner, restaurants, tourist attractions and other shops are open (some might have shorter opening hours especially on Christmas Day, New Year’s Day and during Fiestas Patrias).

Feast days, festivals and other celebrations in Peru

Additional to the official public holidays valid throughout Peru, there are many other local feast days, festivals and celebrations in different Peruvian regions and cities that have a sort of "public holiday" character. They offer a good “excuse” to come together, celebrate, dance, have great Peruvian food and enjoy. Furthermore, Peru has many "Días nacionales" (national days) or "Días de ..." (special days) on which the country honors or celebrates important events of the past, its culture, food or natural resources.

Below find a list of holidays, feasts and celebrations in Peru. Just click on one that interests you to get to the article introducing you to this special day.

Fighting your way through the bureaucratic jungle of a foreign country, being aware of important rules and regulations or even laws and knowing how certain things work or are done can be challenging, especially here in Peru.

Our “Legal Stuff” section gives visitors and (newly) residents of Peru important information on the most common topics and hopefully helpful guidelines for the most often needed procedures.

Most travelers planning a trip to Peru have already heard or read good meant warnings and tips about the safety and security situation in the country before even exiting the plane. Once in the country, even locals might warn you about dangers lurking around every corner.

Although crime is present in Peru and cannot be argued away, most (though not all) warnings are – at least for people like you and me - unfounded; often potential risks are hopelessly exaggerated, and fears unnecessarily fueled. Keep an open mind, be aware of your surroundings and use your common sense!

To give Peru travelers and newly arrived expats a comprehensive overview of the actual situation in the country, we are covering every conceivable aspect regarding safety and security including useful travel tips in this "Safety, Security & Travel Advice Peru" series.

Please take your time and read through the articles in this series as they contain very helpful information to ensure you stay safe when traveling and staying in Peru!

The tremendous variety of shopping facilities Peru has to offer will amaze you – Especially in Lima and other main cities throughout the country. I can assure it will cater nearly all tastes and preferences.

You can shop on traditional fruit and veggie markets or in modern supermarkets. For clothes you have the choice between many fancy boutiques, department stores, street markets and everything in between. We can find unique Peruvian craftsmanship and cheap souvenirs in exclusive shops or in crafts markets. Western-style shopping malls are contrastive to the "Peruvian Way of Shopping". So, enjoy your shopping experiences, either the modern or the traditional way.

Staying connected and getting informed in Lima is really easy. Peru has a varied press, many interesting and entertaining radio stations and various state and privately owned television channels. By introducing satellite and cable TV in Peru around 150 international TV channels including HD transmissions can be received.

Modern technology as well brought the internet with all its possibilities of additional information sources and social networks. Thousands of Internet Cafes are spread around town. A few municipalities in Lima offer Wi-Fi at some public place, so do an increasing number of cafes, malls and hotels. The cellphone market including smartphones and Blackberry is booming, the coverage in Lima is excellent.

And for those wanting to stay connected the traditional way, Peru's postal service is at least in Lima better than its reputation, and for really important stuff there are a few courier services.

Peru's economy today reflects like centuries ago its varied geography; the different climate zones facilitate widespread agriculture, the Andes rich in natural resources allow mining and the Pacific Ocean with its waters full of fish makes commercial fishing possible. Economic growth continues to be driven by exports of minerals (mainly gold, copper, zinc), textiles, chemicals, agricultural products (garden produce and fruits), fish-meal, services and by energy projects.

Earthquakes are among the most powerful and terrifying events on earth. Unfortunately for thousands of years they have been a common occurrence in Peru. Although scientists have tried for decades to predict earthquakes, until today we still don’t know when and where to expect the next tremor.

So, if you are living in Peru or just visiting the country, it might be wise to be prepared and know what to do.

Experiencing any type of big or small emergency while visiting a foreign country can be quite stressful and sometimes even scary. But there is no need to panic if you get mugged or robbed, need emergency medical attention, become unexpectedly sick and have to consult or even stay in a hospital or just need a special medicine during your stay in Peru. Even if you won't expect it in a "3rd World Country", here in Peru you will find exemplary services and professionals. Be aware that the further you get away from Lima, the choices will be fairly limited!

Our listing of emergency numbers and contact details for the tourist police and police stations, for good ambulance services, for pharmacies including places where to find homeopathic and natural medicine, for recommended hospitals and various institutions giving you support, will help you find the right service in case you need it. Hopefully, you won't need any of them, but it's always better to be prepared.

Before your eyes, the history of Peru reveals the long and painful process by which two great cultures challenged each other and finally produced a new cycle in the cultural evolution. Imperial Spain and the Incan empire have long since disappeared, but modern Peru (child of the two) today stands confidently on the threshold of the future.

After periods of mass inflation and political insurrection through the 1980s and 1990s, Peru has blossomed economically over the last few years and has become a major tourist destination. In the educational realm, this is reflected by an ever-increasing number of overseas students coming to the country to study for short- and long-term programs. The country still faces challenges in offering equal educational opportunities to all its citizens.

While public education is free, private schools operate at all levels of the education system. Schools in both the public and private sectors follow the national curriculum, set federally and overseen by local education authorities, as mandated in a 2008 ministerial decree.

The academic school year is entirely contained with one calendar year, running from the beginning of March through to November/December. The reason for this is that Peru sits in the southern hemisphere, so autumn there begins in March and the summer holidays are taken from the end of December to February. There is also a winter holiday in July, although the exact timing varies by region.

The language of instruction is Spanish. However, in some regional primary schools, a local language such as Aymará or Quechua is the language of instruction with Spanish offered as a second language.