Piura Travel Guide

Founded in 1532, Piura is older than Lima. Located on the banks of the Piura river, the city is charming with many old colonial buildings and new structures blending in. Despite its 250000 inhabitants, it's a rather easygoing place. There are a few nice parks which make the city a pleasant place to spend some time.

The heart of the city is the Plaza de Armas. The cathedral with a gold covered altar dominates the square. Shoeshiners try to extract as much money as possible from tourists, polishing your shoes like they were never polished before. In the streets around the plaza you can find quite a few descent bars and a cinema. A few blocks down is the church of San Francisco, historic ground, because this is one of the places where Peru first declared its independence from Spain. The independence festival is celebrated quite enthusiastically here. Other interesting churches are those of Las Mercedes and San Sebastian.

There are three museums, the small Museo Complejo Cultural is interesting and the Casa Museo Grau dedicated to Admiral Grau who beat the Chileans in a major sea battle in the War of the Pacific. The third one is the Museo de Arte Religioso on the plaza of San Fransisco.

Interesting daytrips can be made to Catacaos, famous for its chicha, handycrafts and Narihuela, an archeological site. Nearby are several coastal towns, with wonderful beaches and interesting culture.