Best Place to Exchange Money in Lima

Where to change money in Lima

Visitors mostly change money in Miraflores, the Centro Histórico or Barranco. PromPerú, the national tourist board, says banks and exchange houses (casas de cambio) both change foreign currency, the latter usually from 9:00 to 18:00 on weekdays and on Saturday mornings. No single bureau could be backed by two independent sources, so compare the boards at two or three counters.

• Registered street changers (cambistas), Miraflores - The council lists 132 changers working in 11 zones covered by its CCTV, on avenues such as Larco, Pardo, Espinar and Benavides, and asks people to deal only with them. Each wears a blue-and-green vest and a photo badge.
• Casas de cambio, Miraflores and Centro Histórico - Rates are posted by the door. Count your soles before you step away and look at each note.
• Bank branches (BCP, Interbank, BBVA, Scotiabank) - Most useful for their cash machines; we found nothing on whether branches change notes for non-customers.

Changing money at the airport

Since 1 June 2025 every airline at Jorge Chávez has used the new terminal. The operator lists two exchange firms, one with three desks in arrivals open around the clock, and Airport Express Lima describes several banks' cash machines and exchange booths on Level 1, the arrivals floor. The same guide says Miraflores pays better on larger sums.

The Airport Express Lima bus to Miraflores costs from S/15 each way, paid on board, at the airport or online. ATU's AeroDirecto buses cost S/3 to S/5 depending on the stop (S/4 direct to Plaza San Martín), and their airport kiosks take cash, Visa, Yape and Plin, though queues form at peak times. The FCDO warns of robberies by fake taxi drivers here and advises the official firms at the desks just outside the baggage hall, or a licensed phone or app service. In June 2025 one authorised firm quoted S/60 to Miraflores, plus 30 per cent from 5 am to 9 pm; others asked up to S/100.

ATMs and cards in Lima

Rough Guides says hotels, mid-range restaurants and most tour companies accept cards, but taxis, street food and small shops need soles in cash. Indecopi, the consumer authority, allows a card surcharge only if the business announces it beforehand, so look for a notice.

Most machines are on the Visa Plus and Mastercard Cirrus networks and pay out soles or dollars, says PromPerú; take soles. Rough Guides recommends BCP, Interbank, Scotiabank or BBVA machines. No bank publishes a fee for foreign cards, so read the charge on screen and cancel if it looks steep. The FCDO recommends machines inside banks, supermarkets or large buildings in business hours, and warns of express kidnappers forcing victims to withdraw cash at night. If a machine or card reader offers pounds, choose soles.

Paying for transport in Lima

The Metropolitano rapid-transit buses have their own lanes. The trunk fare was S/3.20 in December 2025, paid with a Lima Pass or Metropolitano card (the metro card is not valid there). Line 1 of the metro costs S/1.50 a ride, on a S/5 card.

Peruvian taxis have no meter, so settle the fare before you get in. PromPerú suggests booking a reliable firm by phone or app, and the FCDO says not to flag cars down on the street.

Good to know

• Hotel tax: IGV, the sales tax, is normally 18 per cent (10.5 per cent at small hotels and restaurants in 2026). A visitor living abroad who stays no more than 60 days on one entry pays none on the room or hotel meals, on showing a passport and the Andean migration card (TAM), now a free virtual record from Migraciones. It comes off the bill rather than being refunded.
• Tipping: Lonely Planet says restaurant bills often include a service charge. Otherwise Rough Guides suggests rounding up or adding 5 to 10 per cent; Lonely Planet suggests more when you tip staff directly. Taxi drivers expect nothing unless they help with bags.
• Fake soles and dollars circulate (FCDO). Check the watermark, security thread and raised print, the features the central bank trains Miraflores changers to look for.