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Arequipa: Historic and Colonial City Sightseeing with Santa Catalina Monastery
4.5
42 Ratings
Arequipa
Discover the historic and colonial charm of Arequipa on a guided city sightseeing tour. Visit iconic landmarks, such as the Santa Catalina Monastery and Basilica Cathedral, and enjoy breathtaking views of the city from Carmen Alto and Mirador de Yanahuara.
Discover the historic and colonial charm of Arequipa on a guided city sightseeing tour. Visit iconic landmarks, such as the Santa Catalina Monastery and Basilica Cathedral, and enjoy breathtaking views of the city from Carmen Alto and Mirador de Yanahuara.
Duration:
3 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Historic Centre of Arequipa - The White City warmly welcomes visitors with a tour starting at the Carmen Alto viewpoint. From here, one can admire the stunning landscape of agricultural terraces and the three majestic volcanoes that guard the city: Misti, Chachani, and Picchu-Picchu.
- Plaza de Armas - The journey continues to the colonial…
- Historic Centre of Arequipa - The White City warmly welcomes visitors with a tour starting at the Carmen Alto viewpoint. From here, one can admire the stunning landscape of agricultural terraces and the three majestic volcanoes that guard the city: Misti, Chachani, and Picchu-Picchu.
- Plaza de Armas - The journey continues to the colonial district of Yanahuara, renowned for its church built in the Andalusian style and its viewpoint, which boasts beautiful architecture surrounded by sillar stone arches. The tour then proceeds to the Monastery of Saint Catherine, a remarkable religious site that was closed to the public for nearly 400 years. Its narrow streets, plazas, and gardens evoke the ancient districts of Seville or Granada.
- Monasterio de Santa Catalina - Finally, the tour heads to the Main Square, where visitors can admire the Cathedral and the arches encircling the plaza. The tour concludes with a visit to the Church of the Company of Jesus, founded in the 17th century by the Jesuits, notable for its cloisters and the renowned Saint Ignacio Dome.
What's Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Professional guide
- In-vehicle air conditioning
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Professional guide
- In-vehicle air conditioning
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
- Food and drinks
Additional Information
Get to know Arequipa on this history-filled city sightseeing tour. With a professional guide, you’ll see the city’s top historical attractions, including the colonial districts of St Lazarus and Yanahuara, the Monastery of St Catherine and the Basilica Cathedral of Arequipa, as well as two locations that provide excellent views of the city and its…
Get to know Arequipa on this history-filled city sightseeing tour. With a professional guide, you’ll see the city’s top historical attractions, including the colonial districts of St Lazarus and Yanahuara, the Monastery of St Catherine and the Basilica Cathedral of Arequipa, as well as two locations that provide excellent views of the city and its surrounds
– Carmen Alto and the Mirador de Yanahuara. Travel by air-conditioned coach and hop off at various sites to walk around and soak it all in.
- Note: Admission to religious places in shorts is not allowed; please wear long pants or a long skirt
Location
Historic Centre of Arequipa
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.5
(42 Ratings)
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Ada_g
Feb 10, 2026
Nice tour that gets one... - Nice tour that gets one to the Yanahuara viewpoint without having to walk or take a taxi. The Iglesia de la Compania near the Plaza de Armas was beautiful and its San Ignacio Chapel decorated with birds from the jungle was amazing. Glad that admission was included, along with the even more expensive admission to the Monasterio de Santa Catalina. Although one can visit these sites on one’s own, this tour saves a lot of time. Jeymi was a good guide. Unfortunately February is not the best month for viewing the volcanoes though because it is the rainy season.
Review provided by Viator
Josemiguelp426
Sep 22, 2025
City of Arequipa beautiful - The city of Arequipa is beautiful with cobblestone streets and palaces from the time of the Spanish conquest that are beautiful and the monastery of Santa Catalina is a wonder I have never seen a monastery as big and beautiful as this.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lindsey_p
Aug 20, 2025
Fantastic Guide and Tour - Our guide, Charo, made this one of our best city tours in Peru. We would highly recommend it. We started out in the car seeing a few view points and she even made a few stops to accommodate some things we wanted to try but didn’t know how to find. We then did a walking tour of the Plaza de Armas area and Monastery of Santa Catalina and it was fantastic. All of the sites were not only beautiful but interesting. We especially loved the Monastery, which was not only beautiful but Charo also did a wonderful job of answering our questions and centering women’s history. As a historian, I can found her information far better and she centered women’s agency in ways others haven’t and she also addressed colonialism far better and in a more complex way. We cannot recommend this tour enough!
Review provided by Viator
Shi_c
Aug 16, 2025
Good English guide - We understand the guide’s English perfectly. We so far have had several tours with Viator, she is the only one who spoke real English.
Review provided by Viator
Angelika_v
Mar 27, 2025
Great time - This was a great 3 hour tour. The first hour was outside of the main downtown area of Arequipa and it’s great to see Misti from different view points (try to go on a sunny day). The 2-3 hours are spent walking around town and going into a church and the monastery. The tour guide was very knowledgeable.
Review provided by Viator
David_b
Jan 25, 2025
Arequipa Grand Tour - Great tour. Little bit of outside the central city, and then quite a bit into the central city. A couple of spectacular viewpoints. Very well done..
Review provided by Viator
Orch2015
Aug 25, 2024
Arequipa - The most beautiful city in Peru.
Not to be missed!
Santa Catelina Convent is very pretty.
Very good food.
The people are very welcoming.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Hamza_a
Jun 19, 2024
Lovely tour with Sline - We had a great tour, with two beautiful viewpoints, a visit to the monastery, and a walk around the main square and church. Our guide, Sline, was very kind and helpful in answering our questions and had lots of information. He was amazing in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
Review provided by Viator
_sowakathie
May 19, 2024
Don’t miss this historical site in Arequipa, Peru! - A must see site in Arequipa! We highly recommend seeing this historical site and accessing a guide once you enter. We were very impressed by the large convent which was practically its own city within Arequipa. Our guide, Claudia, was very knowledgeable, friendly and funny. The convent was very well maintained for its age with beautifully colored walls, period furniture, etc. It was fascinating to learn about and see how this convent operated with 500 nuns and 300 servants for many centuries.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
George_b
Sep 4, 2024
Comprehensive Arequipa tour - Knowledgable guide, good English, comfortable vehicle, flexible to fit with schedule, comprehensive itinerary.
Monastery tour felt repetitive and could be compressed.
Cathedral visit was the last stop scheduled in the tour at 5pm, despite its tower with views of Arequipa and the surrounds closing at 4pm, meaning I could not do this during my stay. A itinerary reshuffle would be a simple fix.
Review provided by Viator
