03
Callao and Lima excursions, by how far they take you
Each option below is judged on what it gives back for the time it spends on the road.
Some stay in Callao. Others go deep into Lima, and one heads well south to Pachacamac for most of a day.
The berth, the drive times and the advisory are on our Callao cruise port guide. Coming from the Canal? Our Panama City shore excursion guide covers the stop that often comes first.
If you see one part of Lima, make it the old center. It’s nearer the port than Miraflores, and it packs the most history per block — churches, plazas, the catacombs.
Plaza San Martín is the usual first stop, with its monument to the liberator José de San Martín. A few blocks away, the Basilica and Convent of San Francisco sits over the city’s catacombs.
Those catacombs served as a burial ground from the 1600s into the early 1800s and hold the remains of an estimated 25,000 people. They opened to the public in 1950 — dim, low and not for everyone.
Getting there is the whole question. Holland America sells a “Lima on Your Own” transfer with about four hours of free time; otherwise, book a car that will collect you at the port and bring you back.
- Time commitment
- No duration is published for a self-guided visit. Allow the drive both ways on top of your time in town.
- Getting there
- The line’s transfer, a booked private car or a ride app — not a street taxi.
- Suits
- First-timers and history lovers.
- Ship or independent
- Either. The ship’s transfer owns the clock; a private car gives you the route.
Why it's worth considering
It’s the shortest of Lima’s main drives from Callao, so more of the day goes to the city itself.
The catacombs add what no panoramic drive can: a trip underground.
The catch
Weekday traffic can turn a 35-minute ride into an hour or more each way.
Crime rises after dark, says the State Department. Come back to the car before evening, not after.
Verify before you book
- The catacombs’ opening hours and ticket price for your date
- Exactly where your driver will meet you at the port
Here’s the low-effort way to see a lot of Lima: a coach, a guide and a few photo stops.
Holland America’s Easy Lima runs five hours from $55. It stops at Plaza San Martín downtown, crosses San Isidro and Miraflores, pauses by Salazar Park for the ocean view and drives past Barranco on the way back to the pier.
Most of the day is spent seated, which is the point — you see the city through the window, not on foot. Holland America rates it easy, and meals aren’t included.
- Time commitment
- 5 hours.
- Getting there
- Coach from the pier and back.
- Suits
- First-timers, anyone short on energy, and travelers who want the city’s shape before a second visit.
- Ship or independent
- Ship. The coach deals with the traffic and the ship waits for it.
Why it's worth considering
It covers three districts — downtown, Miraflores, San Isidro — in one sitting, with the port run included.
At $55, it costs about a quarter of Holland America’s Pachacamac day.
The catch
Barranco gets a drive-past, not a stop — you see the district through glass.
Holland America lists it as not wheelchair accessible, even with easy activity.
Verify before you book
- Which stops your ship’s version includes
- The return time against all-aboard
The Larco is the museum to choose if you only have time for one.
It sits in an 18th-century mansion in Pueblo Libre, and the collection runs to pre-Columbian gold, textiles and ceramics. The visible storerooms hold something like 30,000 to 35,000 pots — shelf after shelf of them.
There’s also the erotic ceramics room, which is exactly what it sounds like. Steer the kids past it, or don’t.
A 2026 visitor guide lists daily hours of 9:00 to 19:00 and adult tickets at S/50 at the door, S/45 online. A café-restaurant in the gardens makes it an easy lunch stop.
- Time commitment
- The ship tours fold it into a day of about 7½ to 8½ hours with Pachacamac.
- Getting there
- Booked car or ride app from the port.
- Suits
- Couples, history buffs and repeat visitors.
- Ship or independent
- Independent if you want the museum alone; the ship’s Pachacamac day includes it.
Why it's worth considering
It’s one ticket and one building — easy to fit around whatever the traffic does.
Open every day on the 2026 hours, so it works on a Monday when the Pachacamac tours don’t.
The catch
The hours and prices come from a third-party guide — check the museum’s own site before you go.
