Barranco is cool. Think Brooklyn without trying too hard. If you’re in Lima you’ll definitely want to save some time for wandering around the little bohemian district. It’s where Peru’s 20th century writers and artists called home, giving it such a hip vibe. A good place to start is Parque de La Cruz, here you can find some street art of which the area is known for.
Head towards Bajada de los Baños – a lovely cobbled pedestrian street lined with restaurants, galleries, and boutiques. It links Barranco to the sea, so walk it all the way down and watch the surfers or take a dip. Along the way you go underneath the Bridge of Sighs built in 1876, climb up and cross it for a different perspective.
Keep heading down towards the water and you can’t miss an alleyway up a set of stairs densely covered in murals with a hidden gallery or two.
The art is genuinely unique inside, I loved the handmade hummingbirds. If you take the stairs to the top, walk the dead end street which will terminate with a pretty little view of the Pacific.
You may discover that cats are as common as the murals, some with gorgeous blue eyes.
The architecture is superb, especially the library in Plaza de Armas Barranco.
Old cars are delightfully common.
There are some paid museums, one about a famous photographer, another about electric trains. I popped in the Museo Pedro de Osma because of its stunning exterior.
Within there was a LOT of religious art, which I am not so interested in, however the stained glass windows were exquisite.
I did find some sculptures that amused me,
and there is an impressive collection of silver. Most of all I loved sitting in the serene garden watching the birds.
Dinner it was traditional Criolla Peruvian food at Isolina.
Jeff got a papa rellena, a croquette stuffed with meat – which was such ridiculously good comfort food. There was a local fried silverside fish (pejerrey) sandwich that was perfectly crafted, a little small though – so I had room for dessert. We split a crema volteada which was similar to a flan, but lighter.
It was a fantastic meal, and the perfect end to our time in Barranco. There are plenty of bars if you are into the nightlife and want to keep rocking!