Top Activities in Arequipa, Peru

October 30, 2026

Arequipa sits at about 2,335 m in southern Peru, with the volcanoes Misti, Chachani and Pichu Pichu behind the city. Most visitors give it two or three days and add a trip to Colca Canyon. Prices below are in Peruvian soles (S/).

Santa Catalina Monastery

The Monasterio de Santa Catalina de Siena is at Santa Catalina 301, two blocks from the Plaza de Armas. Founded in 1579, it is a walled complex of about 20,000 m2 with lanes painted cobalt blue and terracotta red and named after Spanish cities such as Sevilla, Córdoba and Burgos. It opened to the public in 1970. Independent guides work in seven languages and a tour takes about an hour.

It opens daily 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. On Tuesday and Wednesday it stays open to 8:00 PM, with the last entry at 7:00 PM, which makes those evenings a quieter time to go. Foreign adults pay S/50, foreign visitors aged 7 to 18 pay S/30 and under-sevens are free. It closes on Good Friday, 25 December and 1 January. Photos are allowed, without flash indoors. Tickets are sold online through the official monastery site .

Museo Santuarios Andinos

The museum is at Calle La Merced 110 and visits are by guided tour only. It is known for Juanita, the young Inca girl found on Ampato in 1995 by Johan Reinhard and Miguel Zárate, who is kept in a glass chamber chilled to -20 C. She is not always on display, so check the museum’s Facebook page or phone before you go. Cameras are off limits in the mummy room. The children were ritual offerings made on the summits, so visit quietly.

Food and drink

Lunch is the main meal, and the traditional place for it is a picantería. La Nueva Palomino, at Leoncio Prado 122 in Yanahuara, is family-run and cooks rocoto relleno and adobo over a wood fire, with chicha de guinapo to drink. La Capitana, at Los Arces 209 in Cayma, is another local favourite. Hours change, so check before you go.

Queso helado, the city’s frozen dessert of milk, cinnamon and coconut churned against salted ice, is sold by vendors around the Plaza de Yanahuara. ChaqChao, at Santa Catalina 204, runs a bean-to-bar chocolate class of about 2 hours 15 minutes, listed at about US$35 on booking sites. Melkim brews craft beer in the city, so ask the taproom for its opening hours. Chupe de camarones is off the menu from early January to 31 March while river shrimp are protected.

Altitude and getting around

Spend your first day easy, drink water and skip heavy drinking the night before any early start. Ask your doctor about altitude before you travel, and do not rely on coca tea or pills to prevent sickness.

Peru is Level 2 on the US scale. Protests and road blockades in the south can disrupt buses and tours, so ask your hotel or operator the day before. Use taxis booked by your hotel, radio taxis or the official desk at the airport.

Check current options: Arequipa activities on GetYourGuide . Travel advice: UK FCDO for Peru .