Pueblo Libre is often overshadowed online, by the likes of Miraflores or Barranco. Yet, Pueblo Libre is a better district for tourists than both Miraflores and Barranco. And it’s actually the second most historically significant neighborhood in Lima!
As I’ll make clear in greater detail below, Pueblo Libre has more history on offer than the other tourist districts. Plus, it has more nightlife, is conveniently located within the city, has greater levels of safety and security and is all around, a better neighborhood for tourists!
Everything you need to know about Pueblo Libre from a local!
Where is Pueblo Libre?
Pueblo Libre is a tiny neighborhood in Lima that measures only 2.5km² or 1 square mile. It’s bordered by suburbs like Magdalena del Mar, San Miguel, Jesus Maria and San Isidro. And its typically labelled as being within ‘central’ Lima.
Pueblo Libre is conveniently located within 15 to 20 minutes of both Miraflores and the Historic Center of Lima. In any direction, a 15 to 20 minute Uber ride for $3-$5 will get you where you want to go. Be it the beach, or the catacombs in the Historic Center.
Getting To Pueblo Libre From The Airport
Getting to Pueblo Libre from the airport is extremely easy. Just get an Uber, inDrive, DiDi, Cabify or book a private airport transfer in advance. The private transfers are often cheaper than the ridesharing apps, when you book them ahead of time.
You can find everything you need to know about getting to and from the Lima airport on this website. Written by a local (me) who does the airport to Pueblo Libre return trip 3-5 times a month. My article about transport options at the Lima airport is here.
Why Visit Pueblo Libre?
Pueblo Libre is actually the second most historically significant district in Lima Peru. Did you know that both José de San Martín and Simón Bolívar lived in Pueblo Libre while they were in Peru? Or that Pueblo Libre has the ‘cross of the traveler,’ that was erected by Francisco Pizarro?
Basically, if the only neighborhood you visit in Lima is Miraflores, then you haven’t seen anything older than about 80 years. Iglesia de Santa María Magdalena (1557), the church in Pueblo Libre, was declared a cultural treasure and listed for protection in 1942, well before that old looking church in Miraflores was even a plan on paper.
Pueblo Libre is not just the Larco Museum. And in fact, the Larco Museum is not the best museum in Pueblo Libre. Peru’s oldest museum, and the only museum that Peru had for the first 100 years of it’s existence, is in Pueblo Libre. The National Museum of the Archaeology, Anthropology, and History of Peru (NMAAHP) in Pueblo Libre is the best museum in Lima.
The Larco Museum is a privately owned museum. And by law and according to the Constitution of Peru, all cultural artefacts found within the country must first be given over to the state owned NMAAHP in Pueblo Libre.
The NMAAHP in Pueblo Libre has got the largest collection and all the most important pieces. Like the famous Tumi (ceremonial knife), that’s so often associated with Peru (pictured below).
Is Pueblo Libre a safe neighborhood for tourists?
With all the museums and the huge collections of cultural artefacts that exist within Pueblo Libre, there comes greater levels of safety and security. Pueblo Libre is an upper-middle class neighborhood. And its home to the Cuartel Bolívar, an active military facility housed in a beautiful art deco building.
The residents of Pueblo Libre all have access to a neighborhood mobile application, that acts as a panic button. If they see something they don’t like, they click that button and the police and serenazgo (neighborhood security force) arrive on site, in a response time that beats the police in most developed nations.
With all the static security guards around the museums, historic houses and the private security guards on most buildings, plus the serenazgo, the police and the military monitoring the CCTV cameras that are on every light pole, you have nothing to worry about when visiting Pueblo Libre.
Local Tip: Don’t litter or walk on the grass. Somebody will see it and they’ll click that button and send the serenazgo to fine you, if you do!
