City Tour Arequipa

Enjoy a tour through the “White City” and discover its most popular attractions.

Arequipa is the second most populated city in Peru and one of the most beautiful destinations in the country. With its fascinating colonial architecture, exploring its historic center is an experience you should not miss during your visit. Surrounded by a spectacular volcanic landscape, the Misti, Chachani, and Pichu Pichu volcanoes provide an impressive backdrop to the city.

To offer you a complete and memorable experience, we have designed this Arequipa City Tour + Santa Catalina Monastery + Viewpoints, taking you to some of the city’s most important attractions.

We will begin by visiting the Carmen Alto and Yanahuara Viewpoints, where you can enjoy wonderful panoramic views of Arequipa and its surrounding volcanoes.

We will then continue through the city, visiting places such as the traditional San Lázaro Neighborhood, the Fundo El Fierro Handicraft Center, San Francisco Square, and the Mario Vargas Llosa Library.

During this fascinating city tour, we will also visit the renowned Santa Catalina Monastery, one of Arequipa’s most iconic attractions. Its original architecture, furniture, streets, and courtyards have been beautifully preserved, making a visit feel like stepping back in time.

Our tour also includes a visit to one of the most beautiful squares in Peru, the Plaza de Armas of Arequipa. Here, we will also discover the Church of the Society of Jesus, a magnificent Jesuit construction whose richly decorated façade is an outstanding example of Andean Baroque architecture.

We will also visit the historic Tristán del Pozo Mansion, another remarkable example of Arequipa’s colonial architecture.

If you want to make the most of your stay in this beautiful city, whose historic center has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this City Tour is an experience you should not miss.

Arequipa City Tour + Santa Catalina Monastery Itinerary (Viewpoints Included):

The tour begins at 8:30 a.m., when our transportation picks up passengers from their hotel. (The schedule can be adjusted according to the passengers’ preferences.)

Our first stop will be the Carmen Alto Viewpoint, where we will enjoy a wonderful panoramic view of the city framed by the Misti, Chachani, and Pichu Pichu volcanoes. From here, we can also admire the surrounding countryside, where ancient Inca agricultural terraces are still preserved, as well as the Chili River.

Next, we will head to the district of Yanahuara, home to another iconic viewpoint offering beautiful views of the surrounding landscape. One of the most distinctive features of this viewpoint is its nine arches made of white volcanic stone, known as sillar, engraved with popular sayings and quotations from notable figures inspired by the philosophy and traditions of Arequipa’s people.

While in Yanahuara, we will visit its charming main square and admire the façade of the San Juan Bautista de Yanahuara Church, built in 1750 in the Baroque style.

Afterwards, our transportation will take us to the San Lázaro Neighborhood, where we will begin a walking tour through some of the city’s most important landmarks, including the Fundo El Fierro Handicraft Center, San Francisco Square, and the Mario Vargas Llosa Library.

We will then continue to the Plaza de Armas, where we can admire the impressive exterior of the Arequipa Cathedral. Afterwards, we will visit the Church of the Society of Jesus, located next to the main square.

Inside the church complex, we will visit its beautiful cloisters, which were built during the 18th century.

Our next stop will be the Tristán del Pozo Mansion, a colonial residence built in 1738. Its remarkable façade is considered one of the finest examples of traditional Arequipa ornamentation.

The final stop of the tour will be the renowned Santa Catalina Monastery, located in the historic center of Arequipa.

Here, we will discover nearly four centuries of Arequipa’s architectural history. Inside the monastery, we will explore cloisters, cells, charming narrow streets decorated with flowers, peaceful resting areas, and colorful walls painted with traditional natural pigments.

The tour will end at approximately 1:00 p.m. at the Santa Catalina Monastery, in Arequipa’s historic center.

Places visited by tourist transportation: Carmen Alto Viewpoint, Yanahuara Main Square, and Yanahuara Viewpoint.

Places visited on foot: San Lázaro Neighborhood, Fundo El Fierro Handicraft Center, San Francisco Square, Mario Vargas Llosa Library, Tristán del Pozo Mansion, Plaza de Armas, exterior view of the Cathedral, Church and Cloisters of the Society of Jesus, and Santa Catalina Monastery.

Note: The order of the attractions may vary. The tour can be arranged at different times upon the passenger’s request. This itinerary is designed to operate approximately between 8:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. If passengers request a different schedule, they should keep in mind that some attractions may be closed or that it may not be possible to visit all the places mentioned above. The tour price remains unchanged if the passenger requests a different schedule and fewer attractions can be visited.