Air Canada Vacations

Before you leave Canada

Entry requirements

A valid Canadian passport is required for Canadians intending to visit Peru. The passport should be valid for at least the expected duration of stay in the country. For all other nationalities, consult your consulate or tourist board for details. You can also visit www.voyage.gc.ca for up-to-date information.

Baggage

Please refer to aircanada.com for baggage information.

Airport check-in

It is recommended that you present yourself at the airport counter of the airline indicated on your voucher three hours prior to departure. Air Canada or Air Canada Vacations representatives will be available starting at 5 a.m.

Your arrival at destination

Transportation from airport to city

Lima's airport, Aeropuerto Internacional Jorge Chávez, is located 16 km northwest of Lima, about 30 minutes from the Miraflores area.
Most Air Canada Vacations' packages include transfers. Upon arrival, you will be met by your Air Canada Vacations representative and transferred to your selected hotel.

Taxi services

Upon arrival in Lima, it is best to book a taxi in the reception area rather than to catch one of the taxis waiting outside the airport, which will surely overcharge you. Ask for information at the Customer Care counters, which are located in the international and domestic arrivals area before the terminal exits. The taxi ride from the Lima airport to the centre of Lima will take 30 minutes to an hour, depending on traffic.
Expect to pay between US$10 and US$20 for the taxi ride.

Bus services

There are no actual bus stops at the airport.

Hotel check-in

Upon arrival at your hotel, please identify yourself at the front desk with your Air Canada Vacations' voucher. You will then be assigned your accommodation.

During your stay

City highlights

Lima is home to Peru's best museums, notably the Museo de Oro del Peru (Peruvian Gold Museum) and the Museo de la Nación (The National Museum), one of the largest museums in South America. Other highlights include colonial architecture at Iglesia de San Francisco, pre-Inca pyramids at Pachacámac, and the catacombs in Central Lima.
The recently renovated Plaza de Armas (or Plaza Mayor) has been Peru's governmental centre since 1535. Recently, upscale restaurants and cafés have sprung up in the area right around the plaza.
The coastal suburb of Miraflores is one of Lima's most upscale districts, full of fancy hotels, good shopping, elegant restaurants, bookstores, banks and more. An archaeological site in Miraflores, Huaca Pucllana, is open daily and has a small but interesting museum.  
The San Isidro district of Lima is one of the city's most affluent.  Right on the water, it is known for green areas, nice residential zones, fine hotels and dining, and a decent nightlife.  Barranco like San Isidro and Miraflores, is an upscale district of Lima. Today, the district is known for a thriving arts and music scene, and has good bars and nightclubs.

Getting around

Taxi

Taxis hailed on the street are a reasonable and relatively quick way to get around in Lima. However, taxis are wholly unregulated by the government with no meters, so be prepared to negotiate fares. It is advisable to call a registered company from your hotel or restaurant.

Buses

Micros and combis are very inexpensive means of transportation in the city. Routes are more or less identified by signs with street names placed in the windshield. For assistance, ask a local for help; most Limeños know the incredibly complex bus system surprisingly well. Most micros and combis cost S/1.5 or S/2 (40¢-55¢), and slightly more after midnight and on Sundays and holidays. When you want to get off, shout baja (getting off) or esquina (at the corner).

On foot

Lima Centro and Barranco are best seen on foot, and, although large, Miraflores is also walkable. Between neighborhoods, however, a taxi is essential.

Shopping

Lima has the greatest variety of shopping in Peru. Tiny boutiques, and artisan and antiques shops carry traditional handicrafts from across Peru. Prices are not usually much higher and the selection might be even better than in the regions where the items are made. One exception is alpaca goods, which are better purchased, in terms of both price and selection, in the areas around Cusco, Puno, and Arequipa. Most shops are open from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.. Most prices include a 19% sales tax, which, unfortunately, is refundable only on purchases made at the international departure lounge of Jorge Chávez International Airport.
There are two markets that are worth a look: Central Lima's crowded Mercado Central (Central Market) is south of the Plaza Mayor, at the edge of Chinatown; and the Feria Artesanal (Artisans' Market), at Avenida de la Marina (blocks 6-10) in Pueblo Libre. The Feria Artesanal is open daily from noon to 8 p.m.. There are also small handicrafts markets open late to catch bar and post-dinner crowds in the main squares in both Miraflores and Barranco.

The Jockey Plaza Shopping Center is a modern American-style shopping mall - the newest, biggest, and best in Lima - with department stores, restaurants, movie theatres, a supermarket, and some 200 shops. The mall is next to the Jockey Club of Peru at Hipódromo de Monterrico, at the intersection of Javier Prado and Avenida Panamericana Sur in Surco. It's open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.. One of the swankiest malls in Lima is Centro Comercial Larcomar in Miraflores along the malecón and Parque Salazar (near the Marriott hotel) and has a slew of restaurants, movie theatres, and upscale shops overlooking the ocean.

Dining

Peruvian Chifas - Chinatown (Barrio Chino), southeast of the Plaza de Armas and next to the Mercado Central (beyond the Chinese arch on Jr. Ucayali), is a good place to sample the Peruvian take on Chinese food. These chifas, inexpensive restaurants with similar menus, are everywhere in the small but dense neighbourhood.
Cevicherías – You can't really go to Peru – especially Lima – without sitting down for an irresistibly fresh plate of ceviche, the tantalizing plate of raw fish and shellfish that's marinated in lime or lemon juice and chilli peppers and served with toasted corn, sweet potato, and raw onion. The citrus juices "cook" the fish, so it's not really raw the way sushi is. Peruvians view ceviche as a daytime dish, and most cevicherías aren't open for dinner; for the full experience, go at lunchtime and order a classic pisco sour to start, followed by chicha morada.
Restaurants are, predictably, most crowded in the early evening, especially Thursday through Saturday. In the business districts of Miraflores and San Isidro, lunch can also get quite busy - at least in the nicer restaurants that are popular with local and international businessmen.

