---
title: "Top 10 Things To Do in Arequipa, Peru | Wimup"
description: "Arequipa's white sillar centre, ranked. Santa Catalina, Juanita, the Colca condors and the picantería lunch, with hours, prices and how to reach each one."
url: https://wimup.com/city/arequipa
type: City guide
updated: 2026-10-17
publisher: Wimup (https://wimup.com)
---

# Top 10 Things To Do in Arequipa

Arequipa, Peru · South America · By Wimup Editorial, 14 min read

Peru's second city sits at 2,335 m in a desert bowl under three volcanoes, built almost entirely from white volcanic sillar. It is a walking city of two or three days, and the gentlest acclimatisation stop between Lima and Cusco.

## Quick answer

Give Arequipa three days. Spend the first in the historic centre on Santa Catalina, the cathedral and the Juanita mummy, the second on the Colca canyon, and keep an afternoon for Yanahuara and a picantería lunch. The centre is compact and walkable, the altitude is gentle, and most of it closes by 18:00.

## Quick facts

- **Best months:** May · Jun · Sep
- **Ideal length:** 3–4 days
- **Budget per day:** $45–90
- **Language:** Spanish
- **Getting around:** Walking & taxis
- **Tourism board:** [Official site](https://www.peru.travel/en?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

## The 10 best things to do in Arequipa

### 1. Walk the painted lanes of Santa Catalina

Landmark · Calle Santa Catalina 301, Cercado, Arequipa

A walled convent covering roughly 20,000 square metres, painted cobalt and ochre, with its own streets and squares inside. Allow two hours, and go late on a Tuesday or Wednesday when it stays open until 19:00 and the lanes empty out.

- **Time:** 2–3 hrs
- **Cost:** S/50
- **Best at:** Late afternoon
- **Tip:** Tue and Wed run late

Links: [Website](https://santacatalina.org.pe/en?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

### 2. Meet Juanita at the Museo Santuarios Andinos

Museum · Calle La Merced 110, Cercado, Arequipa

The Ice Maiden, an Inca girl sacrificed on Ampato and found frozen in 1995, is shown in a chilled case on a guided visit. From January to April she rests in the dark for conservation and a second mummy takes her place.

- **Time:** 1 hr
- **Cost:** Guided entry
- **Best at:** Morning
- **Tip:** Closed 25 Dec and 1 Jan

Links: [Website](https://www.ucsm.edu.pe/museo-santuarios-andinos/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

### 3. Watch condors at Cruz del Cóndor

Day trip · Cruz del Cóndor, Cabanaconde, Colca Canyon

Andean condors ride the morning thermals out of a canyon about 3,270 m deep. Day tours leave Arequipa around 03:00 and return after dark; two days based in Chivay is the better trip. The Autocolca ticket is S/70 for foreign adults.

- **Time:** Full day
- **Cost:** S/70 ticket
- **Best at:** 08:00–10:00
- **Tip:** Carry cash in soles

Links: [Tickets](https://www.colcaperu.gob.pe/servicios?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

### 4. Cross the Plaza de Armas to the cathedral

Landmark · Plaza de Armas, Cercado, Arequipa

Three sides of sillar arcades around a palm-filled square, with the cathedral filling the fourth. Rebuilt after the 1844 fire and the 1868 earthquake, it opens its museum Monday to Saturday, 10:00 to 17:00, for S/10.

- **Time:** 1 hr
- **Cost:** Free · S/10 museum
- **Best at:** Early evening
- **Tip:** Museum shuts at 17:00

### 5. Take the volcano view from Yanahuara

Viewpoint · Plaza de Yanahuara, Yanahuara, Arequipa

A small plaza of sillar arches, each one carved with a line written about the city, framing Misti straight ahead. Ten minutes by taxi from the centre and free to stand in. Come for the last hour of light.

- **Time:** 45 min
- **Cost:** Free
- **Best at:** Sunset
- **Tip:** Walk back over the bridge

### 6. Read the facade of La Compañía

Landmark · General Morán at Álvarez Thomas, Cercado, Arequipa

The Jesuit church's 1698 front is the high point of Andean baroque carving, with mestizo faces and cantuta flowers cut into white stone. The San Ignacio chapel behind it is painted like a jungle and is the reason to pay in.

- **Time:** 45 min
- **Cost:** Church free
- **Best at:** Late morning
- **Tip:** Pay for San Ignacio

### 7. Eat lunch in a picantería

Food · Leoncio Prado 122, Yanahuara, Arequipa

A picantería is a lunch-only house of the kind Peru's Ministry of Culture listed as national heritage in 2014. Order chupe de camarones or rocoto relleno, drink chicha de guiñapo, and arrive before 13:00 or expect to queue.