Things to do in Pueblo Libre
Just a small selection of ‘tourist attractions’ in Pueblo Libre, that are all older and much more interesting than the Miraflores lighthouse, include:
- Larco Museum
- National Museum of the Archaeology, Anthropology, and History of Peru
- Quinta de los Libertadores (Simon Bolivar and Jose de San Martin lived here)
- Zona Arqueologica Monumental Mateo Salado (huge archaeological complex)
- Plaza de la Bandera (on Sunday’s a 9x13m or 29ftx42ft flag is raised by the military)
- Santa María Magdalena (Franciscan church built in 1557)
- Cruz del Viajero – The ‘Cross of the Traveler’ (Placed by Francisco Pizarro)
- Antigua Taberna Queirolo (The oldest restaurant and bar in Lima)
- Santiago Queirolo (making Pisco since 1877)
- Boulevard del Criollismo (avenue dedicated to Peru’s Criol music stars)
Travel Tip: Though Pueblo Libre is small, just to visit the items on the list above the average tourist will need about 1.5 days in Pueblo Libre.
Because of Pueblo Libre’s strategic location within Lima, a 20-30 minute walk will also allow you to see other attractions like:
- Manos De Hierro – Iron Hands Workshop (a famous artists gallery)
- Magdalena Market (the best market in Lima)
- Cúpula De Sucre (tallest church in Lima)
- Parroquia San Jose (gothic cathedral with a park out front where old men play chess)
- Huaca Huantille (archaeological site)
- Huaca San Miguel (archaeological site)
- Huaca La Palma (archaeological site)
- El Parque De Las Leyendas (Lima’s Zoo)
Best restaurants in Pueblo Libre
Now, Pueblo Libre is not just museums, parks and archaeological sites. Though it does have the claim to fame of being the district in Lima with the most parks. Pueblo Libre also has some of the best restaurants and cervecerias (brewpubs) in the city!
First up, the restaurants you should try in Pueblo Libre when in Lima Peru:
- Antigua Taberna Queirolo (the oldest restaurant and bar in Lima)
- Museo Larco Cafe Restaurant (rated as the no.4 restaurant in Lima)
- El Bolivariano (owned by Queirolo)
- Rural Restaurante (Andean cuisine featuring trout, cuy and native potatos)
- Santa Cabaña (Andean and Criol fusions)
- Plancha – Criolla y Teppanyaki (a fusion of criol and Japanese teppanyaki)
- Master Kong (the best ‘Chifa’ in Lima Peru)
- Popos (the best street sandwhich in Lima – expect long lines)
- Anticuchería La Norteña (the best anticucho in Lima – 4 outlets on the same block!)
Best cervecerías in Pueblo Libre
Next up, my favourite, the cervecerias! Now, a cerveceria is basically a brewpub. They make and sell their own brand of artesenal beers. And you can buy them by the pot, pint, yard-glass, stein or in the form of mini-kegs, if you’re having a big night out with friends.
Here’s just a few of the brewpubs (cervecerias) in Pueblo Libre:
Basically, the only type of bar or pub missing from Pueblo Libre, is an Irish bar. Pueblo Libre has no Irish bars. But then again, the Irish bars in Miraflores often have no Guiness, no beer and only sell Peruvian food – So you’re not missing much by not visiting them!
Nightlife in Pueblo Libre
If you want to spend your evening on a terrace, in a pub, a rock bar, a salsa club or dancing cumbia, Pueblo Libre has it all. And what’s better, given the small size of the district, it’s all within 3 blocks!
You can find live music in Pueblo Libre untill 5am, most nights of the week. But Friday and Saturday nights are when things really kick up a gear. And on Friday and Saturday nights, you can spend your whole night hopping from one pub, bar or club to the next. All for a fraction of the price of Miraflores and without any cover charges!
Here’s a handy list of bars, pubs and nightclubs to get you started:
- La Chacalea (speakeasy style secret bar – look for the period era costume out front)
- Santa Pachita (cocktails and fusions)
- Barley Bar – Centro de Convenciones Bolívar (DJ on Friday & live salsa all night on Saturday nights)
- Capitanna Fusión (reminiscent of Colombia – cocktails and beers on a neon lit rooftop)
- Mi Tercer Lugar (epic fun and funky brewpub)
- Terraza Experiencias Gastronómicas (live music most nights of the week)
- Legión Resto Bar (drink specials like ‘all you can drink’ for s/50)
- Estacion8 (epic old-school rock bar that started in Huacho and has moved to Lima)
- Bar tempo (grunge style bar in an old house)
- Jamaica Free Town (take a trip to Jamaica with some tiki inspired cocktails)
- Anta Fusion (cumbia events on a regular basis)
- Quinta Bolívar (traditional restaurant with live music and pisco by the bottle!)
