Pachacámac from Lima: Is the Combined City Tour Worth It?
4 min read
As a day trip from Lima, Pachacámac comes in one tour we list: the City Tour with Catacombs and Pachacámac Inca Ruins. It lasts 8 hours and costs €72.44, with 4.9 stars from 21 reviews. Pachacámac is half of that day, not all of it. The only other offers with Pachacámac on our pages are two two-day packages that add Paracas, Ica and Huacachina, both still without reviews.
Pachacámac lies in the Lurín district, south of central Lima; the museum’s visitor page gives the address as km 31.5 of the old Panamericana Sur. The tour page describes it as one of the largest religious centres on the Peruvian coast in Inca times, with buildings from different kingdoms going back to around 200 AD, and pyramids the Incas dedicated to the Sun. If you want a long, slow visit to the site alone, this is not that. If you want to see the site and the old centre in one day with transport arranged, it is.
The day in order
The page lists the city part first and Pachacámac last:
- Plaza San Martín, then the Plaza de Armas with the Presidential Palace, City Hall, Cathedral and Archbishop’s Palace.
- The San Francisco Monastery and its underground catacombs. A reviewer says the skip-the-line entrance saved them a long queue.
- A lunch break of 1 hour 30 minutes, for which the guide recommends local restaurants.
- The Pachacámac site and its museum.
Pachacámac comes after the lunch break, so you travel south once the city part is done. If the centre is what you care most about, our guide to the historic centre, guided or alone compares the tours that do only that.
What is included
The page lists pickup and drop-off at your hotel or apartment, an air-conditioned vehicle, an English-speaking local guide, and all entrance tickets for the tour; according to the museum, entry costs S/ 15 for adults and S/ 1 for children aged 3 to 17. The same list names transfers from or to Lima airport or the Callao area, so ask before booking if you are staying there. The page states that no meals or drinks are included, so lunch is paid separately. The guides speak Spanish and English; a reviewer describes a guide who switched between the two for a mixed group. The exact pickup details are shown when you pick a date.
Who it does not suit
The page lists wheelchair users as not suitable. The page does not allow luggage or large bags, so leave them at the hotel. Eight hours is also a lot for small children; ask the operator about a minimum age before you book.
Honest limits
The tour has 21 reviews so far, and the day is split between two very different places. According to the museum’s visitor page, the museum and site open Tuesday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (tickets until 4:30 p.m.) and on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (tickets until 3:30 p.m.); Monday is not in the schedule. Because the tour reaches Pachacámac last, after a 90-minute lunch, avoid Mondays and ask the operator how the timing works on a Sunday. The Pilgrims’ Route, a circuit visited only with a guide, is suspended for conservation work.
See dates and prices for the Pachacámac and city tour
For other day options, see the city tours page and the day trips from Lima.
