By air
Arequipa (AQP), ~9 km
South America · Peru
Arequipa, Peru
The white city under volcanoes
Getting there
Best time to visit
April to December — dry and sunny
Don't miss
The Santa Catalina Monastery
The Plaza de Armas
The Colca Canyon
El Misti
Things to do
The Santa Catalina Monastery
Condors over the Colca Canyon
The traditional picanterías
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Draceane · CC BY-SA 4.0
What to pack
Sun protection, layers
A quieter corner
The Santa Catalina Monastery by lamplight
Questions travellers ask
Which months are best for Arequipa?
April to December, when it's dry and sunny. Pack sun protection and layers.
Is the Santa Catalina Monastery worth seeing at night?
Yes — seeing the Santa Catalina Monastery by lamplight is Arequipa's hidden gem.
What else is there to see around Arequipa?
The Plaza de Armas, El Misti, and the Colca Canyon, where you can watch condors overhead.
What are Arequipa's local dishes?
Rocoto relleno and adobo arequipeño, ideally at one of the traditional picanterías.
About Arequipa
- Mountains
Where it is
Arequipa is the capital of the Arequipa region in southern Peru and the country's second-largest city, set at about 2,300 m in the Chili River valley beneath three volcanoes, El Misti, Chachani and Pichu Pichu.
History
Founded by the Spanish on 15 August 1540 in a valley already farmed by Andean peoples, Arequipa grew into a prosperous colonial city built of sillar, a white volcanic stone, which earned it the name White City. Earthquakes have repeatedly damaged it, and its historic centre became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.
People
Arequipeños speak Spanish, and their regional cooking, served in traditional picanterías, includes rocoto relleno, chupe de camarones and adobo; Quechua is spoken by many families from the surrounding highlands. The city celebrates its founding every August with parades and folk dances.
Known for
- The Santa Catalina Monastery
- The Plaza de Armas and cathedral
- Condors in the Colca Canyon
- Picanterías serving rocoto relleno
- Views of El Misti volcano
Did you know?
The Santa Catalina Monastery, founded in 1579, is a small walled city of its own, with narrow streets covering some 20,000 square metres in the centre of Arequipa, and nuns still live in part of it.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.