Lima City of The Kings Walking Tour Including Catacombs

Lima City of the Kings is interesting because it strings together grand downtown plazas and then sends you underground with the San Francisco catacombs. You get a guided walk that makes the city feel connected, not like a checklist.

I love that it runs as a small group (max seven people), so your guide can keep the pace human and actually answer questions. I also like that you get hotel pickup and drop-off in key Lima neighborhoods, which removes a lot of stress from getting to the Historic Centre.

One consideration: you are still walking and moving between sights, and local traffic can stretch the day (especially on transit days). Build in some flexibility and wear comfortable shoes.

Key highlights to look for

• Maximum seven people means a more personal guide experience
• Hotel pickup and drop-off covers Barranco, Miraflores, San Isidro, and downtown hotels
• Entrance fees are covered, including the big one at San Francisco Convent and Catacombs
• Air-conditioned vehicle helps you connect between central stops
• Two start times lets you choose morning or afternoon
• Stories from multiple guides include English praised as clear and smooth, plus good humor

A Walking Tour That Mixes Plazas With the San Francisco Catacombs

This tour is built around Lima’s downtown spine, from leafy squares to major churches, then ending with the most memorable “wait, what am I looking at?” stop in the Historic Centre: the San Francisco Convent and its catacombs.

You’ll walk and look at the city the way locals tend to experience it. The big plazas are not just pretty backdrops. They act like Lima’s public living rooms, with gardens, church authority, and government power all within a short radius. That makes the history feel practical, not dusty.

Then comes the shift. The catacombs connect you to Lima’s colonial-era burial traditions across the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. You’re not just hearing facts. You’re seeing the physical space that shaped how people coped with death during those centuries, inside the convent complex.

Meeting Point to Drop Off: How the 3 Hours 30 Minutes Works

The tour runs about 3 hours 30 minutes and you can choose a morning or afternoon start time. It is designed so you can cover a lot of central Lima without feeling like you sprinted between stops.

Pickup and drop-off are part of the value, but only in specific areas. You can be picked up and returned to hotels or apartments in Barranco, Miraflores, San Isidro, and downtown (only). If you’re outside those areas, you’ll use the main meeting point instead.

You start at Gran Hotel Bolivar Lima, located at Jirón de la Unión 958. You finish at the Basílica and Convent of San Francisco, on Jr. Lampa in the same Historic Centre zone. Finishing at San Francisco is useful if you want to keep exploring after the tour, but it also means you should have a plan for your next move.

Group size is capped at seven travelers, and you travel by an air-conditioned vehicle for transfers. Snacks are included, which matters because downtown walks can stretch and you may not want to hunt for a quick bite mid-tour.

Plaza San Martin and Jirón de la Unión: Start With Atmosphere

Your first stop is Plaza San Martin, a square loved by locals for its gardens and overall atmosphere. You’ll get an intro to Lima and Peru through a local lens, with context about the country’s people and everyday life. The tour also suggests you may go inside one of the nearby buildings around the plaza. That little “inside look” can make the square’s role click right away.

After that, you shift to Jirón de la Unión, one of Lima’s must-see streets. This is where the city starts talking at street level: impressive church and religious altar presence, plus architectural details like wooden balconies and standout rock carvings. You’ll also notice the everyday Lima rhythm, from local shops and chicken restaurants to music playing along the way.

What I like about this pairing is the flow. Plaza San Martin gives you grounding and orientation. Jirón de la Unión then fills in the textures, so when you later see major religious and government buildings, they feel connected to the neighborhood rather than isolated monuments.

Time-wise, you’ll spend about 30 minutes at each of these early stops. That’s enough to take photos, absorb the guide’s story, and not feel stuck in one location too long.

La Merced, Plaza de Armas, Palacio de Gobierno, and the Cathedral

From Jirón de la Unión, the tour moves into Lima’s religious and political core.

Next is Iglesia y Convento La Merced. You’ll visit the Minor Basilica and Convent of Nuestra Señora de la Merced, designed in the Baroque style. The tour notes the church was built under Friar Miguel de Orenes in 1535, and the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy is venerated here. The guide also explains how the Mercedarians helped develop Lima by building and preserving many churches still standing today. Even with a shorter stop time, the guide framing gives this place a specific purpose in Lima’s story.

Then you reach one of the big ones: Plaza de Armas, also called Plaza Mayor. This is a highlight for a reason. You get Spain’s colonial influence in the architecture, and you’ll be surrounded by early palaces and major mansions tied to the colonial era. The square’s main garden is treated well, so it’s both scenic and functional. Expect about 25 minutes here, enough to really look around and let the guide connect what you see with how the city was run.

After that, you get a front-facing look at Palacio de Gobierno, the government palace. The tour takes you outside for an explanation, and you’ll learn why this building matters. The change of the guard is said to be expected around midday, though it can vary in practice, so it is best treated as a maybe, not a guaranteed show. You won’t go inside.

