🛫 Terminal 2 (the only terminal that matters)

Airlines: LATAM (the largest base in South America), Sky Airline, JetSmart, Avianca, Copa, American, Delta, United, JetBlue, Iberia, Air Europa, KLM, Air France, Air Canada, Qatar Airways (LIM–DOH launched 2024), Aeroméxico, Plus Ultra, plus regional ops to Cusco, Arequipa, Iquitos.

Layout: Single integrated departures level on Floor 3. 71 contact gates arranged in a Y-pier configuration. International departures are concentrated in the western half; domestic in the eastern half. Walk time check-in to furthest gate: 12–18 minutes. Moving walkways throughout.

📥 The Old Terminal — What Happened

Status: The 1965 original terminal was retired for commercial passenger use on 1 June 2025. Today it operates as cargo and back-office — the LATAM Cargo hub, plus airline ops centres and crew facilities. Passengers do not touch this building.

Booking confusion: Booking confirmations from before mid-2025 (or older travel-agency systems) sometimes still mention “LIM Terminal 1” or just “Lima Airport main terminal”. There’s only one terminal now — T2 — and your taxi or Uber will know exactly where to drop you. Drop-off is on Level 3 (departures) or Level 1 (pick-up).

90-Day Visa-Free Stamp

EU/UK/US/CA/AU/NZ passports get up to 90 days on arrival. Officer at Immigration enters the days granted on a stamp; sometimes only 30 or 60 days if the officer judges your itinerary doesn’t need 90. Politely ask for 90 days at the desk if you need them. No paper card to keep — the stamp is the record. Overstaying costs ~US$1.30/day on exit.

Sol vs Dollar — Which to Carry

USD is widely accepted in tourist Lima (Miraflores, San Isidro, Barranco), but cards work nearly everywhere airside and city-side. Withdraw S/200–400 at a BCP or Interbank ATM (avoid the airport Globalnet kiosks — their FX rate is poor). Most ATMs charge S/15–25 plus your home bank fee. Cuzco, Sacred Valley, Iquitos rural areas need cash.

No EES, No ETIAS, No Tourist Refund

Peru is not in any visa-waiver scheme requiring online pre-registration. The EU’s EES and ETIAS apply only to the Schengen area — Peru is not affected. There is no tourist VAT/IGV refund at LIM (unlike Mexico’s 11% IGV refund or Argentina’s tax-free shopping). The 18% IGV on goods is included in the price and stays in Peru.

⭐ Official Airport Taxis — Taxi Verde & Taxi Directo

Two licensed operators have desks immediately past Customs in the Arrivals hall: Taxi Verde (white & green livery, ~S/80–110 to Miraflores) and Taxi Directo (black & yellow, ~S/85–120). The price is fixed by destination zone — you pay at the desk and get a slip; the dispatcher pairs you with the next car. No haggling, no meter surprises. Both accept card.

📱 Uber, Cabify, InDriver, Beat — The App Lane

Lima is one of South America’s most app-saturated cities. Uber, Cabify, InDriver, Beat (Free Now subsidiary) all operate from LIM. Pickups are at a designated app zone on Level 1 of T2, signposted “Aplicaciones” / “Apps”. Drivers wait there free of airport access fees, so prices match city rates.

🚌 AeroDirecto & Public Buses — Cheaper but Slower

AeroDirecto is the official airport shuttle service: scheduled departures from LIM to Miraflores via San Isidro, ~S/30–40 per person, every 30 minutes 06:00–23:00. Stops outside Wong supermarket Miraflores and the Larcomar shopping centre. Slower than a taxi (45–75 minutes) but dramatically cheaper for two people. Counter is in the Arrivals hall just past Customs.

✈️ Connecting to Cusco, Arequipa, Iquitos — Stay Airside

If you’re using LIM purely as a connection to Cusco / Arequipa / Iquitos, you don’t leave the building. Domestic transfers route through the eastern half of T2. Allow 90 minutes minimum if your inbound is long-haul (passport check + bag re-check + walk to domestic). LATAM and Sky Airline have priority desks for connecting passengers.

✨ Sumaq Lounge T2 (international airside, premium)

La Lucha — the iconic Miraflores sanguchería — runs a T2 outpost. Order the chicharrón or the asado de res (~S/22–28). Twice the size of any sandwich you’ll get on a long-haul. Open 06:00–23:00. The Starbucks two doors down is the same Starbucks you have at home; the chicharrón is the Lima you came for.

