Visit these 10 free museums in Lima the first Sunday of each month

For a while now, in Peru and Lima, there are free museums being managed, thanks the museums that find themselves in charge of the state at a national level, so that the first Sundays of each month, the Peruvian visitor can have free entry to the museums. It has the objective of bringing the population closer to their history, traditions, and demonstrating how much one can learn from visiting a museum that provides a unique experience, given that it translates for our imaginations a period of history that can be interpreted in different ways.

If you are Peruvian and you're reading these words, well, you mustn't forget to take a free walk this Sunday, 4th February, that's the first Sunday of the month. You can also take advantage of this and get to know a museum located nearby to your home. Believe me when I say that, in Lima, there are many very interesting options. In fact, I've already visited some of them, but not all of them, and I believe that it won't be possible given the time that I have left in Lima.

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As people know, the museums of my city have different themes, and it's one of the things that makes me passionate when talking about them. It's for this reason perhaps that nowadays I also appreciate the academic pathway that I chose, which is tourism, as it's loosely related to it.

Ok, get a pen and paper as now I'll provide you with a list of the museums managed by the Peruvian Ministry of Culture, so you can visit them. Remember that it's only free for natives of the country, foreigners have to pay a normal tariff. It would be ideal if it was free for both nationals and foreigners, bu hopefully it will in the future, so more people are motivated to visit the museums that we have all over Peru. Without further ado, I'll start telling you about the free museums available this Sunday 4th February.

In total we'll look at 10 museums that open their doors to us for free, each first Sunday of each month, for all the Peruvians.. This list I'll share with you is based on the last date of February 2018:

1. National Museum of Archaeology, Anthropology and History of Peru
2. National Museum of Peruvian Culture
3. Museum of Italian Art
4. Museum of the Huaca Pucllana site
5. Museum of the Huallamarca site
6. Peruvian House of Gastronomy
7. Museum of the Arturo Jiménez Borja-Puruchuco site
8. Museum of the Pachacámac site
9. LUM - Place of Memory, Tolerance and Social Inclusion
10. Lima Art Museum

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National Museum of Archaeology, Anthropology and History of Peru

Address: Plaza Bolívar, Pueblo Libre

Opening hours: 8:45am - 4pm

If you like archaeology, pottery and museums with a fair bit of historical information, well, this museum, considered one of the biggest in Lima, is the one for you. It's located in the district of Pueblo Libre in Bolivar Square, nearby there are also some bars where you can enjoy a glass of wine, or simply go straight to the museum to learn a lot about the history of Peru. If you're interested in the pre-Hispanic period of Peru, you'll find a very interesting explanation of it in this museum. Honestly, I've only been there once during my time as a university student. In fact, from what I've read of this museum, it continues being reinvented and improved to receive national and foreign visitors.

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National Museum of Peruvian Culture

Address: Av. Alfonso Ugarte 650, Lima

Opening hours: 9am - 4pm

Located on the busy avenue Alfonso Ugarte, this museum has a facade that does not escape the eye, giving an immediate idea of that which will be found inside. The National Museum of Peruvian Culture is a living museum, where you can also find classes on the different cultural themes of Peru. If you live very close to the centre of Lima, you can take advantage of this to explore the museum. You can take, for instance, the metro line, and get off at the Quilca station, which is close to the museum. I highly recommend that you visit it.

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Museum of Italian Art

Address: Paseo de la República, Cercado de Lima

Opening hours: 10am - 4pm

Close to the Civic Centre, you'll find this interesting museum that offers information on the different Italian manifestations. This museum has a collection of sculptures and even more from about 120 Italian artists. The Museum of Italian Art of Lima was given as a gift from the Italian colony to Peru, during the celebrations of the first centenary of the independence from Peru, so don't leave without getting to know this wonderful piece of the city. Last year, it was considered one of the most beautiful museums in the world, with regards to its infrastructure. From the part of its facade you can also find some paintings, that demonstrates all the European art that you'll find within its facilities.

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Museum of the Huaca Pucllana site

Address: General Borgoño cuadra 8, Miraflores

Opening hours: 9am - 5pm

This is one of the museums that I've visited the most, the Huaca Pucllana Museum. It is located in the vibrant district of Miraflores, and what a great time to visit it, for free on the first Sunday of each month. Pucllana is, for me, in a way, an example of how things have been done well regarding the care of centres of archaeology. It is known that in Lima we have approximately more than 300 archaeological centres, and many of them are not yet recognised by the local population. What better way to know the excavations in your neighbourhood? On the other hand, you can also take a walk through Miraflores and then go straight to the Huaca Pucllana, which also has a restaurant in front of its facilities, although it's expensive to eat there. But it's more than enough to just visit the museum of the site, and very good for fully immersing yourself in the archaeological experience that this museum offers.

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Museum of the Huallamarca site

Address: Av. Nicolás de Ribera 201, San Isidro

Opening hours: 9am - 5pm

Most wouldn't think that there'd be a museum in the financial district of San Isidro, as it's an area filled with both finance companies, residential zones, banks and embassies from different countries. However, astonishingly, on one of its streets there's an incomplete pyramid known as Huallamarca, where one can encounter the history of this place, and there's a small museum when they also exhibit pieces found on this site museum. I recommend visiting it and take a leap into this wonderful place. It's a place that, upon climbing up it, you can take really good photos in the midst of modernity. It's a clear example that Lima is more than a city with a colonial past, it's basically also a millennial city due to the great pre-Hispanic influence found here.

