Gran Hotel Bolívar

Lima


For aficionados of the gilded age, this venerable 1924 hotel was where Clark Gable, Mick Jagger and Robert Kennedy all stayed. Though now frayed, there's a certain grand-dame finesse, and it's on Plaza San Martín. It’s also employee-owned, a rarity in the hotel world, which translates into impeccable and entertaining service.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Lima attractions

1. Museo Andrés del Castillo

0.08 MILES

Housed in a pristine 19th-century mansion with Spanish tile floors, this worthwhile private museum showcases a vast collection of minerals, as well as…

2. Plaza San Martín

0.09 MILES

Built in the early 20th century, Plaza San Martín has come to life in recent years as the city has set about restoring its park and giving the surrounding…

3. Jirón de la Unión

0.15 MILES

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the five pedestrian blocks on Jirón de la Unión, from the Plaza de Armas to Plaza San Martín, were the place to…

4. Iglesia de la Merced

0.26 MILES

The first Latin Mass in Lima was held in 1534 on a small patch of land now marked by the Iglesia de la Merced. Originally built in 1541, it was rebuilt…

5. Instituto Riva-Aguero

0.29 MILES

Toward the center of downtown, this traditional casona houses the small Museum of Art & Popular Tradition.

6. Panteón de los Próceres

0.31 MILES

Located inside a little-visited 18th-century Jesuit church, this monument pays tribute to Peruvian battle heroes, from Túpac Amaru II, the 18th-century…

7. Iglesia de San Agustín

0.32 MILES

This church has an elaborate churrigueresque facade (completed in 1720), replete with stone carvings of angels, flowers, fruit and, of course, St…

8. Iglesia de las Nazarenas

0.38 MILES

One of Lima’s most storied churches was part of a 17th-century shantytown inhabited by former slaves. One of them painted an image of the Crucifixion on a…