The best museums Lima

In a colonial casona marvel of modern Lima, the most important pre-Columbian private collection gathers more than 45,000 pieces. Beautiful Paracas textiles, including a fabric with 398 strands in a square inch and stone sculptures from Chavín de Huantar. Without forgetting the bóveda, the chest containing objects made of metals and precious stones, of which a fabulous complete set of chimú dignitary: pectoral, bracelets, diadem, earrings.

The Larco Museum owes much of its well-deserved reputation to its erotic ceramics. Here, the objects of the Mochica culture are exhibited. These fine craftsmen, whose morals were unbridled, depicted all the stages of the sexual life of their contemporaries, with great crudity, without omitting either the most scabrous details or the venereal risks incurred. The other unique curiosity of this museum is the "depósito", a store where thousands of ceramics are stored on shelves and by category (women - a rare theme in these cultures - vampires, wars, sacrifices, flowers...). Another good point: the panels are written in Spanish, English, French, Italian, German and Japanese. Nice café-restaurant with a terrace under a bougainvillea (pasta, local Creole dishes, dishes for children). This is THE visit to make, as the staging and presentation of the exhibits is quite unique in Peru. Specialist professional guides are available, in French, please book.

Attention, this museum is under renovation, but its reopening was announced soon, inform you before programming a visit. This museum has priceless treasures of the different pre-Inca cultures. Not to be missed, the mochica room and the showcases dedicated to the wari culture, the few erotic ceramics, the Paracas textiles, the chimú jewels and utensils, the mummies with the deformed and trepanned skulls of the coastal peoples (a particularly impressive mummy veils his face with his left hand where the nails shine). The engraved stones - including the Raimondi stele from the Chavín period, 2 m high, and the Tello obelisk found in Chavín de Huantar, with its engravings of fantastic animals - as well as the crossed hands of Kotosh, are all breathtaking subjects.

Also fascinating is the Museo Nacional de Historia, with furniture and paintings from the colonial and republican periods (including a remarkable gallery of some 35 portraits of the viceroys of Peru). This part is located in the Quinta de los Libertadores, a large colonial house with a flowered patio, which was inhabited successively by José de San Martín and Simón Bolívar, the liberators of the country. Guide service in French (S/ 15). Around the Plaza de Pueblo Libre, colorful houses and some traditional addresses. Quite dense, we hope that the renovation will allow a beautiful enhancement of these treasures that will illuminate what we will see later in the trip.

A beautiful modern space on the border between Miraflores and Barranco, this Museo de Arte Contemporeano is surrounded by a nice garden where, on nice days, it's nice to hang out. The design shop at the entrance is interesting although expensive. The permanent exhibition is well thought out, it is a large space where local contemporaries such as Fernando de Szyszlo, Kukuli Velarde, or Elliot Tupac are presented. The most interesting thing is the temporary exhibitions on the agenda: new visual artists, talented national photographers and international stars.