To reach Peru first factor is Visa, but good thing is that you don't need visa if you are a citizen of one of the countries listed below. Look at the list below. It is a big list, I hope you are within this list.
EU countries, Australia, Canada, USA and Japan and Andorra, Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Chile, Colombia, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Iceland, Indonesia, Israel, Jamaica, Kiribati, Korea (Rep. of), Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Micronesia (FS), Monaco, Nauru, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Philippines, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent & the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Surinam, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Tuvalu, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Vatican City and Venezuela citizens do not require tourist visa and stay up to 90 days.
If you are not in this list you have to apply to the embassy to get the visa. You need to provide the following documents to get a valid visa.
Valid passport
Evidence of departure arrangements from Peru
2 color passport-size photos
Proof of financial solvency
2 completed application forms
Usually you may get visa in 24 hours. (Click here for the list of Embassy of Peru in different countries.) I have tried to provide website addresses and email addresses of the embassies.
Travel arrangement ...
By air..
If you come from outside Peru you will certainly land at Jorge Chavez International Airport at Lima. This airport is very close to the busy city area. You may reach center of the city within half an hour from there. Also you can reach most of the cheap hotels in half an hour from the airport. There is a US$28 airfare departure tax from Jorge Chavez International Airport and a US$5 airport ticket fee for domestic flights within Peru.
By road..
If you are reaching Peru by road, you will enter Peru via Tumbes in Ecuador, Puno in Bolivia or Tacna in Chile. If you decide to travel by car and you want to drive yourself, then you should know that traffic jam is very common in Lima and also driving is very tough there..
Living Cost..
Staying Peru is cheap. With $ 25.00 a day you can easily pass your days in Peru and still you may get good food and comfortable hotels. Taxi is cheap here and taxi drivers do not expect tips. But you have to know the fair beforehand, otherwise they may take as much as they can( not always though).
Attractions in Lima..
Lima is the starting point of Peru if you want to explore this country. If you are interested to go to Machu Picchu, you may have to stay a night in Lime. Most cases travelers stay in the airport ofr few hours and take the domestic flight to reach their next destination. But don't expect to buy the ticket from the airport and fly. You have to buy the domestic ticket beforehand. Anyway If you are staying in Lima for a short time ,I would suggest you to stay around Plaza de Armas or Main Square. From this place the historical attractions are very close. You can walk around and visit all the places. But if you are coming for some other purpose, like for business tour, probably you are staying in Miraflores. Best hotels and shopping complexes are around Miraflores.
Lima's grand Plaza de Armas or Main Square, is the original center of the city. The is the place where Francisco Pizarro founded the city in 1535. You can also visit some other places like the Puente de Piedra - a 17th century stone bridge, Barrio Chino, the largest Chinese community in South America (200,000 plus) ,Colonial Church Roundup ,Casa Riva-Agüero. All these places are close to Main square.
Hotels at Lima...
You will find all sorts of hotels in Lima. Now in Lima five star and luxury hotels are in abundance, at the same time you may find very cheap hotels.
Check my page on Lima hotels.