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Peruvian House of Gastronomy

Address: Jr. Conde Superunda 170, Cercado de Lima

Opening hours: 9am - 5pm

Coming to Lima and not enjoying the gastronomic experience is considered, to us natives of the city, a real crime. Nowadays, more and more visitors arrive to the city, and many of them well informed of how good Peruvian cuisine is, so for this reason, for many years there's been this museum where the protagonist is gastronomy. If you want to know more about our cuisine, which is already recognised globally, then this is the museum for you. Trust that you'll receive a first rate experience here. I remember that entry to this museum used to be free at the beginning, but now you have to pay an entrance fee, unless you're Peruvian and it's the first Sunday of the month, then entry is free. Who doesn't feel motivated to visit it now? If you're in Lima, you have to learn about this theme and get to know our dishes!

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Museum of the Arturo Jiménez Borja-Puruchuco site

Address: Carretera Central, km 4. 5, Ate Vitarte

Opening hours: 9am - 4:30pm

This museum exhibits objects from the years 1100 to 1500 A. D. , from the Ichma and Inca culture. Some of these that stand out the most are the "quipus", an Incan accounting system using strings and knots, and the "keros", pre-Hispanic ceremonial glasses. The museum is located in the zone of Lima; if you live round here, you must visit this museum, to get to know the history of this archaeological facility. We were able to see a sample of pre-Hispanic history that Lima has, which is also reflected in the area of the Peruvian capital. On the other hand, it's important to observe the characteristics of this museum, which has the shape of a big labyrinth. For this reason, touring it is more interesting, so don't have any doubts about visiting this museum of the city.

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Museum of the Pachacámac site

Address: Km 31 of the Antigua Panamericana Sur, Lurín

Opening hours: 9am - 4pm

Here you can appreciate the main archaeological discoveries from the Sanctuary of Pachacámac, such as the ceramic offerings that date back to the Wari period (700-1100 A. D. ). All of us who have been students in Lima, at some point in our childhood, we've been taken to visit this site museum, one of the most important in Lima for its oracle and god of Pachacámac, also known as the god of earthquakes. If you have your own car, you can take it and enter its large plots, with a guide that will give you detailed information of the cultures that settled in this area of Lima. The tour also encapsulates part of the nature, given that there one can admire a lot of the Peruvian culture along the coastal front of Pachacámac. You can find some small islands there, that the guide will even tell you the historical link it has with Pachacámac. It's really quite interesting to tour these environments that are so beautiful, and full of so much educational information, for all those interested in the pre-Hispanic history of Peru.

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LUM - Place of Memory, Tolerance and Social Inclusion

Address: Bajada San Martin 151, Miraflores

Opening hours: 10am - 6pm

Nowadays, Peru is trying to find a way to reconcile with its past, and above all learn about the things that happened. I'm not referring to ancient history, but that of less than 30 years ago, in one of the most violent and strong periods that Peru has ever experienced. It's considered the period of terrorism, where many innocent people perished and lost their lives in such an unjust way. This is why I mention this place. It will provide you with clear and impartial information about this period of time. It's located in the district of San Martín, in the slopes of the same name, so there's no excuse to not visit it. It's important to be educated about this part of Peru's history. What a shame that many young people are becoming more and more ignorant of this, but it's never too late to start. So, don't forget to take a tour of this area to learn of the past, so history doesn't repeat itself. That is the interesting thing about museums, given that they invite us to understand reality, and the cultural interpretation that each one of us can give.

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Lima Art Museum

Address: Parque de la Exposición, Paseo Colon 125, Cercado de Lima

Opening hours: 10am - 7pm

Now the posts that I've done about this art museum in Lima come to mind, where in fact the information that I was able to gather was so extensive, that I had to divide it into several sections so that it's not too overwhelming. The free entry grants access only to the permanent collection, consisting of textiles and ceramics, amongst other pieces. You should go through their facilities, for example, I'd recommend going to the Italian Art Museum, which is just a few metres away from before it or after it. Both museums are very beautiful and they'll each give you an interesting vision of the Peruvian world. The museum, as I told you before, has many interpretation rooms of the Andean world. That is why it's a must-visit, in order to understand our traditions and our circumstances, because Peru is one of the countries with the best biodiversity in the world, and also a melting pot of cultures.

The beauty of the Lima Art Museum also lies in the fact that it's located in the exhibition park, a place where you can also visit and explore its surroundings to discover more of what this wonderful place has to offer. One of the canvases that affected me the most is the funerals of Atahualpa. It is a huge canvas made with a fabulous finish, and is one of the highlights of this museum. Honestly, there's much to learn and there are so many museums that we must keep visiting, to understand the influences that we have in the Andean world, a world that is, as a TV program says, "just around the corner".

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I hope you have been able to use this information, and that you have time to get to know at least one of these museums on every first Sunday of the month. It is a good opportunity to spend time with family, go with friends, or also go alone to find yourself. I assure you that it'll be very worthwhile and you'll feel very happy to know these environments of the Ministry of Culture. Above all, they are free, so there's no excuse for not being encouraged to go and explore. As always, dear friends, thank you very much for reading this post. I hope it's been useful on your trip to Lima, and if you're from the city itself, I hope you'll be encouraged to visit soon the museums that are closest to the area where you live. You'll see that you're going to learn many interesting things. We have to make these museums public spaces again, something that we all want for our beloved city of Lima. There are many things that can be done, what have you thought of doing? See you in another post with more interesting things from the city of Lima! See you soon and have a great weekend! Enjoy the city of kings.

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