Britt Peru at T2 main concourse does proper Peruvian coffee (try the Chanchamayo single-origin) and lúcuma cheesecake — the local fruit you can only realistically eat in Peru. Tanta (Gastón Acurio’s casual chain) does fast-casual causa limña, ceviche, and tiraditos at S/35–55, vs S/80–120 at airport sit-down equivalents. Open 05:00–23:00.

Pisco is the export gift that travels — Pisco Pur Quebranta (single-grape Quebranta variety, S/85–120 a bottle) and Pisco Tres Generaciones are the duty-free standouts; about 30% cheaper than US import. Peruvian dark chocolate from Cacaosuyo and Tasara, lúcuma powder for smoothies back home, maca root powder. Avoid the airport-priced alpaca textiles — Cusco markets are 60% cheaper. Coca tea is legal export to most countries (US/EU yes; AU/NZ check).

Peru is one of three countries in the world where Coca-Cola is not the dominant soft drink; the others are Scotland (Irn-Bru) and Cuba (TuKola). Inka Cola, sold every airport convenience store, is bright yellow, fizzy, and tastes like bubblegum-meets-cream-soda. Children love it. Adults pretend not to. Buy a 600ml bottle for the flight (~S/4) — you’ll either love it or have a story.

From May to October, Lima sits under a low marine fog called the garúa. Visibility at LIM can drop below CAT II minimums most mornings, occasionally cancelling 04:00–08:00 flights. The new CAT III ILS (commissioned with T2) handles fog better than the old single-runway setup, but cancellations still happen, especially in July and August. If you’re flying Lima–Cusco at 05:30 in winter, build in a one-day buffer for re-routing. Inland Peru (Cusco, Arequipa, Puno) has none of this fog — the garúa is a Lima-specific coastal thing.

Cusco sits at 3,400 m; Sacred Valley/Aguas Calientes at 2,000–3,000 m; Puno at 3,800 m. If your itinerary is “land in Lima at 06:00, connect to Cusco at 09:00”, you’ll arrive at 11:00 in Cusco having had no meaningful sleep and walking into thin air. Altitude sickness is common day one — headache, nausea, mild breathlessness. Mitigation: spend a night in Lima (or in the Sacred Valley at 2,800 m) before pushing up to Cusco; drink coca tea (legal, freely available); avoid alcohol day one; ask your doctor about acetazolamide before travel.

Unlike Berlin or Reykjavik, Lima tap water is not safe to drink. This includes airport washroom taps. Stick to bottled water (~S/6 airside, S/2–3 in supermarkets). Lounges include free still and sparkling water, so refill your bottle before boarding. The Sumaq and Hanaq lounges have proper filtered-water dispensers; the public water-bottle filling station near gate B12 is purified. Hot drinks — coffee, tea — are fine; the boiling kills bacteria.

For Lima only: any eSIM (Airalo, Holafly, GigSky, Saily) works fine and saves you the airport queue — ~US$10–20 for 5–10 GB / 14 days. For travel beyond Lima — Cusco, Sacred Valley, Iquitos, Puno — buy a local SIM. Bitel has the best rural Andean coverage (S/40–60 for 30 days unlimited); Movistar is second. Claro has the worst rural coverage despite being a big-name brand. The Bitel kiosk at T2 arrivals takes a passport and 10 minutes; ask for the “Plan Turista” bundle.

Lima as a whole has a moderate safety profile, but Miraflores, San Isidro, and Barranco are widely regarded as among Latin America’s safer urban districts, with active police presence and 24-hour serenazgo (district security). The single biggest rule: do not hail street taxis; use Uber/Cabify/InDriver only. Counterfeit taxis exist. The official airport taxi desks (Taxi Verde, Taxi Directo) are 100% safe. For 04:00 connections, prefer Sumaq Lounge over a hotel night — the lounge is open 24/7 and far cheaper than a Miraflores hotel.

Lima is card-saturated airside and in tourist Lima; cash matters in markets, food carts, smaller restaurants in non-tourist districts, and the moment you leave Lima for Cusco/Iquitos. Withdraw S/200–400 at a BCP or Interbank ATM in arrivals — both have machines on Level 1. The S/100 note is hard to break in small shops; ask the ATM for S/50s and S/20s if possible. USD is accepted in tourist Lima at restaurants and hotels but at a 5–10% mark-up over the daily rate; for anything beyond Lima, change to soles before you go.