Arequipa - living

[ajc27]

I am thinking of moving to Arequipa. Has anyone lived there? I would love to get some opinions.

[cyclesouthchica]

I am currently living in Arequipa after riding a bicycle from the US to Ushuaia. As you can imagine I explored many places in between so I think I have a fairly good reference point Arequipa one of my favorite cities. It is vibrant, unique and there is a good amount of exploring to do. Most importantly (to me) you don't need a lot of money to enjoy yourself. A stroll through the plaza (on the weekends there always seems to be music or dancing going on) or the ease of getting outside the city and finding an abundance of beauty make moving here a great choice. Also the travel times aren't too brutal to visit Colca Canyon, Puno, Chile, and Bolivia. I feel quite safe here and find people to be friendly and helpful. The taxis and traffic are a pain in the ass but it is a pretty walkable city in terms of distances. You'll need to adjust to the homicidal drivers but that is a rather common theme in South America. The food is tasty, the mercados are great and the prices are fair. If you speak Spanish, prices will drop. If not, there are good language schools. They recently changed the visa rules here so if you plan to stay beyond 6 months and/or work here make sure and plan ahead.

[Cactus fan]

I was in Arequipa last year.
It's a nice city. The Spanish colonial influence is visible.
The buildings are well kept.
I recommend the Pisco Museum. It has a cocktail bar. A bit pricy for Peru but they have the best cocktails and food.

It was hot during the day and cold at night. (Good for sleeping as airco makes me sick.)

Most touristy places are within walking distance. Taxi are plentiful . I would say, you only see taxis. I hardly saw a normal car.
They are cheap and most are new.

During the day it's safe but be careful at night. I recommend to take a taxi if your hotel is a few blocks away from the plaza.

I was also in Puno and Juliana. Those cities are big, clean and safe but you will easily get bored there. All building are made of bare red brick. Many people wear traditional clothes. The only thing that's interesting in Puno are the floating islands of the Uros.

[ironchefchris]

I've lived in Arequipa for close to five years and agree with just about everything said above. For me, it's big enough to be interesting without being metropolis sized. Traffic and the resulting pollution are at their worst in the center part of town, but not nearly so much in other parts of the city and nothing compared to Lima.Where I live it's very quiet, but there are banks, restaurants, cinemas, etc. within a few minutes walk. It's a very walkable city overall with a European feel. The food is exceptional, the cost of living is reasonable, the weather is great if you like a dry climate with near year round sun and spring like temperatures.

I've never felt unsafe. Never had any issues. Like any city, there are parts that are dodgier, but I've never had a reason to go to them at night. I've walked home from the center part of town in the middle of the night back to Cayma and never felt it was unsafe, but I'm tall and carry myself with confidence, so that might have something to do with it.

I'd recommend a meal at Zig-Zag; Peruvian-Euro fusion. A bit, but not much more expensive than other restaurants and much less than what you'd pay for similar quality/dining experience in the US or Europe.