Lima

Lima is the capital of Peru and a city of about 7.7 million people — with more than ten million across the metro — set on the Pacific coast where the ocean meets the desert. The city is famous around the world for its food: ceviche, pisco sour, and a gastronomy scene that has made Lima a global culinary capital, with restaurants, markets, and cooking schools feeding a deep culture of eating together.

The city is Peru’s economic and startup center, with a growing fintech and creative scene, and its neighborhoods have distinct personalities: Miraflores and Barranco for cafés, art, and the ocean cliffs, San Isidro for business, and the Centro Histórico for the deep layers of history — colonial plazas, the San Marcos university founded in 1551, and pre-Inca huacas (ancient ruins) standing in the middle of modern streets. PUCP, San Marcos, and other universities feed constant flows of students and researchers into local communities.

Lima’s weather is famously gray — a coastal fog called garúa covers the sky for much of the year — but the city’s social life is warm and lively: the Malecón boardwalk, the beaches of the Costa Verde, the bars of Barranco, and the cevicherías of every neighborhood. For finding or starting an Origin, Lima rewards choosing a neighborhood, a good venue, and a group that celebrates the city’s food and its proud, hospitable culture.