Things to Do in Peru: City Guides & Audio Tours

Peru is a country of ancient civilizations, Pacific coast, high Andes and Amazon rainforest. The best things to do in Peru include exploring historic cities, discovering pre-Columbian cultures, tasting one of the world’s most varied cuisines and experiencing landscapes that range from arid coastal plains to tropical forest. Neywo offers free audio guides for 10 cities in Peru, with 137 narrated places in total.

Things to do in Peru

Peru’s history is one of the longest and richest in the Americas. Human presence in the territory reaches back to about 12,500 BCE, while Caral-Supe is described as the earliest civilization in the Americas. Later, the Nazca, Moche, Wari and Tiwanaku cultures shaped different parts of the country before the rise of the Kingdom of Cusco and the Inca Empire.

The Inca state became the largest known state in the pre-Columbian Americas. Its history included the civil war between Huáscar and Atahualpa, who became the final Sapa Inca after defeating and executing his half-brother. Spanish conquest then transformed the region. Lima became the capital of a vast viceroyalty, and the official establishment of the National University of San Marcos in 1551 marked the beginning of higher education in the Americas.

Explore Lima and its historic legacy

Lima is the capital and one of the best cities to visit in Peru for understanding the country’s layered history. Its place in the colonial world grew after it became the capital of the viceroyalty, while the National University of San Marcos reflects the city’s early role in higher education.

The city also brings together Peru’s historical and culinary identities. Lima is considered a global culinary capital, with award-winning restaurants including Central and Maido. Its food reflects Indigenous, Spanish, African and Asian influences, as well as the ingredients of the coast, mountains and rainforest.

Discover Cusco and the Inca world

Cusco was the centre of the Kingdom of Cusco and the Inca Empire. Today, the city is one of the essential stops on a Peru travel guide focused on Andean history and culture.

The wider Cusco area offers places connected with the Inca world, including Saqsaywaman, Huayna Picchu, Cusco Cathedral and the Convent of Santo Domingo. Nearby Aguas Calientes provides access to Machu Picchu, Huayna Picchu, Wiñay Wayna and Llaqtapata. The surrounding destinations also include Chinchero, known for the Church of Our Lady of the Nativity of Chinchero, and Pisac, where the Písac site is narrated by Neywo.

See Peru’s archaeological cultures

Peru’s ancient cultures left traces across the coast and the Andes. The country’s history is not limited to the Incas: the Nazca, Moche, Wari and Tiwanaku all contributed to the civilization of the region.

Near Huanchaco, Chan Chan and the Museo de sitio Chan Chan introduce the Chimú culture. Trujillo is another important destination for exploring this heritage, with places including Huaca Esmeralda, the Catedral de Trujillo and Palacio Iturregui.

Lima’s audio guide also includes Caral, connecting the modern capital with the civilization described as the earliest in the Americas. In this way, a journey through Peru can follow a much longer timeline than the Inca period alone.

Experience Arequipa’s historic centre

Arequipa is another important city for seeing the meeting of Andean and Iberian traditions. Its narrated places include the Historic Centre of Arequipa, Santa Catalina Monastery, Goyeneche Palace and Casona Tristán del Pozo.

The city’s history reflects the colonial period, when painting and sculpture developed through workshops founded by monks and influenced by the Sevillian Baroque School. These traditions became part of a broader Peruvian culture whose roots are both Andean and Iberian.

Travel towards the rainforest

Peru’s eastern landscape opens into the tropical rainforest of the Amazon basin, with the Amazon River. Iquitos is one of the cities through which to approach this side of the country. Its narrated places include Ayapua, the Cathedral of Iquitos, Casa de Fierro and the city itself.

Tarapoto offers another perspective on Peru’s tropical regions, with Neywo stories about Tarapoto and the Regional Museum of the National University of San Martin. Together, these destinations show how different the country can be from the Pacific coast and the high Andes.

Coast, Andes and Amazon

Peru’s geography is defined by three major settings. The western edge faces the Pacific, with a narrow, largely arid plain broken by valleys formed by seasonal rivers. The Andes run parallel to the ocean from north to southeast, while the Amazon basin extends across the east.

The country lies in the tropics, but its climates vary widely because of elevation, topography and the Humboldt and El Niño currents. Conditions range from desert dryness to heavy rainforest rain, with elevations from below sea level to high Andean peaks.

This variety helps make Peru a megadiverse country. More than 21,000 plant and animal species had been reported by 2003, including thousands found nowhere else. Wildlife includes pumas, jaguars and spectacled bears, while the country’s birdlife is especially rich. The Pacific supports fish, crustaceans, shellfish, sharks, sperm whales and whales.

Peruvian culture and food

Spanish is the main spoken language, but Quechuan languages, Aymara and other Indigenous languages are also spoken. In areas where they predominate, Quechua and other Indigenous languages are official alongside Spanish. Place names in regions such as Ancash, Cusco and Puno often reflect this linguistic heritage.

Peruvian music combines Andean, Spanish and African roots. Instruments such as the quena and tinya were already in use before the Spanish arrival, although musical expression differed from one region to another. Art likewise began in the Andean civilizations and later developed through colonial workshops.

Food brings these influences together. Peruvian cuisine blends Indigenous, Spanish, African and Asian traditions, using products from the country’s varied environments. Potatoes, tomatoes and maize were among the foods introduced to the Old World through the Columbian exchange. Peru is also the world’s largest producer of quinoa and maca, and produces coffee, cocoa, potatoes and other crops. Coastal cooking draws on sea bass, flounder, anchovies, tuna, crustaceans and shellfish.

Explore Peru with Neywo

Download Neywo to explore Peru with 9 walking tours covering 10 cities and 137 narrated places in total. Narration is available in 11 languages. Each story plays as you reach the place, at your own pace: the app tells you what you are seeing as you walk, with no group and no schedule.