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Museums and Tourist Sites of Arequipa

Arequipa, known as “The White City,” is one of the most fascinating cities in Peru. Its Historic Center was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site thanks to its architecture built with volcanic sillar stone, its colonial churches, monasteries, and historic mansions.

During your stay in Arequipa, you can combine learning Spanish with a unique cultural experience, visiting museums, monuments, traditional neighborhoods, and natural landscapes set between the desert and the volcanoes. 

Santa Catalina Monastery

A city within the city

Founded in 1579, it is one of the most important colonial monuments in Peru. Its streets, courtyards, cloisters, and colonial paintings show the history of religious life during the Viceroyalty.

  • 📍 Address: Calle Santa Catalina 301, Historic Center of Arequipa
  • ☎️ Phone: (054) 221213
  • 🕒 Hours: Daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (closes at 6 p.m., check last admission). Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (closes at 7 p.m.)
  • 🚫 Closed: Good Friday, December 25, and January 1
  • 💵 Admission:
    • Adults: S/50
    • Foreign children: S/30
    • Senior citizens: S/30
    • Peruvian university students: S/20
    • Peruvian schoolchildren: S/6
  • 🌐 Website: www.santacatalina.org.pe
  • 📧 Email: informes@santacatalina.org.pe
  • 📱 Social media: Facebook @MonasterioSantaCatalinaArequipa | Instagram @monasteriosantacatalina

Andean Sanctuaries Museum – Mummy Juanita

A journey into the world of the Incas

A museum of the Universidad Católica de Santa María that houses the famous Mummy Juanita, discovered on the Ampato volcano, along with important archaeological pieces of Andean culture such as ceramics, textiles, and offerings.

  • 📍 Address: Calle La Merced 110, Historic Center
  • ☎️ Phone: (054) 286613 / 215013 / +51 987636803
  • 🕒 Hours: Monday to Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
  • 💵 Admission:
    • Foreigners: S/25
    • Foreign students: S/13
    • Peruvians: S/5
    • Peruvian students: S/3
  • 📧 Email: santury@ucsm.edu.pe / museos@ucsm.edu.pe / musa@ucsm.edu.pe
  • 📱 Social media: Facebook @MuseoSantuariosAndinos

Arequipa Cathedral Museum

Religious art and historical heritage

Located inside the Cathedral Basilica, it displays religious treasures, paintings, sculptures, liturgical ornaments, and historical objects from the Arequipa Cathedral.

  • 📍 Address: Plaza de Armas de Arequipa (entrance on Calle Santa Catalina)
  • ☎️ Phone: (054) 213149 / (51)(54) 221024
  • 🕒 Museum hours: Monday to Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.
  • 💵 Admission: Adults S/10, students S/5
  • 🌐 Website: www.museocatedralarequipa.org.pe
  • 📧 Email: informes@museocatedralarequipa.org.pe
  • 📱 Social media: Facebook Museo Catedral Arequipa

Arequipa Cathedral (tourist visits):

  • 🕒 Monday to Saturday, 7:00 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.
  • 👕 Dress code: no shorts, no sleeveless tops

Mario Vargas Llosa House Museum

The life of the Peruvian Nobel Prize winner

An interactive museum dedicated to the Arequipa-born writer Mario Vargas Llosa, winner of the 2010 Nobel Prize in Literature. It presents his childhood, literary career, and international recognition through holograms, projections, and personal objects.

  • 📍 Address: Av. Parra 101, Arequipa
  • ☎️ Phone: (054) 283574 / 905 464 859
  • 🕒 Hours: Check in advance (guided tours) — Monday to Friday, 8:00 to 11:00 a.m. and 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.
  • 💵 Admission:
    • National: S/20
    • Foreigners: S/30
    • National senior citizens: S/10
    • Foreign senior citizens: S/20
  • 📧 Email: informes@casamuseomariovargasllosa.pe
  • 📱 Social media: Facebook Casa Museo Mario Vargas Llosa | Instagram @casamuseomvl

Santa Teresa Viceregal Art Museum

A gem of colonial art

It holds an important collection of paintings from the Cusco School, sculptures, furniture, and religious objects from the Viceregal period. It is a “living museum” inside an active Carmelite monastery.

  • 📍 Address: Calle Melgar 303, Historic Center
  • ☎️ Phone: 986 965 741
  • 🕒 Hours: Monday to Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
  • 💵 Admission:
    • General: S/20
    • Senior citizens: S/10
    • University students: S/6
    • Children: S/3.50
  • 🌐 Website: www.museosantateresa.org
  • 📧 Email: informes@museosantateresa.org
  • 📱 Social media: Facebook Museo Santa Teresa Arequipa

MUCEN Arequipa – Central Museum

Art, archaeology, and history of Peru

A museum of the Central Reserve Bank of Peru with collections of archaeology, numismatics, and viceregal art.