Two more quick, high-impact stops follow:

• Basilica Catedral de Lima in Plaza Mayor area, with construction starting in 1535 and completed in 1649, dedicated to St John, Apostle and Evangelist.
• A short exterior orientation that keeps the momentum moving without rushing the key visuals.

These last central stops are brief, around 5 to 10 minutes each, but that’s the point of the tour style: you keep moving, you keep seeing the big names, and you save the deeper time commitment for the catacombs.

Inside the San Francisco Convent and Catacombs

The final stop is the real reason many people book this. You visit Museo Convento San Francisco y Catacumbas and spend about 45 minutes inside.

First, you tour the San Francisco Convent itself. Then you go into the catacombs, which the tour frames as a window into colonial life and traditions spanning the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. The timing matters here. This isn’t a five-minute “look and go.” It is the part of the tour where your guide can guide your attention, so you understand what you are seeing instead of just staring at dark corridors and trying to guess.

Admission to this attraction is included, and it is the clearest “included value” on the day because it is the main paid entry point. In other words, you’re paying for a walk, plus you’re getting a structured visit to Lima’s most unusual underground experience.

If you care about real cultural practices, not just photo stops, this ending is the payoff. And if you don’t usually do church interiors or history-based visits, you may still enjoy this one because it tells a story in a physical way.

Practical tip: plan to slow down your photos here. The space rewards attentive looking more than quick snapshots.

Value for $45: Tickets, Snacks, and Group Size

The price is $45 per person for roughly 3 hours 30 minutes. On paper, that can sound like “just a city walk.” In practice, it is more than that because several pieces that usually cost extra are bundled in.

You get:

• A professional guide
• Hotel or apartment pickup and drop-off in the listed Lima neighborhoods
• Complimentary admission to visited attractions, including entry to the San Francisco Convent and Catacombs
• Entry/Admission – Centro Historico de Lima
• Snacks
• An air-conditioned vehicle to connect between the main points

The small-group cap of seven people is another real value lever. Big tours can turn guides into background noise. Here, your questions are more likely to get heard, and you’re less likely to be stuck behind a wall of people at every stop.

One more detail I think you’ll appreciate: this tour is typically booked about 28 days in advance on average. That doesn’t mean you must book early, but it does suggest it is a popular way to do the Historic Centre efficiently without losing your whole day to logistics.

Who Should Book This Tour, and Who Might Want a Different Plan

This works best for you if you want an easy first pass through central Lima with a guide who helps the city make sense fast. It is also a good fit for first-time visitors because you cover the key plazas and churches that shape the city’s layout and mood.

If you dislike walking, you may find it tiring. While transfers by vehicle help, the experience is still a walking-focused route, and it ends with a longer, more involved visit underground.

It is also a strong choice if you like structure. The tour has defined stops with included admissions and a clear end point at San Francisco, so you’re not guessing what comes next.

From the guide feedback in the provided info, the standout pattern is that the guides deliver engaging, story-based explanations with clear English. Names like Leidy, Felipe, Patricia, and Moises show up repeatedly in the best-rated comments, and several mention patience, humor, and taking time for photos.

Should you book this Lima City of the Kings Tour?

I’d book it if you want a compact, guided tour that covers Lima’s power and faith on the surface, then gives you a genuinely memorable ending in the catacombs. The small group, pickup and drop-off, and included admissions make the $45 feel more like a bundled experience than a basic sightseeing walk.

I would skip or rethink it if you want a slow, museum-heavy day with lots of free time. This tour is built for momentum, with short stops at the major landmarks and one longer deep-focus stop at San Francisco.

FAQ

How long is the Lima City of the Kings Walking Tour?

It lasts about 3 hours 30 minutes.

How much does the tour cost?

The price is $45.00 per person.

How many people are in the group?

The tour has a maximum group size of 7 travelers.

Does the tour include hotel pickup and drop-off?

Yes. Pickup and drop-off are included for hotels in Barranco, Miraflores, San Isidro, and downtown only.

Are entrance fees included?

Yes. Admission to the visited attractions is complimentary, including entry to the Museo Convento San Francisco y Catacumbas and Centro Historico de Lima.

What are the available start times?

You can choose between a morning or afternoon start time.

Where do you meet, and where does the tour end?

You meet at Gran Hotel Bolivar Lima, Jirón de la Unión 958. The tour ends at Basílica and Convent of San Francisco, Jr. Lampa, Lima.

Is transportation included during the tour?

Yes. You travel by an air-conditioned vehicle.

Are snacks included?

Yes, snacks are included.

Can I cancel for a full refund?

You can cancel up to 24 hours before the experience starts for a full refund. If you cancel within 24 hours, you will not receive a refund.