You still need a safe ride both ways; the museum doesn’t solve the transport.
Verify before you book
- This week’s hours and ticket price on the museum’s site
- Whether booking online saves a queue on your date
This is the big day out from Callao, and it’s the tour that does the most with the drive.
Pachacamac is an ancient pilgrimage site in the Lurín Valley, south of the city. The site lists the Painted Temple, the Temple of the Sun and around 16 ramped pyramids, on a visitor circuit about 3 km long.
The ship versions bundle it with the Larco Museum and lunch at a hacienda, where you watch Peruvian Paso horses perform. Holland America’s runs about eight hours from $209; Seabourn’s about 7½ hours from $170.
P&O lists a similar tour at 8½ hours and rates it high, with about 2½ hours on foot over sandy, uneven ground — a better guide to the effort than the word “moderate”.
- Time commitment
- About 7½ to 8½ hours, depending on the line.
- Getting there
- Coach from the pier, south along the coast.
- Suits
- Couples, history lovers and anyone with a full day.
- Ship or independent
- Ship. It’s a long day with three stops, and the timing is the ship’s problem.
Why it's worth considering
Three things a city day can’t give you — the ruins, the museum and the horses — with lunch included.
The ruins sit well outside the city, so a coach earns its seat here.
The catch
Holland America and Seabourn don’t run theirs on Mondays.
Holland America and Seabourn mark it not wheelchair accessible, and the sandy ground is hard work.
Verify before you book
- Whether your call falls on a Monday
- How long you actually get on the ruins themselves
Not every good day here involves Lima. The Palomino Islands sit off Callao, and the sea lions are the attraction.
One listing on Civitatis runs three hours by speedboat from US$75, meeting at Comandante Fanning 145 in Callao. It includes a bilingual guide, a life jacket, snacks and a companion for the swim.
You pay the islands’ 11-sol conservation tax on top — bring soles for it.
- Time commitment
- About 3 hours on the water.
- Getting there
- A short ride within Callao to the meeting point; confirm a pickup if you can.
- Suits
- Active families, wildlife fans and short calls.
- Ship or independent
- Independent. Book it direct, with free cancellation as a safety net.
Why it's worth considering
It starts in Callao, so you skip the long drive into Lima.
Cancellation is free up to 24 hours ahead, which helps if your arrival time shifts.
The catch
A speedboat on open water is a rough ride for anyone prone to seasickness — take the tablet before, not after.
A reviewer was asked to show up more than 45 minutes early — count that into your clock.
Verify before you book
- The departure time on your date
- Whether the price includes a wetsuit
Miraflores is postcard Lima — parks on the clifftop and the Pacific below.
Huaca Pucllana sits right in the middle of it. It’s a seven-level adobe pyramid built by the Lima culture around AD 400 to 700, surrounded by a residential district, not out in the desert.
In 2024 its site museum opened Wednesday to Monday, 9:00 to 17:00, with day entry at S/15. A restaurant overlooks the ruins.
Civitatis sells a three-hour walk from US$27.19 that starts at the huaca and ends at Parque del Amor on the cliffs.
- Time commitment
- About 3 hours for the guided walk, plus the drive of roughly 45 to 75 minutes each way.
- Getting there
- Booked car or ride app to Huaca Pucllana.
- Suits
- Budget travelers, first-timers and couples.
- Ship or independent
- Independent. Book the walk, then a car to meet you at the end.
Why it's worth considering
Ruins, a neighborhood and the ocean view on one walk, for a modest fare, not a coach price.
Miraflores has plenty of places to eat when the walk ends.
The catch
It’s the longer drive of the two main districts, and traffic can eat into the walk.
Civitatis lists a Spanish-speaking guide; ask about English before you book.
Verify before you book
- The walk’s start time and language
- Huaca Pucllana’s current hours and price
An overnight in Callao opens up the evening, and the fountains are the evening’s easy win.
