CityBuddy
Convento de San Francisco & Catacombs (Monastery of San Francisco)
Best time to visit
Arrive at opening in the morning to avoid large tour groups and enjoy softer light in the courtyards. Weekdays are significantly calmer than weekends.
Budget tips
Admission is roughly 15–25 PEN (about US$4–7), with reduced rates for students and seniors; check the official site for current prices and opening hours. Look for occasional municipal cultural free-entry days and buy tickets online or at the kiosk to skip the line.
Recommended for
History buffs, Architecture lovers, Photography enthusiasts, Families with older children
Plan your visit
1-1.5 hours
About
Quick facts: Step inside and you're greeted by airy Baroque arches, gilded wooden carvings, and a hush that turns sunlight into a kind of golden film over the cloister. Beneath the cloisters you can descend into catacombs that hold tens of thousands of bones and skulls, arranged in eerie, orderly stacks that feel like an underground ossuary museum.
Highlights: Beneath an ornate Baroque cloister lies a labyrinthine ossuary holding an estimated 25,000 skulls and bones, stacked in neat walls so low ceilings force you to stoop while the air tastes of dust and old incense. Upstairs, a tiny library packed with colonial-era manuscripts and a 17th-century choir book perches on carved cedar shelves, the faint smell of leather and lemon-scented wax clinging to the pages.
Insider tips
- Wear closed, comfortable shoes for uneven stone floors and steep stairs in the catacombs.
- No-flash photography is usually requested inside the library, so bring a steady hand or a small tripod where allowed.
- Join the guided tour for clear history and safe access to the catacombs, arriving 10 minutes before start to secure your spot.
- Head to the central courtyard for symmetrical photos and climb a short staircase for the best library vantage point; avoid midday when coach groups arrive.
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More attractions in Lima
Plaza Mayor (Plaza de Armas de Lima)
Basilica Cathedral of Lima (Catedral de Lima)
Huaca Pucllana archaeological site
Museo Larco (Larco Museum)
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