Entertainment & nightlife

Whether you're into jazz, criollo, Latin, or rock music, you'll find it in Lima. The best after-dark scenes are in Miraflores and particularly Barranco, which transforms from a low-key artists' and writers' community during the day to party central at night. Although it has a number of high-octane clubs and discos, it also has some of the city's best peñas and bars, especially those with ocean views just past the Puente de los Suspiros, the "Bridge of Sighs."
Bars open at about 8 p.m., but discos and live-music clubs don't generally get started until 10 p.m. or later. Many are open very late, until 3 or 4 a.m. or even later.

Health & safety

Personal safety is an issue to be taken extremely seriously in most large Peruvian cities, especially Lima, Cusco, Arequipa, and Huaraz. Simple theft and pick pocketing are fairly common; most thieves look for moments when travellers, laden with bags and struggling with maps, are distracted.  In most heavily touristed places in Peru, a heightened police presence is noticeable.
Contact the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers for tips on travel and health concerns, and for lists of local, English-speaking doctors (IAMAT in Canada, 416 652-0137; www.iamat.org).  The website www.tripprep.com, sponsored by a consortium of travel medicine practitioners, may also offer helpful advice on travelling abroad. You can find listings of reliable clinics overseas at the International Society of Travel Medicine (www.istm.org).
No vaccinations are officially required for travel to Peru, but you are wise to take certain precautions, especially if you are planning to travel to jungle regions. Visitors should drink only bottled water, which is widely available. Agua con gas is carbonated; agua sin gas is still.
Do not drink tap water, even in major hotels. Try to avoid drinks with ice.

General information

Tipping

Most people leave about a 10% tip for the wait staff in restaurants. In nicer restaurants they add a 10% service charge, many patrons tip an additional 5% or 10% (because little, if any, of that service charge will ever make it to the waiter's pocket). Taxi drivers are not usually tipped unless they provide additional service. Bilingual tour guides should be tipped ($1-$2 per person for a short visit, and $5 or more per person for a full day). If you have a private guide, tip about $10.

Electricity

All outlets are 220 volts, 60 cycles AC (except in Arequipa, which operates on 50 cycles), with two-prong outlets that accept both flat and round prongs. Some large hotels also have 110-volt outlets.

Language

Spanish: 80.3%
Quechua: 16.2%
Other languages: 3.0%
Foreign languages: 0.2%    

As part of its rich cultural heritage, Peru features many different languages. Although Spanish is commonly spoken across the country, Quechua is a major legacy of the Inca empire, and is still spoken with regional dialects in many parts of Peru.
 
In addition, other languages are spoken such as Aymara (in Puno) and a startling variety of dialects in the Amazon jungle, which are divided up into 15 linguistic families and 43 different languages.

Time zone

Peru is 5 hours behind GMT (Greenwich meantime). Peru does not observe daylight saving time.

Currency

The official currency in Peru is the Nuevo Sol (S/.), which is divided into 100 centimos. The currency includes coins for 5, 10, 20 and 50 centimos and 1, 2 and 5 sol coins. There are bills in the denomination of 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 Nuevos Soles.

Exchange

Banks are generally open Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., although some stay open until 6 p.m.. In major cities, most banks are also open Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m..

Long distance calls

Country code: Peru 51. City codes: Lima, 01; Ica, Nasca, and Pisco, 056; Cusco and the Sacred Valley, 084; Puerto Maldonado, 082; Puno/Lake Titicaca, 051; Arequipa, 054; Huaraz, 043; Trujillo, 044; Cajamarca, 076; Chiclayo, 074; and Iquitos, 065.

Your departure from destination

Hotel checkout

Hotel checkout times may vary depending on the property but generally you must vacate the room by 12 p.m. (noon).

Duty-free shopping

After an absence of 7 days or more, Canadian residents are permitted to return with a maximum of CAD$750 of merchandise per trip without paying duty. Each time you leave Canada for at least 48 hours, you are eligible to declare up to CAD$400 of merchandise. A written declaration may be requested. Each adult is allowed 1.1 litres (40 oz.) of liquor, 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars or cigarillos, 200 tobacco sticks and 200 grams (7 oz.) of manufactured tobacco. To calculate the number of days absent, do not count the day you left Canada but include the day you return. If you include cigarettes, tobacco sticks and loose tobacco in your personal exemption allowance, only a partial exemption will apply. You will have to pay a minimum duty on these products unless they are marked "Canada-Duty paid". Canadian made products sold at duty-free shops will be marked this way.

Airport check-in

Procedures are the same as for departure from Canada.

Customer care

For inquiries relating to extension of stay or change or hotel changes, please call Air Canada Vacations Customer Care department toll free at 1 800 296-3408 or e-mail us at: prevoyageclientele@vacv.com We are at your service seven days a week; from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. EST and from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST Saturday and Sunday.

Local Air Canada offices (for airline ticket inquiries)
For inquires relating to your airline tickets, please contact the local Air Canada office represented by:

Calle Italia 389, oficina 101
Edificio Mar Azul-Miraflores
Casilla 01-127, Lima 18, Peru
Tel. 511 241-1457
Fax 511 241-1497
Reservations: 08005-2073 (toll-free within Peru only)