- **Time:** 2 hrs
- **Cost:** S/35–70
- **Best at:** 12:00–14:00
- **Tip:** Lunch only, no dinner

Links: [Heritage listing](https://www.gob.pe/institucion/cultura/normas-legales/204709-033-2014-vmpcic-mc?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)

### 8. Have breakfast at Mercado San Camilo

Market · Calle San Camilo, Cercado, Arequipa

The city's iron-framed market, laid out in aisles of fruit, cheese, medicinal herbs and juice counters. Come early, take a queso helado on the way out, and keep your bag in front of you in the crowded aisles.

- **Time:** 1 hr
- **Cost:** Free
- **Best at:** 07:00–10:00
- **Tip:** Bring small notes

### 9. Get lost in Barrio San Lázaro

Neighborhood · Calle Combate Naval, San Lázaro, Arequipa

Arequipa's oldest quarter, a knot of sillar lanes barely two metres wide, laid out before the Spanish grid reached them. Ten minutes on foot north of the plaza, quietest in the early morning and free to wander.

- **Time:** 1 hr
- **Cost:** Free
- **Best at:** Early morning
- **Tip:** Start at Plaza Campo Redondo

### 10. See where the white stone comes from

Day trip · Cantera de Añashuayco, Cerro Colorado, Arequipa

The Añashuayco quarries are the source of the sillar the city is built from, still cut by hand into blocks and now carved into reliefs along the ravine walls. Half-day tours run from the centre; there is no public transport out there.

- **Time:** 4 hrs
- **Cost:** Guided tour
- **Best at:** Morning
- **Tip:** Take sun cover

## Best picanterias in Arequipa

Lunch-only houses cooking the regional carte, listed as national heritage since 2014.

1. **La Nueva Palomino** (Picantería · $$ · Yanahuara): Seventh-generation family house and the city's benchmark picantería.
2. **Sol de Mayo** (Picantería · $$ · Yanahuara): Garden tables in Yanahuara, the easiest entry point to the tradition.
3. **La Lucila** (Picantería · $$ · Sachaca): A Sachaca institution, and the address people name for chupe de camarones.
4. **La Benita de Characato** (Picantería · $ · Characato): Worth the drive south for adobo served the Sunday way.
5. **Tradición Arequipeña** (Picantería · $$ · Av. Dolores): A big, busy hall on Avenida Dolores with live music over weekend lunch.

## Best restaurants in Arequipa

The kitchens that take the regional carte somewhere else, plus the cheap lunch that beats them all.

1. **Chicha por Gastón Acurio** (Peruvian · $$$ · Cercado): Acurio's Arequipa kitchen, regional plates worked up to a tasting finish.
2. **Zig Zag** (Fusion · $$$ · Cercado): Andean and Alpine cooking in a sillar mansion over Plaza San Francisco.
3. **Hatunpa** (Peruvian · $ · Cercado): Native potatoes under a choice of toppings. The best cheap lunch in the centre.
4. **Tío Darío** (Peruvian · $$ · Yanahuara): Terrace tables in Yanahuara with the volcanoes in view, strong on river prawns.
5. **La Trattoria del Monasterio** (Italian · $$ · Cercado): Italian cooking built into the monastery wall, another Acurio project.

## Best churches & monasteries in Arequipa

The buildings that earned the historic centre its UNESCO listing in 2000.

1. **Monasterio de Santa Catalina** (S/50 · 09:00–18:00 · Cercado): The walled convent city, still the best two hours in Arequipa. [Website](https://santacatalina.org.pe/en?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
2. **Basílica Catedral de Arequipa** (Free · S/10 museum · Cercado): Fills a whole side of the Plaza de Armas, rebuilt twice after fire and earthquake.
3. **Iglesia de la Compañía** (1698 facade · Cercado): Andean baroque cut into sillar, with the painted San Ignacio chapel behind it.
4. **Monasterio de Santa Teresa** (Museum · Cercado · Cercado): A working Carmelite convent whose museum holds the colonial art and silver.
5. **Iglesia y convento de San Francisco** (Plaza San Francisco · Cercado): Sillar and brick, with earthquake damage left visible in the dome.

## Best museums in Arequipa

One frozen Inca girl, two convent collections and a free lesson in alpaca fibre.

