Two Paper Boats
  • Guides
    • Guides

      Summer Trip to Svalbard – Everything You Need…

      Guides

      Visit the Ancient City of Al Ula on…

      Guides

      Dhigurah Island, a Quiet Gem in the Maldives

      Guides

      How Livable is Santa Marta, Colombia?

      Guides

      A Day Trip Guide to Machu Picchu

      Guides

      Exploring Quito

      Guides

      Day Trips from Yerevan

      Guides

      Discover Yerevan, Armenia’s Up and Coming Capital

      Guides

      13 of Our Favorite Places in Vienna

      Guides

      Everything You Need to Know About a Costa…

      Guides

      Petra Day Trip & Avoiding Scams

      Guides

      Our Guide to Montenegro’s Bay of Kotor

      Guides

      17 Unique Experiences to Try in Japan

  • Itineraries
    • Itineraries

      One Year Around the World

      Itineraries

      A Chilean Patagonia Itinerary

      Itineraries

      An Itinerary Through Chile’s Lake District

      Itineraries

      Ten Day Galapagos Itinerary

  • South America
    • South America

      Mendoza, the Most Livable Place in South America

      South America

      San Juan del Sur Travel Guide

      South America

      How to Enter Nicaragua by Land from Costa…

      South America

      A Guide to Salento, Our Cocora Valley Base

      South America

      Cocora Valley Hiking Guide and Trail Map

      South America

      3 Day Bogota Travel Guide

      South America

      One Week Medellin Travel Guide

      South America

      3 Day Travel Guide to Colorful Cartagena

      South America

      How Livable is Santa Marta, Colombia?

      South America

      Visiting the Penguins on Magdalena Island

      South America

      Everything You Need to Know About Visiting Puerto…

      South America

      A Chilean Patagonia Itinerary

      South America

      An Itinerary Through Chile’s Lake District

      South America

      A Day Trip Guide to Machu Picchu

      South America

      Witnessing the Worst Protests in Chile in 3…

  • Europe
    • Europe

      A Wes Anderson Inspired Hotel in Oslo

      Europe

      We Bought the Nordic Choice Unlimited Hotel Pass

      Europe

      How Much It Cost Us to See the…

      Europe

      Wilderness Hotel Inari Review

      Europe

      Beginner’s Luck – Seeing the Northern Lights on…

      Europe

      Finnish Lapland in October

      Europe

      Day Trips from Yerevan

      Europe

      Discover Yerevan, Armenia’s Up and Coming Capital

      Europe

      Why Vienna is the Most Livable City in…

      Europe

      13 of Our Favorite Places in Vienna

      Europe

      Dolmabahçe Palace, An Istanbul Gem

      Europe

      Our Guide to Montenegro’s Bay of Kotor

      Europe

      A Winter Weekend in Andorra

  • Middle East
    • Middle East

      Visit the Ancient City of Al Ula on…

      Middle East

      Honest Thoughts on Traveling in Egypt

      Middle East

      Everything You Need to Know About a Costa…

      Middle East

      Finding the Best Hummus in Israel

      Middle East

      Petra Day Trip & Avoiding Scams

  • Asia
    • Asia

      Dhigurah Island, a Quiet Gem in the Maldives

      Asia

      My Search for Lamprais or “Lump Rice” in…

      Asia

      17 Unique Experiences to Try in Japan

  • Nomad Life
    • Nomad Life

      2020 – Travel Interrupted

      Nomad Life

      Packing Super Light for a Trip Around the…

      Nomad Life

      How We Afford to Travel Full-Time

      Nomad Life

      The Downside of Airbnb’s “Pay Part Now, Part…

      Nomad Life

      Our Favorite Airbnbs in the World

PeruSouth America

A Guide to Arequipa, Peru’s Most Beautiful City

by Lu October 21, 2019
October 21, 2019 1.9k views

We liked Arequipa much more than Lima, which we found to be a big, gritty city with perpetually foggy weather, congested traffic, and poor air quality.

Arequipa is Peru’s second largest city, but it’s not that large. It’s calmer and cleaner than Lima, but still has all the modern amenities one may need, including nice Airbnbs and a glorious supermarket in the center. It’s also 20% cheaper than Lima.

The old town square may be the most beautiful in Peru, with grand old buildings and views of volcanos.

Arequipa

As we walked into the Plaza de Armas, our first reaction was, wow, someone must have spent a lot of money here.

Arequipa

The weather is warmer and sunnier due to the increase in elevation, but the altitude is not so high that it’s uncomfortable. In fact, it’s a good place to stop and adjust on your way to Cusco, which is at very high altitude. If you fly straight from Lima at sea level to Cusco at 3399 meters, you’re more likely to experience altitude sickness than if you stop in Arequipa at 2335 meters on the way.

The population is also more indigenous than in Lima, which is reflected in the terraced landscape, artisan crafts, food, and language. We met many people whose first language was Quechua, the language of the Incas.

There’s a surprising amount to do in Arequipa, from visiting alpacas to a multitude of open air museums. We visited the Moral House, a preserved mansion built around 1730 in the Andean Baroque civil architectural style.

Moral House Arequipa
Moral House Arequipa

Next to the Moral House is the most popular attraction in the old town, the Santa Catalina Monastery, a colorful 16th century “city within a city” that once housed 450 nuns.

Santa Catalina Monastery

You can see alpacas and traditional weaving at Mundo Alpaca, get cheap eats at the San Camilo Market, where we bought a pound of sweet ripe figs, and take in city views from Plaza de Yanahuara with its tall palm trees.

Arequipa
Arequipa

My favorite place to get a vegetarian empanada was at Cafe Dulceria La Miel, which also sells fancy cakes for reasonable prices.