 

Guillermo Zegarra Meneses Municipal Historical Museum

Local history of Arequipa

A museum dedicated to the history of Arequipa from colonial times to the present.

  • 📍 Address: Calle San Francisco 407
  • ☎️ Phone: (054) 204801
  • 🕒 Reference hours: Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
  • 💵 General admission: approximately S/10 (reduced rates: check directly at the museum)
  • 📧 Email: turismo@muniarequipa.gob.pe
  • 📱 Social media: facebook.com/museomunicipa

La Recoleta Convent Museum

Franciscan tradition and culture

A former Franciscan convent with a historic library, archaeological collections, religious art, and ethnographic pieces.

  • 📍 Address: La Recoleta 117, Yanahuara
  • ☎️ Phone: (054) 270966
  • 🕒 Hours: Monday to Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 to 5:00 p.m. (closed Sundays and holidays)
  • 💵 Admission:
    • Adults: S/15
    • Children and senior citizens: S/7
  • 📧 Email: recoletaarequipa@gmail.com
  • 📱 Social media: Facebook Museo La Recoleta

House Museum – Cultural Extension Center, MPA

A space dedicated to modern and contemporary Peruvian art.

  • 📍 Address: Calle San Lázaro 120, Cercado
  • 🕒 Reference hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Maria Morante Archaeological Museum (National University of San Agustín)

  • 📍 Address: Álvarez Thomas 200
  • 🕒 Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (break from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.)
  • 💵 Admission:
    • Adults: S/5
    • University/higher education students: S/2
    • Schoolchildren: S/1
    • Free admission: UNSA students, adults over 60, children under 6, people with disabilities
  • 🌐 Website: unsa.edu.pe/eventos/museo-arqueologico-jose-maria-morante-6

Tambo de la Cabezona

  • 📍 Address: Calle Puente Bolognesi 360, Cercado
  • ☎️ Phone: 967297193
  • 🕒 Hours: Monday to Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
  • 💵 Admission:
    • Peruvians: S/15
    • Senior citizens, university or institute students: S/10
    • Schoolchildren: S/5
    • Foreigners: S/25
    • Foreign senior citizens, university students, and schoolchildren: S/15
  • 📧 Email: administracion@tambolacabezona.com
  • 🌐 Website: tambolacabezona.com

Qolqaq Yachaynin Archaeological Museum

  • 📍 Address: Calle Jerusalén 203, Arequipa, Peru, 04001
  • ☎️ Phone: 996 434 689
  • 🕒 Hours: Monday to Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
  • 💵 Admission: Adults S/7, children S/5
  • 📧 Email: franciszt65@gmail.com

Villa San Rafael – Colonial House Museum

  • 📍 Address: Alata, Tiabaya, Arequipa
  • ☎️ Phone: 982019514
  • 🕒 Hours: Monday to Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (closed December 25; reduced hours December 24 and 31)
  • 💵 Admission:
    • Adults: S/12
    • Senior citizens: S/10
    • Children: S/5
  • 🌐 Website: villasanrafael.com

Plaza de Armas and Cathedral Basilica

The heart of Arequipa and one of the most beautiful urban spaces in Peru. It is surrounded by colonial arcades and buildings built of sillar stone.

  • 📍 Location: Historic Center of Arequipa

Church of the Compañía de Jesús

A masterpiece of Arequipa mestizo Baroque style. Notable for its facade carved in sillar stone and the Chapel of San Ignacio, famous for its paintings featuring tropical flora and fauna.

  • 📍 Address: Calle General Morán 114
  • ☎️ Contact: 939857353
  • 💵 Admission: S/10
  • 🕒 Hours: Monday to Sunday, 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. First Fridays of each month: 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
  • 🌐 Website: www.templodelacompaniarequipa.pe
  • 📱 Social media: Jesuitas del Perú | facebook.com/Iglesiadelacompaniadearequipa

Mario Vargas Llosa Regional Library

Mario Vargas Llosa Personal Library

Mario Vargas Llosa donated approximately 23,501 books. Of these, between 11,000 and 12,000 had personal annotations, underlining, or dedications from the writer. Visitors can also see his hippopotamus figure collection — hundreds of pieces in every material and color. The hobby grew after the premiere of his play Kathie y el hipopótamo (the actors gave him figurines as souvenirs). For Vargas Llosa, hippopotamuses represented pleasure, freedom, sensuality, and a carefree joy that contrasted with his own intense, disciplined life as a writer — one of his most endearing and recurring quirks.

  • 📍 Address: San Francisco 306, Cercado
  • 🕒 Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (break from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.)