1. **Museo Santuarios Andinos** (Mon–Sat 09:00–18:00 · Cercado): Juanita, the frozen Inca girl from Ampato, on a guided hour. [Website](https://www.ucsm.edu.pe/museo-santuarios-andinos/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
2. **Museo de Arte Virreinal de Santa Teresa** (Convent museum · Cercado): Colonial painting and silver inside a closed Carmelite convent.
3. **Casa del Moral** (Mon–Sat 09:00–17:00 · Cercado): An eighteenth-century sillar mansion, and a short lesson in how it was cut.
4. **Mundo Alpaca** (Free · San Lázaro): Free paddock and weaving workshop explaining alpaca and vicuña fibre.

## Best neighborhoods in Arequipa

Five districts, all within fifteen minutes of the Plaza de Armas.

1. **Cercado** (Historic centre · Cercado): The UNESCO centre. Almost everything on this page is a walk from the plaza.
2. **Yanahuara** (10 min by taxi · Yanahuara): The mirador, the picanterías and the best sunset, across the Chili river.
3. **San Lázaro** (8 min on foot · San Lázaro): The oldest lanes in the city, photogenic and quiet after dark.
4. **Cayma** (Modern district · Cayma): Malls, cafés and long-stay flats on Avenida Ejército. Light on colonial charm.
5. **Vallecito & Selva Alegre** (15 min on foot · Vallecito): Leafy streets and the big park, the easiest base with children.

## Best day trips in Arequipa

Canyon, quarry, altiplano and desert, all reachable and back in a day.

1. **Colca Canyon** (S/70 ticket · Caylloma): Condors at Cruz del Cóndor and hot springs at Chivay, three hours each way. [Tickets](https://www.colcaperu.gob.pe/servicios?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
2. **Ruta del Sillar** (Half day · Cerro Colorado): The Añashuayco and Culebrillas quarries, about four hours out and back.
3. **Reserva Nacional Salinas y Aguada Blanca** (Protected area · Altiplano): Vicuñas, flamingos and 4,000 m altiplano on the road east to Chivay. [Website](https://www.gob.pe/sernanp?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
4. **Petroglifos de Toro Muerto** (3 hrs northwest · Majes): Around 3,000 carved boulders across a desert hillside in the Majes valley.
5. **Molino de Sabandía** (S/10 · half day · Sabandía): A 1621 water mill in the countryside south of the city, S/10 to enter.

## Best bars & cafes in Arequipa

Four rooms that stay open past 18:00, which narrows the field considerably.

1. **Chelawasi Public House** (Craft beer · $$ · Cercado): Peruvian craft beer and a short kitchen. The reliable evening in the centre.
2. **Crepísimo** (Café · $ · Cercado): Crepes filled with ají de gallina or rocoto, in the Alianza Francesa courtyard.
3. **Café Casa Verde** (Coffee · $ · Cercado): A social-enterprise café near the plaza, and the better coffee of the two.
4. **Déjà Vu** (Rooftop · $$ · San Francisco): A rooftop on Calle San Francisco, and the longest-running bar on it.

## Festivals & annual events in Arequipa (2026)

- **Carnaval arequipeño** (February): Water fights, yunza dances and district parades through the month.
- **Día del Pisco Sour** (First Sat of February): The national pisco sour day, marked across the bars of the centre.
- **Semana Santa** (March or April): Palm Sunday processions leave Santa Catalina and Santa Teresa.
- **Virgen de Chapi** (29 April to 3 May): Pilgrimage to the Polobaya sanctuary, with the main mass on 1 May.
- **Fiestas Patrias** (28–29 July): Peru's independence holidays. Expect closures and full buses.
- **Aniversario de Arequipa** (15 August): The 1540 founding, marked with fireworks and the Asunción procession.
- **Corso de la Amistad** (Mid August): The anniversary-week parade, and the biggest street event of the year.
- **Todos los Santos** (1–2 November): Families spend the day at the cemeteries with food and brass bands.

## Must-try dishes in Arequipa, Peru

- **Rocoto relleno**: Rocoto chilli stuffed with beef, egg and cheese, baked with potato gratin.
- **Chupe de camarones**: River prawn chowder with milk, potato and egg. A Friday dish.
- **Adobo arequipeño**: Pork stewed overnight in chicha de guiñapo, eaten at Sunday breakfast.
- **Ocopa arequipeña**: Boiled potato under a cold huacatay, peanut and chilli sauce.
- **Solterito de queso**: Broad beans, fresh cheese, olives and rocoto, dressed cold as a starter.
- **Cauche de queso**: Fresh cheese melted with rocoto, milk and potato in a clay pot.
- **Queso helado**: Frozen milk and cinnamon custard. There is no cheese in it.
- **Chicha de guiñapo**: Dark maize beer, poured by the jar in every picantería.

