What should I avoid in Lima?

The taxi hustle starts inside Jorge Chávez Airport's arrivals hall. Unlicensed drivers cluster near the exit, quoting S/80-100 for a ride to Miraflores that costs S/25-35 on Cabify or InDriver. The pitch is always 'official price' or 'traffic surcharge.' Neither is real. Lima's solo-traveler safety sits at 4.2/10 (see the TTDI Solo-Safety Index), and unlicensed cabs are the primary vector for express kidnappings, where the driver routes to an ATM and forces a withdrawal. Green Taxi and Taxi Directo run counters inside the terminal with posted rates. They'll charge around S/45 to Miraflores, more than the app but with a receipt and a registered plate number. The Metropolitano bus line doesn't reach the airport, so don't build your arrival plan around it.

Miraflores has fine restaurants, but the Larcomar shopping center's food court is where you'll pay S/65-85 for ceviche that Surquillo's Mercado No. 1 serves better for S/25. The Pacific view from Larcomar's terrace is worth the walk down. The food is not worth the markup. Tourists miss something fundamental about ceviche in Lima. It's a morning-to-early-afternoon dish. Cevicherías close by 4pm because the corvina and lenguado came off the boats at Villa María del Triunfo's wholesale market before dawn. Any place serving ceviche at 9pm is working with old fish, and you'll taste it. The lime cure should leave the flesh cool and firm, almost snappy between your teeth. If it's soft or smells sharp, you're eating yesterday's catch. La Mar on Av. La Mar draws 30-minute weekend waits and costs S/45-55 per plate. El Mercado de Rafael Osterling in San Isidro is quieter and in the same league.

Callao's port district has a growing street-art scene around Monumental Callao that works before 5pm with a group. The surrounding blocks get dangerous once the galleries lock up. La Victoria, around the Gamarra textile market, is Lima's worst district for phone snatching. Motorbike grabs happen in broad daylight. Centro Histórico around Plaza Mayor is well-policed during the day and worth the trip for the Cathedral of Lima, which has stood there since 1535. After 9pm the foot traffic thins and pickpocket risk climbs. The workaround is cheap. Cabify rides between Miraflores, Barranco, and San Isidro rarely top S/12, and those three districts cover most of what a first-time visitor needs. Barranco smells like roasting coffee and salt air near the Bajada de los Baños steps. Miraflores has pharmacies, ATMs, and restaurants within a 5-minute walk of most hotels.

Lima's garúa season runs from roughly May through November. It isn't rain. It's a cold, clinging coastal fog that keeps the sky flat grey for weeks and drops nighttime temperatures to 14-16°C. Visitors who packed for tropical Peru end up buying fleeces at Saga Falabella in Jockey Plaza on their first afternoon. Pack layers. August is the worst of it, and by 7pm on the Malecón in Miraflores the dampness soaks through a cotton jacket before you see actual water on your sleeves. The street cambistas near Jirón de la Unión in Centro offer exchange rates that look generous. They aren't. The bills are often counterfeit, with fakes slipped into the middle of a counted stack. Change money at a casa de cambio with a posted rate, or withdraw soles from a GlobalNet ATM inside any Inkafarma pharmacy. The current rate sits around 3.38 PEN per dollar.