San Camilo Market – Arequipa

One of the most traditional markets in the White City, ideal for experiencing local life and enjoying fruits, juices, cheeses, typical products, and Arequipa cuisine.

📍 Address: Calle San Camilo 218, Cercado de Arequipa
🕒 Approximate hours:

  • Monday to Saturday: 7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
  • Sunday: 7:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

⭐ Recommended for trying fresh juices, traditional breakfasts, queso helado (a frozen cinnamon-milk dessert), and typical Arequipa dishes.

Traditional San Lázaro Neighborhood

The oldest neighborhood in Arequipa, with small streets, traditional squares, and sillar-stone architecture.

Yanahuara Viewpoint

Famous for its sillar-stone arches inscribed with phrases from Arequipa writers and its impressive view of the Misti, Chachani, and Pichu Pichu volcanoes.

Carmen Alto Viewpoint

A beautiful view of the Chili Valley, agricultural terraces, and volcanoes.

Sabandía Mill

A 17th-century colonial mill surrounded by the rural landscapes of the Arequipa countryside.

  • 📍 Address: Av. Miguel Grau s/n, Sabandía
  • 🕒 Hours: Monday to Sunday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
  • 💵 Admission: Adults S/10, children S/5, senior citizens S/5
  • 📧 Email: elmolinodesabandia@gmail.com
  • 📱 Social media: Facebook Molino de Sabandía

Mansión del Fundador

One of the oldest colonial mansions in Arequipa, linked to the early years of the city’s founding.

  • 📍 Address: Huasacache, Socabaya
  • 🕒 Hours: Monday to Sunday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
  • 💵 Admission: Adults S/17, senior citizens and children S/12
  • 🌐 Website: www.lamansiondelfundador.com
  • 📱 Social media: Facebook Mansión del Fundador

Mundo Alpaca

A cultural center where visitors learn about Andean textile tradition and the process of making alpaca fiber products.

  • 📍 Address: Alameda San Lázaro 101 / Av. Juan de la Torre
  • 🕒 Hours: Monday to Sunday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
  • 🌐 Website: www.mundoalpaca.com.pe

Sillar Route – Añashuayco Quarries

A unique experience to learn about the white volcanic stone that gave rise to Arequipa’s architecture. Visitors can watch traditional stonecutters at work and admire sculptures carved in sillar.

  • 📍 Address: Añashuayco, Cerro Colorado
  • 🕒 Hours: Monday to Sunday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
  • 💵 Admission: S/5
  • 💵 Sculpture museum: S/3 (Address: Culebrillas)
  • 📍 Other access point: La Joya Highway turnoff, Cerro Colorado — admission S/8

Colca and Andagua Volcanoes UNESCO Global Geopark

Arequipa is home to this Geopark, the only UNESCO Global Geopark in Peru, recognized for its extraordinary geological, natural, and cultural heritage.

Colca Canyon

The Colca Canyon is one of the most spectacular natural attractions in the Arequipa region and is famous for its dramatic landscapes, traditional villages, pre-Hispanic agricultural terraces and the Andean condor.

The best-known viewpoint is the Cruz del Cóndor, where visitors can often observe condors soaring above the canyon.

Distance from Arequipa to Chivay: approximately 151 km
Driving time: approximately 3–3½ hours
Altitude of Chivay: 3,635 m above sea level

Cruz del Cóndor: approximately 160–165 km from Arequipa
Altitude: approximately 3,660 m above sea level

Colca Tourist Ticket

The tourist ticket includes access to the Colca Canyon circuit, Salinas and Aguada Blanca National Reserve and the Valley of the Volcanoes.

It generally does not include the hot springs(S/5.00) or the archaeological site of Uyo Uyo (S/5.00).

Current admission fees

  • Peruvian adult: S/20
  • Peruvian senior citizen (60+): S/5
  • Peruvian university student: S/5
  • Peruvian child, 6–15 years: S/5
  • Latin American foreign adult: S/40
  • Foreign adult: S/70
  • Foreign child, 6–15 years: S/20
  • Children 0–5 years: Free

Special rates for tour guides

  • Foreign tour conductor with more than 10 passengers: S/20
  • Peruvian tour conductor with more than 10 passengers: S/5
  • Foreign resident in Peru: S/20
  • Assistant guide: S/5

Chivay Interpretation Center / Entrance Booth

  • Address: Chivay s/n
  • Opening hours: Monday to Sunday, 05:00–18:00.
  • Chivay Control Point Mobile: +51 994 362 257

⚠️ Important information for visitors

The Colca Valley reaches elevations of more than 3,600 m above sea level. Visitors should drink plenty of water, avoid excessive physical exertion during the first hours and bring warm clothing and sun protection.

