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Museums
Lima has quite a considerable array of museums, including art, archaeology and history. The Museo de Arte de Lima, situated in the centre of Lima, was the city's first museum of art and houses Peruvian art spanning more than 3,000 years, from the pre-Inca cultures to contemporary art.
The Museo de la Nación has a permanent collection, which covers all of Peru's archaeological and ethnographic regions and in addition, a replica of the royal tombs of the Señor de Sipán. The largest private collection of Mochicha art in the world is to be found in the Museo Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera along with the famous erotic huacos (ceramic relics). Visit the Museo Amano to admire the wonderful collection of pre-Hispanic textile arts. The Pedro de Osma Museum is a museum housed in an old mansion and contains pieces of art in every textile imaginable, even metal and glass. This museum not only has local artists from Peru but art from throughout the world. To witness a piece of history about the Spanish Inquisition, visit the Museo de la Inquisición, where you can venture below to the dungeons and see all of the torture instruments that the conquistadors used against infidels.
Galleries
Lima has an interesting stable of artists and every two years the Galería de la Municipalidad de Miraflores and Galería Forum, which can both be found in Miraflores. In the district of Barranco you can find the Praxis Gallery and in San Isidro there are always interesting exhibitions in the Galería Cecilia González and in the Centro Cultural de la Universidad Católica.
Folk & Salsa Clubs (Peñas & Salsódromos)
Peru is very rich culturally, in dance, music and tradition. Las Peñas are folk clubs to gather together to the rhythms of Criolla (Creole) or traditional music. Lima has several Peñas such as the well-known Sachún in the Magdalena district, and El Eslabón in San Borja, where they also stage Folkloric Ballets like Así es Mi Perú (That's My Peru), as well as some more tourist traps such as Manos Morenas, offering dining, situated in Barranco.
The Peña folklórica held at Brisas del Titicaca affords unforgettable performances of Andean song and dance—especially from the Puna district. The lively ambiance invites all to join in along with the cast of professional performers. It is without a doubt the best spot in town of its kind. No video cameras are allowed, still cameras permitted.
A stop over at a Salsódromo (salsa club)in order to be able to dance salsa, meringues, or any other variation of Afro-Latin-Caribbean music is a must. These venues specialize in these musical styles and normally showcase numerous live bands, which, in most cases, play until the early hours. The best-known Salsadromes are Bertolotto in San Miguel, and the popular Kimbara and Tropical Plaza in La Victoria.
Bars, Clubs & Discotheques
Miraflores is a great choice to have a good time. El Parque Central was rebuilt in the early '90s and since then has become the ideal place to go for a stroll. The park has an amphitheater where you can enjoy free shows, which start in the early afternoons, and may be music, theater, mime or dance. Also to be found in the park is the Rotonda de los Artesanos, where you will find on show and for sale all types of goods including antiques.
Larcomar is a recently built shopping and entertainment center, which has a privileged location on the seafront. It has a selection of restaurants, ice-cream parlours, and shops selling accessories, books and gifts as well as a multiplex cinema, bowling alley. It also has charming jazz bars, the Hard Rock Café and some exclusive discos such as Teatriz and Señor Frog's, which are a couple of the most attractive bars in Lima.
Barranco, an old health spa, also has its own special character. It is situated in one of the most beautiful districts in the city for its cathedrals and scenic neighborhoods from the old Lima. However, Barranco is also known for its active nightlife, which is dominated by the many live shows of Peruvian jazz, rock and blues bands performing at La Noche and El Dragón.
Cinema & Theater
For cinema-lovers, there are a huge number of multiplex cinemas, which have sprung up all over the city. They mostly show Hollywood blockbusters. The state of the art cinemas, are at Larcomar and the Pacífico Cinemas, both located in Miraflores, as well as the multiplex at the Jockey Plaza mall in Monterrico. For those who prefer less mainstream, independent films, there are Filmoteca de Lima, which is in the Museo de Arte de Lima, El Cinematógrafo de Barranco, and the cinema at the Centro Cultural de la Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú in San Isidro, and where once a year they hold the Latin-American Film Festival where you have the opportunity to see films that represent Latin-America.
Lima is not really known for its theater, but from time to time there are a few interesting plays and shows. The City of Lima and the Instituto Cultural Peruano Norteamericano are two institutions that organize annually very good international festivals, in which you can enjoy the best dance companies and local theater, as well as renowned groups from other parts of the world.
For those who enjoy light comedy, one of the oldest and best-known comedy theaters is the Teatro Marsano in Miraflores. The theater at the Centro Cultural de la Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú stages a varied repertoire of works from a diverse range of dance and theater companies, usually of a very high standard. Teatro Larco has a fine reputation, and throughout the year presents both contemporary and classical plays.
The in-house theatre of Teatro de la Casa Yuyachkani is one of the most alternative theatre spaces in Lima, where the Yuyachkani theater group continuously presents shows which usually mix theater with dance and movement.
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