The Magic Water Circuit fills Parque de la Reserva with lit fountains. Holland America’s tour takes about 3½ hours from $55, drives through downtown past Plaza San Martín and ends with the show at the Fantasy Fountain.
The park opens daily from 15:00 to 22:00, with shows at 19:15, 20:15 and 21:10 and gate entry at S/5. Children under five get in free.
- Time commitment
- About 3½ hours.
- Getting there
- Coach from the pier, after dark.
- Suits
- Families and anyone on an overnight call.
- Ship or independent
- Ship. After dark, the State Department’s night-time warning tips this toward the coach.
Why it's worth considering
Under-fives get in free, and it fills an evening the ship’s schedule leaves open.
Cheap either way — $55 for the tour, five soles to get in on your own.
The catch
Holland America limits it to guests returning to the ship, so it’s no use on your last night if you’re off to a hotel.
Marked not wheelchair accessible.
Verify before you book
- That your call is overnight
- The show times on your date
On a repeat visit, look at Callao itself, not just the road out of it.
The Fortaleza del Real Felipe guards the old harbor. A tip-based walking tour listed on Civitatis meets there and runs about 3½ hours, with the fortress entry of 20 soles and a 1-sol bus to the La Punta peninsula paid on the day.
A guided minibus option exists too. Civitatis lists a four-hour Port of Callao tour from US$41.44 that visits the fortress, with hotel pickup.
- Time commitment
- About 3½ to 4 hours.
- Getting there
- A short drive from the port to the fortress; the walk starts there.
- Suits
- Repeat visitors and history fans.
- Ship or independent
- Independent, with a booked car to the start.
Why it's worth considering
It keeps the day close to the ship, so the traffic matters less — a big deal on a weekday.
It shows you Callao’s own history, which the Easy Lima route doesn’t stop for.
The catch
The minibus tour quotes hotel pickup, not a pier pickup — ask before you book it.
Not wheelchair accessible, going by the walking-tour listing.
Verify before you book
- That the walk runs on your date and at what time
- How you’ll get from the port to the fortress and back
04
Callao with the ship or on your own
Transport is the decision
The ship’s coach, a booked car or a ride app — that choice matters more here than the tour itself. The State Department warns against hailing unknown taxis, and the port isn’t walkable.
Once the ride is sorted, Lima is easy to see independently. Without it, don’t try.
Long days and night tours belong to the ship
Pachacamac runs about 7½ to 8½ hours and ends a long way from the pier. If the coach is late, the ship waits for its own guests — not for yours.
The fountains tour is cheap and runs after dark, when the advisory says risk goes up. Let the coach handle it.
Short hops work best on your own
The Larco, a Miraflores walk and the Palomino boat each fill about three hours, plus the drive.
Book a car with a fixed pickup at the port, not a ride you find at the gate, and agree on the return time before you set off.
How each option compares in Callao
| Excursion | Lean ship excursion when… | Independent works when… |
|---|
| Historic center and catacombs | You want the clock handled | With a booked car and a firm return time |
|---|
| Easy Lima drive | Yes — it’s a Holland America product | A private driver can copy the route |
|---|
| The Larco Museum | Bundled into the Pachacamac day | Yes — one stop, open daily |
|---|
| Pachacamac and the Paso horses | Yes — long, far and timed | Only with a driver you trust and spare hours |
|---|
| Palomino Islands | Only if your line happens to sell it | Yes — it leaves from Callao |
|---|
| Miraflores and Huaca Pucllana | Partly, as a drive-through on Easy Lima | Yes — book the walk and a car |
|---|
| Lima by night | Yes, on an overnight call | Possible, but after dark |
|---|
Short answer
Pick one district, not three. For a first visit, take a booked car to the historic center and the San Francisco catacombs, or add the Larco on the way back. If you’d rather not deal with transport at all, Holland America’s five-hour Easy Lima is the simple choice. Book Pachacamac through the ship on a long day that isn’t a Monday, and keep the sea-lion boat for a short call.
