Mercado de Surquillo

Just a few blocks from the hotel, the Surquillo Market bustles with daily life, as locals shop the stands for their fresh groceries. You’ll find stalls selling a bounty of seafood, vegetables, fruits, meat, herbs, and many surprising and unfamiliar indigenous items. For an insider’s look at the market, book the Belmond Miraflores Park’s private Gastronomic Discovery experience, which includes a guided market tour—during which you’ll shop for ingredients—followed by a cooking class back at the hotel and then lunch at Tragaluz. Photo by Carolina Murga Portella/Flickr.

The Surquillo Market, in Lima’s Miraflores District, is a bustling hub of activity. The market is mostly frequented by locals and has a enormous selection of indigenous fruits and vegetables, herbs, meat, and fish. Buy some of the cheaply priced fruits to take with you and try during your stay. I recommend trying a lucuma, which reminds me of a yam but sweeter. The vendors in the market seemed a little suspicious of cameras so please ask before taking photos. Colin Roohan traveled to Peru courtesy of PromPeru, Travcoa, and LAN as part of AFAR’s partnership with The United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA), whose members provide travelers with unparalleled access, insider knowledge, and peace-of-mind to destinations across the globe. Hear more about Colin’s journey on the USTOA blog.

Camote, camu camu, maiz morado, rocoto, maca, quinua, ají …there are the names of just a few food items that are exclusive to Peru, and Mercado de Surquillo is the best place to see (and try some of) them. It’s a Farmer’s Market, where fresh fruit, vegetables and meats are sold at the stalls. You’ll find a lot of new types of fruits and vegetables and be able to talk to the sellers about them. You can have a ceviche made on the spot, try some of the produce and make your Lima experience a bit more authentic (and enjoyable!). The best time to go is early in the morning, when the produce is fresh and the sellers are not tired yet.