Lima, Peru

Ancient sites near Lima

1 archaeological and heritage site within 800 km of Lima, closest first. Distances are straight-line (“as the crow flies”); road journeys are longer.

  1. 504km
    Machu Picchu

    Peru · c. 1450 CE · UNESCO

    Precision stonework and terraces on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba river.

    Nearest town: Aguas Calientes · Best time to visit: April – October (dry season)

  2. 3,760km
    Rapa Nui

    Chile · moai c. 1250–1500 CE · UNESCO

    Nearly a thousand stone figures carved by Polynesian settlers in the middle of the Pacific.

    Nearest town: Hanga Roa

  3. 3,851km
    Chichén Itzá

    Mexico · c. 9th–12th c. CE · UNESCO

    Home of El Castillo, the stepped pyramid where a serpent of shadow appears at the equinox.

    Nearest town: Valladolid

  4. 4,261km
    Teotihuacan

    Mexico · c. 1st–6th c. CE · UNESCO

    One of the largest cities in the world in the first centuries CE, laid out along the Avenue of the Dead.

    Nearest town: Mexico City

  5. 6,384km
    Mesa Verde

    United States · c. 600–1300 CE · UNESCO

    Stone cliff dwellings like Cliff Palace, tucked under sandstone overhangs in Colorado.

    Nearest town: Cortez

  6. 10,047km
    Stonehenge

    United Kingdom · c. 3000–1500 BCE · UNESCO

    Built and rebuilt over many centuries, with stones hauled from as far away as Wales.

    Nearest town: Salisbury

Day trips and distances from Lima

What is the closest ancient site to Lima?

Machu Picchu in Peru is about 504 km from Lima in a straight line; the nearest town is Aguas Calientes.

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