San Isidro, der Olivenhain & Limas Finanzviertel
San Isidro (the 'El Bosque' district — Lima's primary financial and residential district, home to the 'El Olivar' (the ancient olive grove planted by the Spanish colonists in the 16th century, now a UNESCO-recognized urban park surrounded by the modern towers of the Lima financial district)) is the elegant, tree-lined heart of modern Lima — the district of the embassies, the international hotels, the luxury restaurants, and the headquarters of Peru's most important companies.
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El Olivar — 500-Year-Old Olive Grove in the City
El Olivar (San Isidro, planted 1560 by the Spanish colonist Antonio de Ribera from 3 olive shoots brought from Seville) is a public park of 1,800 olive trees, some 500+ years old — the original grove produced 90% of Peru's olive oil in the colonial period; the park (free, 6am–10pm) has a lake, walking paths, and a population of owls and kestrels visible at dawn; the adjacent Bosque El Olivar neighbourhood contains Lima's finest Republican architecture.
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Huaca Huallamarca — Pre-Inca Pyramid in San Isidro's Luxury District
Huaca Huallamarca (Calle Nicolas de Rivera, San Isidro, free) is a pre-Inca pyramid (the Lima culture, 200 BC–600 AD) rising from the middle of San Isidro's financial district — the adobe pyramid was used for burials across multiple cultures; the small museum displays mummy bundles and textiles found during excavation; the site is so incongruously embedded in the luxury neighbourhood that office workers eat lunch on its steps.
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Miraflores Cliff Walk — Parque del Amor to Larco Mar
The Miraflores cliff walk (Circuito de Playas, from Parque del Amor to Larco Mar, 3km) follows the edge of the Pacific-facing Costa Verde cliffs (80m above the ocean) — the Parque del Amor mosaic mural (Victor Delfín, 1993, in the style of Gaudí, depicting entwined lovers) is the most photographed spot; paragliders launch from the cliffs above Parque Raimondi every afternoon from 2–6pm.
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San Isidro Country Club & Jockey Club
The Lima Golf Club (San Isidro, 1924, the oldest golf club in South America, 18 holes designed in the 1920s colonial landscape) and the Jockey Club of Peru (La Molina, horse racing since 1876, races Sundays 3–9pm) represent Lima's traditional elite social institutions — both are formally members-only but permit visitor entry on race days (Jockey Club) and golf days (Lima Golf Club, $120 green fee for non-members with member introduction).
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Cala Restaurant — Cliff-Top Ceviche with Ocean View
Cala (Circuito de Playas del Sur, Miraflores) is built on the cliff face above the Pacific, accessible by elevator — the terrace seats 120 and faces directly west over the ocean; the kitchen specializes in contemporary Peruvian-Japanese (Nikkei) cuisine reflecting the 130,000-person Japanese community in Lima; dishes including tiradito de lenguado (sole in tiger's milk and ají amarillo) cost S/65–95.
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Central Restaurante — World's Best Restaurant, South America's No. 1
Central (San Isidro, Chef Virgilio Martínez, ranked World's Best Restaurant 2023) serves a 17-course menu organized by altitude — each course represents a distinct Peruvian ecosystem (from -10m sea level to 4,100m high Andes); ingredients (some 15 varieties of potato, 5 types of corn not found outside Peru, Amazonian cacao) are sourced from Martínez's network of producers in every Peruvian climate zone; dinner (without wine) S/1,200 per person.