## Arequipa transport & airports

- **Alfredo Rodríguez Ballón** (AQP): Eight kilometres northwest of the centre and the only airport serving the city. Fifteen to twenty-five minutes by taxi. [Website](https://aap.com.pe/en/sedes/arequipa-en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- **Terminal Terrestre** (BUS): The long-distance bus terminal, south of the centre. Overnight coaches run to Lima, Cusco and Puno; book at the counter or online. [Cruz del Sur](https://www.cruzdelsur.com.pe/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- **Colectivos to Chivay** (COLCA): Shared minivans leave the terminal through the morning for about S/15 and take roughly three hours to Chivay, the Colca base. [Colca tickets](https://www.colcaperu.gob.pe/servicios?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- **Taxis & ride apps** (TAXI): InDriver, Cabify and Uber all work here, with thinner cover outside the centre. In a street taxi, agree the fare before you get in.

## Arequipa at a glance

- **Country:** Peru
- **Region:** Arequipa
- **Population:** 1.1M metro (2017 census)
- **Founded:** 15 August 1540
- **Nickname:** La Ciudad Blanca (the White City)
- **Altitude:** 2,335 m
- **Language:** Spanish, with Quechua widely spoken
- **Currency:** Peruvian sol (S/)
- **Time zone:** PET · UTC-5
- **Calling code:** +51 54
- **Power:** 220V · Type A/C
- **Emergency:** 105 police · 106 ambulance

## Interesting facts

- UNESCO listed the historic centre in 2000 for its sillar architecture, the white volcanic stone quarried at Añashuayco.
- Three volcanoes frame the city: Misti at 5,822 m, Chachani at 6,057 m and Pichu Pichu to the east.
- The Colca canyon runs about 3,270 m deep, which is roughly twice the depth of the Grand Canyon.
- Peru's Ministry of Culture declared the picantería arequipeña a National Cultural Heritage in 2014.
- Juanita, an Inca girl sacrificed on Ampato around 500 years ago, was found frozen on the summit in 1995.

## Arequipa travel FAQ

### How many days do you need in Arequipa?

Three. Two cover the historic centre, the museums and a picantería lunch without rushing, and the third goes to the Colca canyon. Add a fourth if you want the canyon as an overnight from Chivay rather than a long day trip.

### Is the altitude in Arequipa a problem?

Rarely. At 2,335 m most people feel nothing worse than mild breathlessness on the hills. It sits about a thousand metres below Cusco, which makes it a useful place to spend two or three days acclimatising first.

### Can you see the Colca canyon in a day from Arequipa?

Yes, but it is a hard day. Tours leave around 03:00, reach Cruz del Cóndor for the mid-morning thermals and get back after dark. Two days based in Chivay costs little more and leaves time for the hot springs and the terraces.

### When is the best time to visit Arequipa?

May to September. The dry season brings clear skies and mild days, which is when the volcanoes are visible and the Colca roads are reliable. January and February are the wettest months and can close mountain routes.

### What is a picantería?

A lunch-only house serving the regional carte with chicha de guiñapo, listed by Peru's Ministry of Culture as national heritage in 2014. Service starts around noon and stops when the pots are empty, so go early.

## Nearby guides

- [Cusco](https://wimup.com/city/cusco.md): Peru · 10 picks
- [La Paz](https://wimup.com/city/la-paz.md): Bolivia · 10 picks
- [Cochabamba](https://wimup.com/city/cochabamba.md): Bolivia · 10 picks
- [All of South America →](https://wimup.com/south-america): 39 cities

Part of the [Peru guide](https://wimup.com/country/peru.md) · [South America](https://wimup.com/south-america.md)

## Sources

- [Arequipa tourism board](https://www.peru.travel/en?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Walk the painted lanes of Santa Catalina (official site)](https://santacatalina.org.pe/en?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Meet Juanita at the Museo Santuarios Andinos (official site)](https://www.ucsm.edu.pe/museo-santuarios-andinos/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Watch condors at Cruz del Cóndor: Tickets](https://www.colcaperu.gob.pe/servicios?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Eat lunch in a picantería: Heritage listing](https://www.gob.pe/institucion/cultura/normas-legales/204709-033-2014-vmpcic-mc?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Reserva Nacional Salinas y Aguada Blanca (official site)](https://www.gob.pe/sernanp?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Alfredo Rodríguez Ballón (official site)](https://aap.com.pe/en/sedes/arequipa-en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- [Terminal Terrestre: Cruz del Sur](https://www.cruzdelsur.com.pe/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral)
- Rankings are Wimup editorial picks. Prices, durations and budgets are editorial estimates, not live quotes; check the official site before you go.