Known as the White City, Arequipa is one of the most beautiful urban destinations in Peru. Its historic center, built largely in white volcanic sillar stone, is recognized by UNESCO for its architecture, which blends European and local building traditions. The city is also framed by dramatic volcanoes, especially El Misti, which gives Arequipa a sense of scale and calm that is hard to forget.
What we love most is that Arequipa is not only a city to “see,” but a city to feel. It has beauty, yes, but also rhythm, depth, and one of the strongest regional identities in Peru — especially when it comes to food. UNESCO has also recognized Arequipa as a Creative City of Gastronomy, reflecting the importance of its culinary traditions and its famous picanterías.
Here are our 10 favorite things to do in Arequipa.
1. Wander through the historic center
If it is your first time in Arequipa, the best way to begin is simply by walking.
The historic center is the heart of the city and one of the reasons travelers fall for Arequipa so quickly. The architecture is defined by white sillar stone, open courtyards, churches, arches, and facades that glow beautifully in the changing light. UNESCO describes the city as a remarkable fusion of European and native construction traditions, and that layered identity is exactly what gives Arequipa its character.
This is the kind of city where you should leave room to stroll without rushing. Walk around the Plaza de Armas, take the smaller surrounding streets, pause in quiet patios, and let the city reveal itself at its own pace.
2. Visit the Santa Catalina Monastery
If we had to choose just one place in Arequipa, this would be near the top.
The Santa Catalina Monastery feels like a city within the city: a vast religious complex of cloisters, narrow passageways, courtyards, painted walls, and silence. Its scale and atmosphere make it one of the most memorable sites in southern Peru. Recent visitor guides describe it as a 16th-century convent spread across around 20,000 square meters, only a short walk from the city’s main square.
What makes it special is not only its history, but its mood. It is one of those places where color, stone, shadow, and quiet all work together. Go with time, not just for photos, but to really enjoy the feeling of the place.
3. Watch the city and volcanoes from Yanahuara
Arequipa is beautiful from within, but it becomes unforgettable when seen from above.
The Yanahuara viewpoint is one of the city’s most iconic spots, known for its sillar arches and wide views over Arequipa and the volcanoes beyond. Peru’s official tourism portal highlights its privileged view of the city and of Misti, while other guides note that you can often also see Chachani and Pichu Pichu from here.
This is one of our favorite moments in Arequipa, especially early in the morning or late in the afternoon, when the light becomes softer and the white stone turns warmer. It is not a long visit, but it gives you a deeper sense of the city’s setting.
4. Discover the story of Juanita at Museo Santuarios Andinos
Arequipa is not only elegant and scenic — it also opens a door into a much deeper Andean past.
The Museo Santuarios Andinos is best known for preserving Juanita, also called the Lady of Ampato, an Inca mummy discovered in the 1990s and now one of the museum’s central treasures. Peru’s official tourism portal and Mincetur’s tourism inventory both identify the museum as the home of Juanita and emphasize its importance in understanding Inca ritual practices.
This is one of the most powerful cultural visits in the city. It adds another layer to Arequipa: not just colonial beauty, but also high-altitude history, archaeology, and the sacred world of the Andes.
5. Spend time eating properly, not just quickly
Arequipa is one of the great food cities of Peru, and that is not a side note — it is central to the experience.
Its cuisine is known for bold flavors and strong regional identity, and official Peru travel sources highlight emblematic dishes such as rocoto relleno, ocopa arequipeña, and chupe de camarones. UNESCO’s Creative Cities network also notes the importance of the city’s traditional picanterías, which remain key social and culinary spaces in Arequipa today.
Our advice is simple: do not treat meals here as something secondary. A long lunch in a traditional picantería is one of the best things you can do in Arequipa. This is a city where gastronomy tells you as much as monuments do.
6. Visit San Camilo Market
For a more local and everyday side of the city, San Camilo Market is well worth visiting.
Markets always say something essential about a place, and in Arequipa this is where you can feel the city’s daily rhythm more directly — through produce, juices, spices, flowers, regional ingredients, and simple traditional food. It is close enough to the historic center to fit naturally into a city walk.
We especially like markets when they are approached with curiosity rather than as a checklist stop. Even a short visit here can help connect Arequipa’s refined restaurant scene with the ingredients and habits that nourish it.
7. Try Arequipa’s desserts and local specialties
Yes, the savory dishes are the stars — but don’t stop there.
Arequipa is also known for queso helado, a traditional dessert whose name literally means “ice cream cheese,” even though it does not actually contain cheese. Recent food reporting traces it to Arequipa’s culinary heritage and notes how deeply it is associated with the city.
This is one of those details that makes a destination feel more intimate. Trying local specialties like this, especially in a market or traditional setting, is often what transforms a good visit into a memorable one.
8. Use Arequipa as a base for the Colca Canyon
One of the best reasons to spend time in Arequipa is that it opens the way to one of southern Peru’s great landscapes: the Colca Canyon.
Peru’s tourism sources describe Colca as one of the deepest canyons in the world and highlight its dramatic scenery, traditional Andean villages, thermal waters, trekking possibilities, and opportunities to spot the Andean condor.
Even if you are mainly interested in cities and culture, Colca adds an entirely different register to the journey: larger landscapes, higher altitudes, and a stronger sense of the rural Andes. For many travelers, Arequipa and Colca belong together.
9. Escape to the Salinas y Aguada Blanca National Reserve
If you want to see how dramatically the landscapes change around Arequipa, a trip to the Salinas y Aguada Blanca National Reserve is one of the most rewarding experiences.
This protected area stretches across high Andean plains, wetlands, volcano views, and wide open scenery that feels almost elemental. It is also one of the best places near Arequipa to observe vicuñas in their natural habitat, along with other high-altitude wildlife and striking mountain landscapes. What we especially love here is the feeling of space. The scenery is quieter, harsher, more austere than in the city, and that contrast makes the experience even more memorable.
For travelers who want to connect Arequipa with the deeper landscapes of southern Peru, Salinas offers something essential: a sense of altitude, silence, and raw beauty that stays with you long after the excursion ends.
10. Discover the world of sillar
To understand Arequipa, you also have to understand sillar.
This white volcanic stone is what gives the city so much of its identity. It shapes the churches, monasteries, facades, courtyards, and streetscapes that make Arequipa so visually distinct. But beyond its beauty, sillar tells a story about geology, craftsmanship, and the way the city was built over time.
One of the most interesting ways to explore this heritage is through the Ruta del Sillar, where visitors can see the stone quarries and learn more about the work behind this emblematic material. It adds another dimension to Arequipa: not only the finished elegance of the city, but also the material and human history that made it possible.
For us, this is one of the most distinctive experiences in Arequipa, because it explains why the city looks and feels the way it does. The White City becomes even more fascinating once you see where its stone comes from.
Final thoughts
Arequipa is often described as beautiful, and it is. But beauty is only part of the story.
What makes it special is the combination: elegant architecture, a strong regional identity, unforgettable food, mountain light, and a sense that everything here has shape and substance. It is one of those cities that fits naturally into a classic Peru itinerary, but also one that deserves to be appreciated in its own right.
If you are planning a journey through southern Peru, Arequipa is not somewhere to rush through. It is somewhere to arrive, breathe, and stay a little longer.
Inspired by Arequipa? Let us help you create a journey through southern Peru that is thoughtfully designed around your pace, interests, and travel style.
