Lima · Peru
January
Lima summer — 26°C sunshine, beach season in Miraflores, and the city at its most alive.
Best match
#2 of 12 months
January is one of the best times to visit Lima.
Climate
High
26.2°C
Low
20.1°C
Rain
2mm
Sun
7.5hrs/day
30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5
How January scores in Lima
Weather
Outstanding
Value
Above average
Crowds
Above average
Events
Very good
Atmosphere
Outstanding
What you gain in January
- ↑January is peak summer in Lima — 26°C average highs with genuine blue sky and 7.5 daily sunshine hours create a version of the city that most long-term visitors consider the real Lima, as opposed to the garúa-grey winter that covers most of June through November. The Miraflores clifftop boardwalk (the Malecón Cisneros, running 5km along the Pacific cliffs) is at its most spectacular in January sun, and the paragliders launching from Parque del Amor deliver the most photographed view in the city.
- ↑The beach culture at Miraflores Playa La Herradura and the beaches north of Callao reaches its annual peak in January. Water temperatures rise to 22°C — not tropical but comfortable for swimming — and the beach clubs and cevicherías along the coastal highway operate with a summer energy that encapsulates Peru's Pacific coast culture. Lima beach day trips cost PEN 15 by bus or PEN 35 by taxi.
- ↑Peru's Año Nuevo (New Year) celebrations continue through early January in Miraflores and Barranco — street food vendors, outdoor concerts, and the general festive momentum of the southern hemisphere's midsummer holiday season give the city an energy that carries through the month. The Larcomar shopping and dining complex on the Miraflores clifftop is at its most animated.
What you sacrifice
- ↓January is Lima's domestic high season — Peruvian families from the interior cities (Cusco, Arequipa, Trujillo) visit Lima's beaches during their summer school holidays, which drives accommodation prices up in Miraflores and Barranco by 20–30% compared to the grey winter months. International tourist volumes are also at their annual peak as summer holiday visitors arrive from North America and Europe.
- ↓Lima's limited rainfall and perpetual Pacific influence mean even in summer the city isn't tropical — the humidity (77%) combined with sea breezes keeps the evenings cool (20°C lows), which is pleasant but means beach conditions are better in the afternoon than the morning, when the marine influence brings cool air off the Pacific.
How January compares to February (best month)
| Factor | January | February ★ |
|---|---|---|
| Weather | 9 | 9 |
| Value | 5 | 5 |
| Crowds | 5 | 5 |
January in other destinations
Lisbon (13.6°C)Barcelona (13.2°C)Tokyo (9.8°C)Bali (30.2°C)Santorini (13.4°C)Paris (7°C)New York (3.3°C)Marrakech (17.3°C)Amsterdam (5.6°C)Maldives (30.1°C)Rome (11.6°C)Bangkok (31.1°C)Istanbul (8.7°C)Vienna (3.2°C)Seoul (1.1°C)Dubrovnik (11.1°C)Rio de Janeiro (30.9°C)Kyoto (9.2°C)Phuket (31.5°C)Cape Town (26.1°C)Prague (2°C)Amalfi Coast (12°C)Mexico City (21°C)Medellín (28°C)Fiji (31°C)London (8°C)Sydney (26°C)Iceland (2°C)Tulum (28°C)Dubai (24°C)Singapore (30°C)Hoi An (24°C)Chiang Mai (29°C)Miami (24.1°C)Florence (9.2°C)Queenstown (22°C)Madrid (9.4°C)Porto (14°C)Edinburgh (7°C)Copenhagen (4°C)Budapest (4°C)Kraków (2°C)Tbilisi (6°C)Palawan (29°C)Hanoi (18°C)Osaka (9°C)Goa (32°C)Cusco (19°C)Buenos Aires (30°C)Mykonos (13°C)Zanzibar (32°C)Sri Lanka (31°C)Costa Rica (25°C)Cancun (28°C)Krabi (32°C)Athens (13°C)Seville (15°C)Cartagena (31°C)Siem Reap (29°C)Havana (26°C)Split (10°C)Taipei (19°C)Kuala Lumpur (32°C)Valletta (15°C)Ho Chi Minh City (33°C)Hawaii (27°C)Cappadocia (4°C)Dominican Republic (28°C)Jamaica (30°C)Tanzania (28°C)Seychelles (30°C)Nepal (18°C)Jordan (12°C)Azores (17°C)Bora Bora (30°C)Los Angeles (19.8°C)Cairo (19.1°C)Kenya (26.8°C)Jaipur (22.2°C)Las Vegas (13.9°C)San Francisco (13.2°C)Madeira (19.5°C)Vancouver (6.9°C)Muscat (26.4°C)Cinque Terre (11°C)Kotor (10°C)Tel Aviv (18°C)Santiago (30°C)Bogotá (19°C)Bruges (5.8°C)Penang (31.5°C)Lombok (30.8°C)Cape Verde (26.2°C)Fez (13.8°C)Kerala (31°C)Kigali (26°C)Hong Kong (18°C)Oslo (-1°C)Auckland (24°C)
Climate data: 30-year normals (1991–2020) from Open Meteo ERA5 reanalysis. Scores compare months within Lima, not across destinations. Methodology →