Arequipa Activities: A Practical Planning Guide

October 30, 2026

The city of Arequipa lies at roughly 2,335 m above sea level, below the cones of Misti and Chachani. A few days here cover a convent, a museum, some serious cooking and, if you have the energy, a trip to Colca. All prices below are in Peruvian soles (S/).

What to do first

Santa Catalina Monastery. The entrance is at Santa Catalina 301, two blocks off the Plaza de Armas. The convent dates from 1579 and covers around 20,000 m2 of blue and red lanes named for Spanish cities, among them Sevilla, Córdoba and Burgos. It has been open to visitors since 1970. A foreign adult ticket costs S/50, a foreign visitor aged 7 to 18 pays S/30, and children under 7 go in free. Doors open daily from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and on Tuesday and Wednesday the monastery closes at 8:00 PM, with the ticket office shutting at 7:00 PM. It is shut on Good Friday, 25 December and 1 January. Buy tickets on the monastery website and skip flash indoors.
Museo Santuarios Andinos. Calle La Merced 110. You enter with a guide, and nobody takes photos in the mummy room. The museum looks after Juanita, found on Ampato in 1995 and kept at -20 C in a glass case. Whether she is on show on a given day is not certain, and prices and Sunday hours change, so phone or look at the museum’s Facebook page first. Treat the room with respect, since the children were offered in ritual on the mountaintops.

Eating and drinking

Arequipa’s best-known meals come from picanterías, the lunch houses that serve rocoto relleno, adobo and soups that change by weekday. La Nueva Palomino in Yanahuara (Leoncio Prado 122) cooks over wood, and La Capitana in Cayma (Los Arces 209) is a Cayma favourite with 1899 carved on the building. Opening hours are not fixed, so ask a local or your hotel.

For something sweet, try queso helado near the Plaza de Yanahuara. At ChaqChao, Santa Catalina 204, a chocolate class lasts about 2 hours 15 minutes and is advertised at around US$35. Melkim makes local craft beer, including a coca-leaf blond ale. Shrimp soup is a seasonal dish, since river shrimp cannot be fished from early January to 31 March.

Looking after yourself

Take it easy on day one, sip water through the day and ask your doctor before travelling if you are worried about height. Coca tea and tablets do not prevent altitude sickness.

Peru is rated Level 2 by the US government. Roadblocks and protests in the south sometimes stall buses and tours, so confirm plans with your hotel the evening before. Book taxis through the hotel, call a radio taxi, or use the official desk at the airport.

Look at options: Arequipa tours on Viator . Official advice: UK FCDO for Peru .