What should I pack for Lima?

Lima's winter runs June through September, and the weather you need to prepare for is the garúa, a persistent coastal fog that settles over Miraflores and Barranco like wet gauze. It rarely produces actual rain, but your jacket will feel damp after 20 minutes walking the Malecón. Temperatures sit around 14-19°C with humidity near 78%, which sounds mild until everything feels clammy against your skin. Pack a waterproof shell, 2-3 long-sleeve layers you can stack, and one fleece for evenings along the Costa Verde cliffs where the Pacific wind cuts right through cotton. Summer visitors who arrive December through March face a different city. Expect 26-30°C, direct sun, and visible sweat by noon. Two or three quick-dry shirts and shorts handle the days, plus one light long-sleeve for over-air-conditioned cevicherías in San Isidro.

Bring closed-toe walking shoes with serious tread to Lima. The cobblestone streets around Plaza Mayor and the Cathedral of Lima, built in 1535, are uneven and slick when the garúa settles on the stone. Sandals work on the Malecón boardwalk, but you'll regret them in Centro Histórico where sidewalks have missing tiles and 15-cm drops at unmarked curbs. The Cathedral and most Lima churches require covered shoulders and knees for entry, so pack one pair of long pants and a shirt that covers your shoulders. If you're visiting the Larco Museum in Pueblo Libre, founded in 1926, the courtyard gardens are gravel paths that punish thin soles. A portable charger is the other year-round essential. Google Maps plus ride-hailing apps like Uber and inDriver, both active in Lima, will drain a full battery by 2 PM on a sightseeing day.

InkaFarma, Lima's largest pharmacy chain, has a branch every 3-4 blocks in Miraflores and sells local SPF 50 for 25-35 soles, about $8-10 at the current 3.38 PEN-to-dollar rate, so skip packing sunscreen. Umbrellas cost 10-15 soles at any Tottus or Metro supermarket. Paracetamol runs about 3 soles for a 10-pack. The one exception is deodorant, where Wong supermarket charges 2-3 times US prices for imported brands and Lima pharmacies mostly carry roll-ons. Peru uses Type A and C outlets at 220V. Leave any 110V-only hair tools behind or they'll burn out on first use. Most hotel bathrooms in Miraflores already provide hair dryers.

If you're continuing to Cusco after Lima, and most visitors do, pack for two climates in one bag. Cusco sits at 3,400 meters and drops to 2-5°C at night year-round. A proper down jacket, thermal base layer, and wool socks are worth the 1-2 kg they add to your luggage. Lima needs none of that. Buy coca tea bags at any Lima supermarket for about 5 soles before your flight. Soroche altitude-sickness pills are over-the-counter at InkaFarma for around 8 soles. Buy them in Lima, where prices are half what Cusco airport shops charge.