Francisco Pizarro founded Lima in January 1535, laying it out around a plaza that is still called the Plaza Mayor, and for the next three centuries it was the capital of Spain's South American empire. The grid of streets around the plaza is the centre today, a mix of baroque churches, carved wooden balconies in the Moorish style, colonial mansions and government buildings. The cathedral, which holds Pizarro's tomb, stands on one side, and the Convent of San Francisco, with its library and underground catacombs, lies a few streets away.
Lima sits on a desert coast, between the Pacific and the foothills of the Andes, and it is one of the world's driest large cities. What it has instead of rain is a grey, damp mist called garua that settles over the city for much of the year, which is why many locals escape to the sun in summer. The Rimac river, a thin ribbon in a stony bed, runs through the northern edge of the centre. The food, on the other hand, is superb. Lima is regarded as one of the great food capitals of the Americas, with ceviche, anticuchos and pisco sours, and even a modest lunch in the old town is worth the trip.
The riding is another matter. The city has millions of inhabitants, and its roads are loud, fast and crowded, with aggressive buses, improvised lane changes and a casual attitude to rules. The Panamericana runs along the coast, and the Carretera Central heads up into the Andes, climbing quickly to altitude and leaving the traffic behind. You can be in cold air and bare mountains within a couple of hours. It is best to leave the bike in a secure car park in the old centre and walk, since street parking is risky.
Fuel is available everywhere, and Lima has every service a rider could want. The weather is mild, rarely very hot or cold, and the best season for sun is from December to March. Keep your valuables out of sight, stay alert in the quieter streets, and enjoy the plazas in the evening, when the lights come on and the cathedral looks its best.