Classic Arequipa City Tour allows you to explore all the most popular and important places in the city.
Tour Location: Arequipa, Peru.
Type Tour: Day tour.
Tour Duration: up to 5 hours.
Start/End Tour: Our guide will meet you in the lobby of your hotel and bring you back after.
Advice: Comfortable shoes, hat, warm cloth.
Highlights: Viewpoints Carmen Alto and Yanahuara, Monastery Santa Catalina, Ensemble of San Francisco, Cathedral.
If you like to read more about Arequipa click here.
Overview
Located at an altitude of 2300 m above sea level at the base of volcano Misti. UNESCO declared the city of Arequipa a World Heritage Site. Today it is also well known as the White City due to its old colonial white brick buildings such as the Cathedral, the San Francisco Architectural Ensemble, and the Convent of Saint Catalina. These places are the most attractive and outstanding in Arequipa. Spanish choose this place for its natural beauty and favorable climate and found the city here in 1540.
You will visit such places as:
- Viewpoint Carmen Alto
Previously it is located on the right bank of the Chile River in the settlement of Kaima. Especially attractive for its narrow and calm streets, with friendly people living by original traditions. Here are the most beautiful terraces and stone walls, surrounded by ancient pavements that serve the local population until this day.
- Viewpoint Yanahuara
Viewpoint Yanahuara was built in the 19th century. It has a series of arches containing the names and phrases of the most famous people of Arequipa. In addition, from here you can enjoy a panoramic view of the entire city and the impressive Misty volcano.
- San Lazaro quarter
It is located 5 blocks from Arequipa Central Square. Mostly contains wide houses, narrow streets, and small squares. This is exactly the place that most accurately represents the ancient Arequipa. To explain, Dominican priests settled and built a mission to convert local Indians to Christianity in 1538. Therefore to prepare the territory for the construction of a new Spanish city.
- Central square.
Known as the Plaza de Armas (Armory Square) of Arequipa, which is admired not only for its beauty but also for the majestic architecture of its gates, built of white stone. In the center is a three-level bronze fountain crowned with the character “Tuturutu”. According to history, this is a military man whose task was to notify everyone about important events in the White City. And also in the northern part of the square, you can see the Cathedral, built in the 17th century from white and red bricks. Inside the Cathedral, you can see the organ brought from Belgium.
- Cathedral.
It was built in 1573 and houses 70 paintings by the Cusco School of Painting. By the way, there is a magnificent chapel, where the columns still retain the elegance of wood carvings and stunning sculptures.
- Architectural Ensemble of San Francisco.
The church of the same name is built in a neoclassical style, combining Spanish and Indian influences, with a touch of Moorish art. For example, on its premises, there is a gallery with priceless canvases of the Cusco School of Painting and silverware.
- Monastery of Saint Catalina.
Once, during a meeting of representatives of the cities of Peru, the representative of King Francisco Toledo took the opportunity to declare his desire to build a convent. As a result, a monastery was built, known as the Private Convent of the Order of Saint Catalina of Siena.
The monastery was founded on September 10, 1579. In the 1970s, it was opened to tourists. It is currently a city within a city. If you want to see medieval Spain, streets replicating the architecture of ancient Spanish cities – you are here!