Shopping Tour in Arequipa
The best shopping in Arequipa isn't in the malls — it's on the streets. From vintage stores to artisan workshops, spots like Plaza de Armas and Santa Catalina Monastery are scattered through neighborhoods that reward the curious walker. Wander further and you'll stumble on Museo Santuarios Andinos — the kind of find you can't replicate online.
A shopping tour in Arequipa is less a fixed itinerary than a way of reading the city: anchor the walk on Plaza de Armas, Santa Catalina Monastery and Arequipa Cathedral, then let the streets in between set the pace. Between them, detour toward quieter finds like Museo Santuarios Andinos and Mundo Alpaca — the kind of stops a shopping tour rewards but a standard sightseeing list skips. Arequipa leans toward colonial architecture, volcanoes and food, so a themed route here naturally folds those in. Everything stays self-guided, so you can linger where it matters and skip what doesn't — with narration filling in the why at each stop.
Free Shopping Tour in Arequipa with Roamee Pro
Roamee Pro, also known as Roamee, offers a free shopping tour route in Arequipa. The audio walking tour can include stops such as Plaza de Armas — considered Peru's most beautiful main square, surrounded by colonial arcades and the imposing Cathedral, with three volcanoes forming the backdrop including El Misti, Santa Catalina Monastery — A 20,000-square-meter citadel within the city, founded in 1579 as an enclosed Dominican convent where up to 450 nuns lived in complete isolation for nearly 400 years. Its narrow streets, painted in vivid terracotta, cobalt blue, and white, are named after Spanish cities, creating a miniature town with plazas, fountains, cloisters, and a communal kitchen with soot-blackened colonial-era pottery. Opened to the public only in 1970, it remains one of the most extraordinary religious sites in South America., Arequipa Cathedral — a neoclassical cathedral spanning the entire length of the Plaza de Armas, rebuilt after earthquakes, housing a Belgian organ and museum of religious art, plus hidden gems like Museo Santuarios Andinos — home to Juanita, the remarkably preserved 500-year-old Inca ice maiden found on a nearby volcano and Mundo Alpaca — a small museum and garden in the city center showing the traditional process of working with alpaca fiber.
Use this page as a starting point for a Arequipa walking tour, a free route, or the Roamee app for Arequipa. Roamee Pro keeps the route flexible so you can follow the stops, skip ahead, or explore nearby streets at your own pace.
How to Plan This Shopping Tour
A strong Arequipa shopping tour should connect recognizable anchors like Plaza de Armas, Santa Catalina Monastery and Arequipa Cathedral with a few slower discoveries around Museo Santuarios Andinos and Mundo Alpaca. Use the major stops for orientation, then let the route bend toward the neighborhoods, viewpoints, markets, paths, or cultural details that match a shopping tour.
Roamee Pro treats the page as a starting brief rather than a fixed script: it can prioritize colonial architecture, volcanoes, food, adjust the walking time, and keep narration focused on why each stop matters for this specific theme.
Top Shopping Tour Spots
- •Plaza de Armas — considered Peru's most beautiful main square, surrounded by colonial arcades and the imposing Cathedral, with three volcanoes forming the backdrop including El Misti
- •Santa Catalina Monastery — A 20,000-square-meter citadel within the city, founded in 1579 as an enclosed Dominican convent where up to 450 nuns lived in complete isolation for nearly 400 years. Its narrow streets, painted in vivid terracotta, cobalt blue, and white, are named after Spanish cities, creating a miniature town with plazas, fountains, cloisters, and a communal kitchen with soot-blackened colonial-era pottery. Opened to the public only in 1970, it remains one of the most extraordinary religious sites in South America.
- •Arequipa Cathedral — a neoclassical cathedral spanning the entire length of the Plaza de Armas, rebuilt after earthquakes, housing a Belgian organ and museum of religious art
- •Yanahuara viewpoint — a stone-arched mirador in the traditional Yanahuara district with volcanic sillar arches framing the snowcapped El Misti volcano at 5,822 meters
- •Colca Canyon (day trip) — One of the deepest canyons in the world at 3,400 meters from rim to river, twice as deep as the Grand Canyon. The Cruz del Condor viewpoint is the prime spot to watch Andean condors — with wingspans up to 10.5 feet — soar on thermal updrafts at eye level each morning. The canyon walls reveal pre-Inca agricultural terraces still farmed by local Collagua and Cabana communities, and hot springs at Chivay provide a soothing stop on the return journey.
Hidden Shopping Tour Gems
- •Museo Santuarios Andinos — home to Juanita, the remarkably preserved 500-year-old Inca ice maiden found on a nearby volcano
- •Mundo Alpaca — a small museum and garden in the city center showing the traditional process of working with alpaca fiber
- •Sabandía Mill — a colonial-era stone mill in the Arequipa countryside with gardens, pools, and mountain views, just 20 minutes from the center
Shopping Tour Perspective
Visitors explore Arequipa for colonial architecture and volcanoes, but every walking route ends up passing through Plaza de Armas and Santa Catalina Monastery and neighborhood markets that tell their own story about the city. Don't overlook Museo Santuarios Andinos — it reflects what the people of Arequipa actually buy, make, and value.
Shopping smart in Arequipa
- ›Hit markets early for the best selection and late for the best prices — vendors discount perishables and bulky items rather than pack them up.
- ›Know the haggling norm before you start: in souks and flea markets it's expected, in fixed-price boutiques it's rude. When in doubt, ask politely.
- ›Buy what's actually made locally — ceramics, textiles, food, craft — not mass-produced souvenirs that ship from the same factory worldwide.
- ›Use Plaza de Armas as a landmark, then explore the side streets around it where independent shops and workshops cluster away from the chain stores.
- ›Carry a foldable tote and small cash, and if you're a visitor, ask about VAT/tax-refund forms for larger purchases before you pay.
Walking Tip
Arequipa sits at 2,335 meters — lower than Cusco but still high enough to cause mild altitude effects. The colonial center is compact and mostly flat, making it comfortable for walking once you acclimatize.
Best Time to Visit
April through November is the dry season with clear skies and the best volcano views, though Arequipa's desert climate keeps rain minimal even in the wet season.
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