Kennedy Park (Parque Kennedy)

The Basics

A gathering spot where locals, expats, and travelers mingle, the park is in the middle of the shopping district of Miraflores teeming with stores of all kinds, restaurants, cafés, and banks. Escape the hectic Miraflores buzz amongst the park’s pretty flower beds and shade-giving trees.

Travelers may explore Kennedy Park as part of a larger private and group, half-day and full-day, walking and cycling, tour incorporating Lima’s best attractions offer options. Some include visits to a pre-Columbian site in Miraflores or, farther afield, an Inca settlement Pachacamac. Other tours focus specifically on art, culture, and Lima’s famously dynamic food scene. For extended holidays, tours go farther afield to Cusco, Machu Picchu, and other key attractions inside the breathtaking Sacred Valley of the Incas.

Things to Know Before You Go

• Suitable for solo travelers, couples, families; cat lovers especially.
• The resident cats are generally very friendly. Most will even patiently pose for photos.
• Vendors nearby sell picarónes, fried sweet potato and squash treats flavored with anise and cinnamon and topped with honey.
• Despite the crowds it's often considered as one of the safest areas of Lima.

How to Get There

Kennedy Park is in central Miraflores, a popular shopping district and residential neighborhood in Lima, at the intersection of Miraflores’ three main avenues: Manuel Pardo, José Larco, and Diagonal. The park is easily accessible from all parts of the city as it is the main station for Mirabus, a city sightseeing service that connects various tourist spots, departing from and arriving at the park.

When to Get There

Kennedy Park is always a flurry of activity day or night, but especially on weekends and after sunset when street musicians entertain and locals come out and dance. In general, the best time to visit Lima is wintertime (May–September), when there is the least amount of rain, especially important if planning a trip to Cusco or trek to Machu Picchu. The summer months (December–March) are warmer, but wetter, and in Lima especially, quite foggy.

Amphitheater Chabuca Granda

Inside the park is a small amphitheater named after the beloved Peruvian singer-songwriter Chabuca Granda (1920-1982). An icon of thexa0 popular Peruvian folk style known as Criollismo, she wrote and sang many famous songs, among them, "La Flor de la Canela (Cinnamon Flower)" which has become a parallel national anthem for the people of Lima. This space honors her legacy while creating a space for young artists and live bands and for locals who flock here to listen and dance.