Tips for your stay in Peru

Arriving at the airport in Lima
The international airport Jorge Chávez is located in the Callao district, about 40 minutes from Miraflores and Lima downtown. We recommend to take a taxi in the arrival zone of the international flights. The taxis there are more expensive than taxis outside of the airport but they are also much safer. If you have booked one of our services we organize your airport transfer. In this case on of our team members will be waiting for you in the arrivals hall to guide you to your accommodation in Lima.

The Peruvian cuisine Apart from being very eclectic and exquisite, the Peruvian cuisine is very spicy, especially the Creole cuisine. Because of this, we recommend you to only eat light food (such as pasta) during the first days of your stay. A good cuisine to start with is also the so called “Chifa”, a fusion of Chinese and Peruvian food. Chifa restaurants are very common in Lima and the rest of Peru. After one week step by step you can start to eat Creole food, maybe with a mate tea that helps to digest.

How people greet in Peru
Women use to greet by kissing on the right cheek, no matter if they meet another woman or a man. Men give each other the hand. These gestures are accompanied by phrases like "Hola", "Buenos días" (in the morning), "Buenas tardes" (between 12 and six o’clock) or "Buenas noches" (after six o’clock) to welcome someone, and "Chau" o "Bye" to say good bye.

If you meet someone in the street or in a place where no one knows each other, it’s sufficient to use the expressions mentioned before, without shaking hands or kiss on the cheek.

How to be polite
Peruvian talk is very polite, always inserting a "Por favor" (Please) in the beginning or end of a sentence when asking for something, and always saying a "Gracias" (Thank you) when receiving something. Young people though speak more informal to each other using a lot of slang. They say "Tú" to each other instead of "Usted". If you talk to older people, use the more formal "Usted", unless you know the person very well. In Lima it’s not strange to come late to an informal meeting, especially if you meet in a private place like someones home. If you’ll be late more than half an hour though, it’s recommendable to call.

Traffic in Lima
People in Lima drive fast and crazy, so you should always pay a lot of attention when you cross a street or avenue. Drivers don’t pay a lot of attention to pedestrians. Streets are most crowded between 7 and 9 o’clock in the morning, 12.30 and 2 o’clock in the afternoon and later between 6 and 8 o’clock at night.

What Peruvians like to talk about
One of the favourite subjects of Peruvians is food, especially the Peruvian cuisine. You will see that they not only talk with foreigners about this, but also Peruvians among themselves can talk for hours about how to prepare a dish, about restaurants, food history… Knowledge about food has become something to be proud of and part of the Peruvian identity during the last years, since the Peruvian cuisine got an international reputation.>

The national drink - Pisco Sour Pisco Sour is the national drink of Peru. It’s made with Pisco (liqueur based on grapes of origin from the city of Pisco in the south of Peru), lemon juice, egg white, syrup of cane sugar, ice and angostura. It’s an aperitif that fits perfectly with the creole cuisine and in Peru it’s more popular than wine or champagne when it comes to clink glasses in a celebration or party. It’s offered in bars, restaurants and on parties and celebrations.

When to give a tip
In restaurants it’s common to give a tip of round about 10%, if it’s not already included in the bill. If you give a tip in a restaurant, you first receive the change, then you leave the tip on the table. In places which offer a lunch special it’s not common to leave a tip. It’s not common either to give a tip to taxi drivers or to filling station attendants. But you usually give a tip to the persons who help you to get out of a parking lot, look after your car or clean it.

About the Peruvian working environment
The working environment can be different, depending on the size or style of the company. In big companies and in the administration area at least at the beginning the treatment will be quite formal. But step by step young colleagues use to say "Tú" instead of „Usted“ to each other. Anyway, you should always say "Usted" to your boss or supervisor, until he offers you to say "Tú". In these places the working cloth is formal (chemise, suit and tie for men, coat and skirt for women). In smaller companies or NGO's, treatment usually is less formal and more horizontal.
At INSIDE PERU we will provide you with details about the place of work for your internship before your first working day.

Electronic devices
The voltage in Peru is 220 Volt AC, 60 Hz. We recommend to use an adapter for devices brought from Europe.

National bank holidays
The following bank holidays are valid countrywide, in addition every region has its own holidays: