Lima · Month comparison
December vs February
February ranks #1 overall vs December at #5. The warmest month of the year — peak ceviche season, and Lima's best beach weather.
December
#5 of 12 months
Best match
Lima's summer returns — 24°C sunshine, beach culture reactivating, Christmas energy in Miraflores.
- ↑December is when the Lima that visitors imagined when they booked finally arrives — 24°C, 6.8 sunshine hours, and the Pacific clifftop in its most photogenic state. The Miraflores Malecón is beautiful again, the beach clubs reopen (La Punta in Callao, La Herradura, the beaches south toward Lurín), and the general outdoor culture of the city clicks back into the summer mode that disappeared in May.
- ↑Lima's Christmas celebrations are significant — the city's Roman Catholic culture produces genuine civic warmth in December, with Parque Kennedy and the Miraflores parks illuminated, restaurants offering special Christmas menus (the classic Peruvian Noche Buena dinner features lechón — roast suckling pig), and the New Year's Eve fireworks over the Pacific from the Miraflores clifftop.
February
#1 of 12 months
Best match
The warmest month of the year — peak ceviche season, and Lima's best beach weather.
- ↑February is Lima's warmest month — 27°C average highs with the most sunshine of any month (7.8 hours daily) and the Pacific warming enough for genuine beach comfort. The combination of warm air, warm sea (22–23°C), and the southward tilt of the sun creates conditions that the rest of the year cannot replicate. The Miraflores beach clubs — La Rosa Náutica restaurant on its famous pier, the beach terrace at the Park Hotel — are operating at full capacity.
- ↑Carnival (Carnaval) falls in February or early March, and while Lima's version is more restrained than Barranquilla or Rio, the Barranco neighbourhood celebrates with particular enthusiasm — water balloon battles in the streets (a Peruvian carnival tradition called "mojadas"), street music, and the general festive irreverence that defines the southern Bohemian quarter at its most characterful. Carnival Sunday and Monday are neighbourhood events worth timing an itinerary around.
| Factor | December | February |
|---|---|---|
| Weather score | 8 | 9 |
| Value score | 5 | 5 |
| Crowd score | 5 | 5 |
| Events score | 7 | 8 |
| Atmosphere | 8 | 9 |
| Avg high temp | 24.2°C | 27°C |
| Monthly rain | 1mm | 2mm |
| Daily sunshine | 6.8hrs | 7.8hrs |
December trade-offs
- ↓December prices begin the climb back toward January peak levels — hotel rates in Miraflores increase 15–25% from November as the holiday season demand arrives. Christmas week and New Year's Eve specifically command premium pricing, and restaurants on December 31 require reservations made weeks in advance.
- ↓The domestic travel surge from Andean regions to Lima's coast for the summer holidays begins in late December — beaches south of Lima and the Miraflores waterfront see noticeably higher Peruvian domestic visitor numbers in the final weeks of the month.
February trade-offs
- ↓February — particularly Carnival week — drives accommodation prices to their annual peak in Barranco and Miraflores. The combination of domestic high season and Carnival brings Lima's closest equivalent to peak tourism conditions.
- ↓The summer humidity (76%) in February makes the heat feel more oppressive than the raw temperature suggests — particularly in the inland districts (Lima Centro, San Isidro business corridor) where sea breezes don't penetrate as effectively as on the Miraflores clifftop.
Scores compare months within Lima. Climate data: Open Meteo ERA5 30-year normals (1991–2020). Methodology →