One Day in Arequipa?

If you only have one day to visit Arequipa, there is a lot you will be able to see. Get your walking shoes on!  As our time in Arequipa was narrowing to an end, we decided what the heck lets do a walking tour to see what we have missed. Yikes! Turns out that although we enjoyed our daily walkabouts, there was a whole other part of town that we had missed.  

We signed up with Paolo thru AirBnB & took a walking tour of Arequipa. Now, if you follow us, you know I am not one that easily promotes guided tours {we’ve had a couple not so good ones] but this guy was amazing. A three hour guided tour of the hidden neighborhoods in Arequipa. A great walking tour as we listened to his amazing stories about the history of Arequipa was well worth the price we paid! After the tour ended, The Big Guy & I spent the balance of the afternoon walking home through other neighboring streets we had not previously seen.

With a population of close to one million & framed by three volcanoes – Chachani, El Misti & Pichu Pichu – Arequipa has a lot to share with you. The city has a history that goes back ten thousand years & I’m not even going to try to break it down for you but I’ll tell you below how you can get a short but great understanding of it.

Highlights of our one day in Arequipa walking tour with Paolo!

Santa Catalina Monastery

The Santa Catalina monastery covers 20,000 square meters having been built in mid 1500s & is basically its own little town.  Over time it has been damaged by earthquakes but reconstructed for the most part. Presently it is still an active monastery with a small number of nuns but our guide informed us that there is a lack of young women desiring to become nuns which is sad. This view from across the street gives you an idea of its size!

Capilla de San Ignacia

This church built in 1698 had so much detail in & out! Paolo explained the meanings of the various symbols. It even had a miniature replica for the blind to be able to appreciate the architecture.

Queso Helado

This delicious ice cream originating from Arequipa is delicious.  The name itself translates to cheese ice cream but there is absolutely no cheese in it – sweet cream, milk, coconut, cinnamon…. We tried it & the one scoop was not enough!  

Art Studios

I don’t know why but we were pleasantly surprised by the number of art studios that allowed us to walk thru without entry.  Most of the art museums were someone’s home at one time. Here is one, Museo de Arte Contemporaneo, we visited with a sample of the art.

In some of the rooms of art, viewers were invited to write a title for that piece & place it on a sticky by the art.

In another studio we were met by this courtyard inspired by Spanish artist, Salvador Dali. Do you recognize The Dali Mask? It was used in the Spanish movie “Money Heist”.

Colonial Architecture

Beautiful buildings, most built using Sillar, the white volcanic rock, were on every street.  We learned that the thick walls & arched ceilings help protect against earthquakes which are pretty common in Arequipa. A month into our visit here there was a 7 a.m. 7.2 earthquake out of Puna, Peru that was felt here in Arequipa that woke me up with the bed shaking like crazy.  But I’m getting off course.

The thick walls and curved arches are built to help withstand earthquakes.

The colonial style architecture is awesome & have so much character. The shots of color with flowers & occasional bold paint colors are a photographers dream!

Parks

Like many other south of the US border countries, we have been amazed by the number of neighborhood parks. Some with benches to sit & enjoy the world as it zooms by or others where children of all ages gather after school to play & connect with friends.

Chicha

Paolo told us the story of Chicha. To be honest the story made me reconsider trying this drink but it was really good. The drink is made from dried purple corn. Paolo told us that originally the corn would be chewed by a person & then spit the juice into a container which is what you ended up drinking. Yuck! Evidently the Europeans frowned upon hearing how it was made & refused to drink. Hence the Peruvians had to figure out how to process the corn to make it more inviting to others. Chicha is a must to try on your visit to Arequipa.

Last thoughts on one day in Arequipa

If I forgot to remark earlier, here are some things you need to keep in mind when you are planning a trip to Arequipa! There are loose dogs everywhere. Lots of them. So watch your step – there are no “owners” to pick the poo up after these dogs.

Traffic is horrible. Just because the light is red doesn’t mean a motorbike or car won’t try to squeeze past. Buses do not, I repeat, do not, give an inch to other cars or bikes or pedestrians.  Well maybe occasionally but rarely so step quickly when crossing a street.

Arequipa is a photographers’ dream! The architecture is amazing & so much history behind the buildings.

Taxis are amazing & easy to wave down on streets. They drive, continually honking their horns to let pedestrians know they are ready to pick them up. Pretty amazing to me. (Uber didn’t work for us?)

Plenty of restaurants to choose from both U.S. fast food chains as well as Peruvian restaurants. We highly recommend the little Peruvian kitchens.

There are so many things we have seen, so many photographs of the beautiful sights, historical & ones you see everyday in a walk. I hope we put a taste in your mouth for Arequipa – even if for a short visit. We spent two months & still didn’t see probably 1/3 of what the city has to offer. There is definitely something for everyone in Arequipa!

Lastly if you plan to travel to Peru in May, June, & July, the heart of the winter season, bring your jacket! Once the sun starts going down it gets cool fast.

Next stop is Lima!