Travel Tip: If you’re looking for even more places in Pueblo Libre, join the Facebook group!
Why Pueblo Libre is better than Miraflores and Barranco!
If it wasn’t obvious from the start, you’re not going to see anything of historical value, in Miraflores. And only a tiny piece of Barranco has historical value. But if it was just a choice between Miraflores and Barranco, I’d take Barranco.
Yet, it’s not just a choice between Miraflores or Barranco for tourists. There’s also San Isidro, Pueblo Libre and even now, Lince. But when you factor in safety, value for money and convenient access to tourists attractions, Pueblo Libre easily wins.
You’ll often hear the bricheras and bricheros talk about Miraflores if you’re on any form of social media or dating app. They’re all convinced Miraflores is the greatest thing since sliced bread.
I once had a brichera say ‘Miraflores is amazing, it’s like Miami, Venice or Copacabana’. To which I responded, ‘have you been to those places?’ and she said, ‘no’. I had a good laugh at her expense. Miraflores is nothing like those places.
But the locals are often convinced that Miraflores is the epitome of global neighborhoods. And this is mostly for the same reasons that the tourists are. It’s because Miraflores and Barranco have the greatest number of 12+ bunk bed per room, hostels.
Every ‘travel blogger’ or youtube ‘vlogger’ stays in the cheap party hostels. They do no research before arriving and they often never even venture out of the suburb they’re staying in. So, they make content about Miraflores or Barranco. Standing in front of a 60 year old functional lighthouse that’s not a tourist attraction, they make content about how ‘you absolutely need to see the lighthouse.’
The local expats like me, laugh at them. And there are entire Facebook communities of expats dedicated to making memes about these people. They give tourists like you, bad advice.
Miraflores, and most of Barranco, are nothing special. When I was shopping around for my current apartment, I actually lived in all these neighbourhoods for months on end. And I’ll tell you now, Miraflores is more sketchy than Lince (Lima’s unofficial red light district). Lince is safer and all around better, than Miraflores.
But Miraflores is the safest suburb in Lima?
The misconception that Miraflores or Barranco are somehow the safest suburbs in Lima is not just incorrect, it’s contrary to facts. To quote a travel blogger I do respect, ‘bees go where the honey’s at and thieves go where the money’s at’.
With all the tourists crammed into Miraflores, you’re going to find the greatest number of drug dealers, pimps and criminals targeting tourists in Lima. Of which there’s none in Pueblo Libre. Because they can’t work here with all the CCTV and security.
Don’t believe me? Just look at the Peruvian Governments own statistical data, released by INEI. Miraflores is the 6th most dangerous neighborhood in Lima. The crime rate in Miraflores gets worse each year. But Pueblo Libre has an ever declining crime rate. And Pueblo Libre is currently 23rd making it significantly safer than Miraflores for tourists.
Costs in Miraflores and Barranco
For that false sense of security, you’re going to pay through the nose for everything. A beer that costs s/6 in a bar in Pueblo Libre, is going to cost you s/20 in Miraflores. It’s the same beer and it takes the same amount of work to open it. Yet, the Miraflores crowd are even going to expect you to tip them to open that beer. That same beer that’s being sold s/14 over it’s normal price!
For the same money that tourists spend in Miraflores or Barranco, they could be VIP everywhere in Pueblo Libre. It’s just one of the very many reasons, that I bought real estate in Pueblo Libre.
But Miraflores and Barranco have the beaches!
Actually, Magdalena del Mar and Chorrillos have the beaches. Miraflores and Barranco have a small strip of pebbles and rocks with waves crashing onto them. Magdalena del Mar has the better of the sandy beaches. And it’s where you’ll find the greatest number of locals in summer.
If you want to go surfing or swimming, Magdalena del Mar is where you should be going. Or out to La Punta in Callao. Or even up to Huacho, 2.5 hours from Lima, where you’ll find an amazing 8 beach circuit!
