Getting around the city, and which apps to install
Uber, Cabify, DiDi and inDrive all work in Lima and are what you should use instead of street taxis. Lima has two transit cards that do not talk to each other, and Yape and Plin are closed to foreigners.
- Use an app, not a street taxi. Unlicensed taxis are the setting for express kidnapping in Lima, and the apps cost about the same.
- Lima has two separate transit cards that are not interchangeable - one for the bus rapid transit, another for the metro line.
- Yape and Plin, the payment apps everyone uses, are closed to you - both need a Peruvian ID tied to a local bank account.
- Book the Machu Picchu trains well ahead. They sell out and there is no alternative road.
- Andean highways close in the wet season. From January to March mudslides regularly block roads and damage rail track, so build slack into the itinerary.
Use an app, not a street taxi. Unlicensed taxis are the setting for express kidnapping in Lima, and the apps cost about the same.
- Uber, Cabify, DiDi and inDrive all operate in Lima, Arequipa and Cusco. Uber and Cabify bill a foreign card directly; inDrive runs on fare bidding and expects cash or a local transfer.
- Lima has two separate transit cards. The Metropolitano BRT needs its own card at S/ 4.50 with a flat S/ 3.20 fare; Metro de Lima line 1 needs a different card at S/ 5.00 with a S/ 1.50 fare. They are not interchangeable. Moovit handles routing.
- Yape and Plin, the payment apps everyone uses, are closed to you. Both require a Peruvian DNI or foreigner ID card tied to a local bank account. Foreign visitors pay cash or card.
Between cities
- Long-distance coaches are the backbone. Cruz del Sur, Oltursa, Civa and Movil Bus run proper reclining overnight services; Peru Hop is the hop-on tourist network. Book through RedBus.pe or CheckMyBus.
- Trains to Machu Picchu run from Cusco and Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes, operated by PeruRail and Inca Rail. Book these well ahead - they sell out and there is no alternative road.
- Andean highways close in the wet season. From January to March, huaicos - mudslides - regularly block roads and damage rail track. Build slack into any January-to-March itinerary that crosses the mountains.
Traffic does not yield to pedestrians, including at marked crossings. Treat every crossing as unprotected.
Apps and platforms
Uber and Cabify for rides, RedBus for coaches, PeruRail for Machu Picchu, and offline maps for anywhere above the tree line.
- Uber - https://www.uber.com/pe/ - Works in Lima, Arequipa and Cusco, takes foreign cards.
- Cabify - https://cabify.com/peru - Often the better-regulated option in Lima.
- DiDi - https://web.didiglobal.com/pe/ - Usually the cheapest of the three.
- RedBus - https://redbus.pe/ - Intercity coach tickets across all the main operators.
- PeruRail - https://www.perurail.com/ - Trains to Aguas Calientes for Machu Picchu. Inca Rail at https://incarail.com/ is the alternative.
- Moovit - https://moovitapp.com/ - Lima bus and Metropolitano routing.
- Maps.me - Offline maps, worth having for Andean trails where there is no signal.
- Google Translate - Download the Spanish pack; English is rare outside hotels and tour agencies.
- Rappi and PedidosYa - Food and pharmacy delivery in the cities.
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