San Francisco Museum-Convent

San Francisco de Asís Museum
📍 103 Zela Street, Arequipa

Opening hours:
Monday to Saturday: 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. and 3:00–6:00 p.m.
Sunday: Closed

Admission:

  • Adults: S/10
  • Foreign adults: S/15
  • Students: S/5
  • Foreign students: S/8
  • Children: S/3

San Francisco Church:
Monday–Saturday: 4:00–7:30 p.m.
Sunday: 7:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. and 6:00–7:00 p.m.

📞 Tel. 054 384103
📱 Mobile: 974 244 152

Official website – San Francisco Museum

Petroglyphs of Toro Muerto

The Toro Muerto Petroglyphs are located in the Majes Valley, in the province of Castilla. This impressive archaeological site contains thousands of ancient rock carvings depicting animals, human figures, geometric designs and other symbols.

Distance from Arequipa: approximately 163–165 km
Driving time: approximately 2½–3 hours
Altitude: approximately 400–500 m above sea level

Admission:

  • Adults: S/7
  • Students: S/3
  • Children: S/2

Opening hours: Tuesday–Sunday, approximately 8:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
It is recommended to call in advance to confirm.

📱 Contact: Roberto – 983 856 090

Querulpa Dinosaur Footprints – Majes

Los Dinosaurios Complex

The site contains 69 registered dinosaur footprints and a small site museum. It offers visitors an interesting glimpse into the prehistoric past of the Majes Valley.

Admission: Free
Opening hours: 7:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

Chancharay Tourist Resort – Huancarqui

Chancharay Tourist Resort is a public recreational area in the district of Huancarqui.

Admission: S/5 per person
Opening hours: Tuesday–Sunday, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Pillones Waterfall & Puruña Stone Forest

Pillones Waterfall is located in the highlands of Arequipa and is surrounded by impressive volcanic landscapes. The nearby Puruña Stone Forest is another interesting geological attraction.

Distance from Arequipa: approximately 175 km
Driving time: approximately 2 hours 40 minutes–3 hours
Altitude: approximately 4,400 m above sea level

The route includes approximately 164 km to Imata, another 10 km to the ticket office, followed by approximately 1.6 km along an unpaved road and a walking trail.

Admission: approximately S/5 per person
Opening hours: 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., every day

The walk to the waterfall takes approximately 20–30 minutes, depending on weather conditions and the group’s pace.

Tours from Arequipa usually depart around 6:00–6:30 a.m. and return at approximately 5:00 p.m.

Puruña Stone Forest

Opening hours: 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Admission: S/5

⚠️ Important: This area is located at a very high altitude. Warm clothing, water and sun protection are strongly recommended.

Salinas and Aguada Blanca National Reserve

Salinas Lagoon

The Salinas and Aguada Blanca National Reserve is a spectacular high-altitude protected area surrounded by volcanoes, mountains, wetlands and lagoons. It is home to vicuñas, alpacas, llamas, flamingos and other Andean wildlife.

Distance from Arequipa: approximately 89 km to some areas of the reserve
Driving time: approximately 2½ hours, depending on the destination
Altitude: approximately 4,300–4,350 m above sea level

Admission to the reserve / Salinas Lagoon: approximately S/8 per person.

The exact distance and travel time depend on the area visited, especially if the destination is Salinas Lagoon.

Other attractions and possible fees

  • Lojen Mini Volcano: S/10
  • Lojen Hot Springs: approximately S/5–10, depending on the establishment.

⚠️ Important: Salinas is located at more than 4,300 m above sea level. Visitors should be prepared for cold temperatures, strong sunlight and possible altitude sickness.

Lagunas de Mejía National Sanctuary

The Lagunas de Mejía National Sanctuary is an important wetland and coastal ecosystem located in the province of Islay. It is particularly interesting for birdwatching and is home to numerous resident and migratory bird species.

Distance from Arequipa: approximately 143–151 km
Driving time: approximately 2½–3 hours
Altitude: approximately 0–50 m above sea level

Opening hours: Every day, 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.

Admission:

  • Foreign adults: S/30
  • Peruvian adults: S/15
  • Peruvian children: S/5
  • Residents of Islay Province: adults S/8, children S/3, with ID

📱 Mobile: 968 218 434

Location: Km 32.4, Pan-American Highway, Mejía–La Curva, Islay

Discover Arequipa While Learning Spanish

At Rocio Language Classes, you can learn Spanish while living an authentic cultural experience. Arequipa combines history, gastronomy, nature, safety, a pleasant climate, and an affordable cost of living, making it an ideal destination to study Spanish in Peru.

Learn Spanish with Peruvian soul in the White City, between the desert and the volcanoes.

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