I really wanted to visit the Museum of Virceregal Art Santa Teresa because I saw a photo of an exquisite doorway at this museum, but we ran out of time.

You can easily spend a week in Arequipa. Our only regret was spending a week in Lima and only 4 days in Arequipa. If we had known better, we would have done it the other way around!

More Information on Visiting Peru:

A Day Trip Guide to Machu Picchu

A Photo Tour of Santa Catalina Monastery in Arequipa

To see where we are now, follow us on Instagram.

Lu

previous post
Ten Day Galapagos Itinerary
next post
A Photo Tour of Santa Catalina Monastery in Arequipa

You may also like

Mendoza, the Most Livable Place in South America

August 18, 2020

San Juan del Sur Travel Guide

March 8, 2020

How to Enter Nicaragua by Land from Costa Rica

March 6, 2020

A Guide to Salento, Our Cocora Valley Base

February 29, 2020

Cocora Valley Hiking Guide and Trail Map

February 25, 2020

3 Day Bogota Travel Guide

February 20, 2020

One Week Medellin Travel Guide

February 16, 2020

3 Day Travel Guide to Colorful Cartagena

February 13, 2020

How Livable is Santa Marta, Colombia?

February 12, 2020

Visiting the Penguins on Magdalena Island

January 28, 2020

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Travelgrams

Popular Posts

  • The Downside of Airbnb’s “Pay Part Now, Part Later” Option

    June 23, 2019
  • Everything You Need to Know About Visiting Puerto Williams

    January 26, 2020
  • Our Guide to Montenegro’s Bay of Kotor

    January 31, 2019
  • Visiting the Penguins on Magdalena Island

    January 28, 2020
  • Our Favorite Airbnbs in the World

    June 15, 2018
  • Cocora Valley Hiking Guide and Trail Map

    February 25, 2020
  • Petra Day Trip & Avoiding Scams

    February 10, 2019
  • 17 Unique Experiences to Try in Japan

    November 1, 2018

  • Privacy Policy

COPYRIGHT © 2022 TWO PAPER BOATS


Back To Top
Two Paper Boats
  • Guides
    • Guides

      Summer Trip to Svalbard – Everything You Need…

      Guides

      Visit the Ancient City of Al Ula on…

      Guides

      Dhigurah Island, a Quiet Gem in the Maldives

      Guides

      How Livable is Santa Marta, Colombia?

      Guides

      A Day Trip Guide to Machu Picchu

      Guides

      Exploring Quito

      Guides

      Day Trips from Yerevan

      Guides

      Discover Yerevan, Armenia’s Up and Coming Capital

      Guides

      13 of Our Favorite Places in Vienna

      Guides

      Everything You Need to Know About a Costa…

      Guides

      Petra Day Trip & Avoiding Scams

      Guides

      Our Guide to Montenegro’s Bay of Kotor

      Guides

      17 Unique Experiences to Try in Japan

  • Itineraries
    • Itineraries

      One Year Around the World

      Itineraries

      A Chilean Patagonia Itinerary

      Itineraries

      An Itinerary Through Chile’s Lake District

      Itineraries

      Ten Day Galapagos Itinerary

  • South America
    • South America

      Mendoza, the Most Livable Place in South America

      South America

      San Juan del Sur Travel Guide

      South America

      How to Enter Nicaragua by Land from Costa…

      South America

      A Guide to Salento, Our Cocora Valley Base

      South America

      Cocora Valley Hiking Guide and Trail Map

      South America

      3 Day Bogota Travel Guide

      South America

      One Week Medellin Travel Guide

      South America

      3 Day Travel Guide to Colorful Cartagena

      South America

      How Livable is Santa Marta, Colombia?

      South America

      Visiting the Penguins on Magdalena Island

      South America

      Everything You Need to Know About Visiting Puerto…

      South America

      A Chilean Patagonia Itinerary

      South America

      An Itinerary Through Chile’s Lake District

      South America

      A Day Trip Guide to Machu Picchu

      South America

      Witnessing the Worst Protests in Chile in 3…

  • Europe
    • Europe

      A Wes Anderson Inspired Hotel in Oslo

      Europe

      We Bought the Nordic Choice Unlimited Hotel Pass

      Europe

      How Much It Cost Us to See the…

      Europe

      Wilderness Hotel Inari Review

      Europe

      Beginner’s Luck – Seeing the Northern Lights on…

      Europe

      Finnish Lapland in October

      Europe

      Day Trips from Yerevan

      Europe

      Discover Yerevan, Armenia’s Up and Coming Capital

      Europe

      Why Vienna is the Most Livable City in…

      Europe

      13 of Our Favorite Places in Vienna

      Europe

      Dolmabahçe Palace, An Istanbul Gem

      Europe

      Our Guide to Montenegro’s Bay of Kotor

      Europe

      A Winter Weekend in Andorra

  • Middle East
    • Middle East

      Visit the Ancient City of Al Ula on…

      Middle East

      Honest Thoughts on Traveling in Egypt

      Middle East

      Everything You Need to Know About a Costa…

      Middle East

      Finding the Best Hummus in Israel

      Middle East

      Petra Day Trip & Avoiding Scams

  • Asia
    • Asia

      Dhigurah Island, a Quiet Gem in the Maldives

      Asia

      My Search for Lamprais or “Lump Rice” in…

      Asia

      17 Unique Experiences to Try in Japan

  • Nomad Life
    • Nomad Life

      2020 – Travel Interrupted

      Nomad Life

      Packing Super Light for a Trip Around the…

      Nomad Life

      How We Afford to Travel Full-Time

      Nomad Life

      The Downside of Airbnb’s “Pay Part Now, Part…

      Nomad Life

      Our Favorite Airbnbs in the World