Lima is the capital city of Peru, and the fifth largest city in South America. Miraflores is the most common area for tourists and travellers to stay, as a residential and slightly more upscale area of Lima. I actually stayed in Barranco when I was in Lima, but I visited Miraflores several times and many of the other travellers I met were staying or had stayed in Miraflores.
When it comes to visiting Lima, there are surprisingly few areas of the city where people will tell you “yes, stay there, it’s safe”. Lima is generally not considered the safest of cities, so I would recommend sticking to the areas more commonly frequented by tourists, such as Miraflores, San Isidro and Barranco. (I’ll write some more soon about the best places to stay and visit in Lima).
So, what’s the best way to get from Lima’s Jorge Chàves International Airport to the Miraflores district?
There are four ways you can get from Lima Airport to Miraflores, but I wouldn’t recommend them all at all times of day. If you’ve been following along my journey on this blog then you’ll know that Lima was my first stop in Peru (and this is my first article about Peru!). I landed in Lima late at night straight from Colombia, and so I decided to pre-arrange transport from the airport via my accommodation. I’ll talk more about that later on, but I’d definitely advise this option if you’re travelling alone and/or at night.
Essentials to Know About Lima Airport
Is there free wifi in Lima Airport?
Yes, there is free wifi for the first 15 minutes inside Lima Airport, which you can use to make contact with a driver, order an Uber or search directions to the bus station. The network is called FreeAeropuertoGTD and I had no issues connecting.
However, as I always say, you should always carry a loaded eSIM in your phone that can be used in the country you’re landing in, just in case you have trouble connecting or the wifi is down. I used Airolo’s worldwide eSIM on my trip, and it was great. Whenever I was spending longer than a week or two in a country I would buy a local SIM, because that’s much cheaper, but I loved being able to connect right away in every country.
📱 Before you go: Get your Airalo eSIM here
🇵🇪 More on Peru: An Ultimate Guide to the Peru Backpacking Route
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Is it safe inside the airport?
Yes, you will be safe inside the airport. Of course, it’s always a good idea to keep your valuables close and watch out for pickpockets, but you are generally safe inside the airport. A lot of international flights arrive in Lima Airport from all over South America and the airport is open all night, so you’ll never find it completely deserted, even outside of peak hours.
Is Lima safe?
Lima itself is not the safest of cities, and because the airport is quite far from the city centre and safer parts of Lima, it’s best to take transport straight to your accommodation from the airport. However, there are areas of Lima that are safe to stay in, Miraflores included.
Do they speak English in Lima Airport?
Whilst levels of English in Peru are typically not that high, you will be able to communicate with people in English to a certain extent, and the language barrier will be easier at the airport. Most taxi drivers and workers in Lima Airport speak some English.
Getting the Bus from Lima Airport to Miraflores
Whilst taking the public bus from Lima Airport to Miraflores is certainly the most budget-friendly transportation option (and the most adventurous), it doesn’t come recommended. The public transportation system in Lima is complicated and the public buses from Lima to Miraflores take you through some questionable areas of the city. I took the public bus around Lima’s safer areas a few times, and didn’t have much trouble, but it is not recommended from the Airport all the way to Miraflores.
If you do want to try it, there are three public bus routes that take you all the way from Lima Airport to Miraflores:
- IO03
- CR15
- IM18
You will need Peruvian Soles in cash to buy bus tickets on the bus, and the bus stops to the west of Miraflores, right by Kennedy Park.
🇵🇪 More on Peru: An Honest and Unpaid Peru Hop Review
Getting a Shuttle Bus from Lima Airport to Miraflores
Taking a shuttle bus from Lima Airport to Miraflores is probably the best combination of sensible and affordable way to do it. As far as I know, there are two companies that run this route. They are Quickllama Airport Shuttle and Airport Express Lima. Both of these options are great airport shuttle services, and offer a direct route from Lima Airport to Miraflores. Both options cost 20 Soles (around $5-6 USD).
There are small pros and cons of each service; Quickllama will pick you up or drop you off at your accommodation, whereas Airport Express have set stops throughout Miraflores. Quickllama have more departures, and depart later (as late as 11pm), whereas Airport Express have wifi and unlimited luggage. If you’re looking for something very specific then it’s worth doing a little research, but otherwise they are very similar and reliable shuttle services.
Both airport shuttle services also allow you to change your ticket if you arrive late or early (subject to availability), which is great and fairly uncommon!
🚌 Book: Your airport shuttle with Quickllama
🚌 Book: Your airport shuttle with Airport Express Lima
Getting a Taxi from Lima Airport to Miraflores
It is easy to get a taxi from Lima Airport to Miraflores, but it may not be easy to get a legitimate one. Before I arrived in Lima, I was warned by several sources that it’s very easy to get scammed out of hundreds of dollars by unofficial taxis operating in and around Lima Airport.
To be sure that you get into an official taxi, buy a ticket in advance from one of the booths inside the airport. It’s quite easy to spot the official taxis, but just in case, they are: Taxi 365, Taxi Green, and Taxi Direct. They will charge you 60 to 70 soles to get from Lima Airport to Miraflores. It is generally a 45 minute ride, but getting stuck in traffic can add hours onto your journey.
It’s also not recommended to take an Uber due to safety concerns. Uber is unlicensed in Peru but still frequently used. I used Uber a bunch of times while I was travelling in Peru and had no issues, however they are banned from Lima Airport. Drivers licences are checked as they enter the airport, so your Uber won’t be able to enter and they may still charge you a fee.
Organising a Private Transfer from Lima Airport to Miraflores
I generally think of ordering private transfers as quite bougie and generally out of my price range. In fact, here at Lima Airport was the first time I ever did it! My flight landed around midnight so I knew that I would be too late to take the affordable shuttle bus from Lima to Miraflores (and even then, I’d have to figure out how to get from Miraflores to my hostel in Barranco).
🛏 Where I stayed in Lima: Ancestral Hostel
*I only include the place that I stayed if I genuinely liked it
I’d heard the warnings about taxi scams, and I wasn’t sure how easy it would be for me to withdraw cash in Lima Airport. I had major issues with my Monzo card in Colombia that made me switch banks after my trip, and I wasn’t sure if it would continue into Peru (luckily, it didn’t). I had an email from my hostel offering to book me a private transfer from the Airport for 70 soles which is around the same price as a taxi, so I booked it.
Although not the cheapest way to travel, there wouldn’t have been a more cost effective way to do it without moving my flight time, and that wasn’t going to happen!
You can book a private Lima Airport transfer through either of the shuttle services I linked to above, or often directly through your accommodation.
If you want to know how it goes when you order a private transfer from Lima Airport, imagine this…
It’s 1am and I’ve been stuck in passport control for over an hour. I’m in my pyjamas, a heavy travellers backpack, generally looking quite like you’d imagine someone would look after two months of solo travel and a late night flight. The guy in the airport is wearing a suit, has a whiteboard with my name on it, insists on carrying my bag and leads me into the back of this super fancy saloon car with leather seats. We get stuck in traffic and I fall into a deep sleep during the two hour car ride to Barranco, where he has to awkwardly wake me up when I arrive.
Not my finest hour, okay, but at least I made it to my hostel in Lima in one piece.
🚌 Book: Your Private Transfer from Lima Airport to Miraflores
🇵🇪 More on Peru: 24 Unmissable Landmarks in Peru