Air connections The easiest way of getting to Arequipa is by plane, and there is a modern, pleasant airport 10 kilometres from the centre of town.
There is a flat fee of $3.50 for a taxi to and from the airport. There are several daily flights to Lima, Cusco, Juliaca and Tacna.
All travel agencies will sell tickets, or these can be bought from the airlines. Read the rest of this entry »
Arequipa has a strong culinary tradition, and there are a wide variety of local dishes available. Soups are particularly popular, and are often very tasty and are a meal in themselves. Additionally, Rocoto Relleno (stuffed spicy pepper) is another local favourite well worth trying, although make sure you specify if you do not want it too spicy. Most picanterías (restaurants serving traditional Arequipeño food) are outside of the centre, and a taxi should be taken. These are generally open only at lunchtime.
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Bars, clubs and discos For a large city, Arequipa does not have a very active night scene. However, things have picked up in recent years, and there are now a number of good bars and clubs open most days of the week. However, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays still tend to be the most popular days with locals, with places filling up around midnight. Nightlife is concentrated in two main areas. In the centre there are a number of smart bars as well as some good clubs and discos. This tends to be where most tourists go in the evening. However, many young Arequipeños head for Avenida Dolores, where there are many discos and bars. Read the rest of this entry »
Jan 6 Los Reyes de Tiabaya, where families visit the district of Tiabaya to shake the pear trees.
Feb 3 Festival of Virgen de la Candelaria in Cayma and Characato, where fireworks are set off the night before.
Feb (second half) Carnaval Arequipeño, where a carnival queen is chosen, and there are parades and folkloric dance competitions. Water (and sometimes other things) is thrown on passers by to celebrate.
Mar/Apr The Semana Santa (holy week) celebrations in Arequipa take the form of massive processions in the centre of town, with participants dressed in mourning clothes, in the style of Seville in Spain. On the morning of Easter Sunday, effigies of Judas are burnt in different locations of the city. Read the rest of this entry »
