You'll transfer to Lima's main square where the Spanish conqueror, Francisco Pizarro, founded the ""City of Kings"" in 1535. The Government Palace, Lima City Hall, Archbishop's Palace, and the Lima Cathedral surround the square. Visit the Lima Cathedral, the main church of the city and home of the crypt where Pizarro is buried. Afterward, you'll walk to the Casa Aliaga, the oldest colonial mansion in the Western Hemisphere and still inhabited by the same family since 1534. Here, coffee and coca tea will be served, and lilting music will play in the courtyard as you wander the rooms of this exquisite time capsule.
Next you'll visit the San Francisco Monastery, a most impressive colonial building featuring a church, chapels, monastery, and striking colonial fresco paintings. The cloister is inlaid with glazed tiles, most of them from Seville, bearing the dates 1620 and 1639. The crypts, or catacombs, were built of bricks and mortar, are very solid and have withstood many earthquakes. They served as the Lima cemetery until 1812. It is estimated that 25,000 bodies have been laid to rest there.
After you leave colonial Lima, you will drive through the residential districts of San Isidro and Miraflores. Both are suburbs where the rich and intelligentsia live. There are many large mansions, colonial buildings and fine hotels. Finally, you'll stop at El Parque del Amor for a great ocean view before finishing your tour.