Flights San Francisco (SFO) - Lima (LIM)

About flights from San Francisco (SFO) to Lima (LIM)

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is the largest and busiest international airport serving San Francisco city. The airport is located 13 miles south of downtown San Francisco. Jorge Chavez International Airport or Lima Airport (LIM) is both an international and local airport situated seven miles from Lima city center.

There are over nine airlines offering flights from San Francisco to Lima every day. Major airlines flying from San Francisco to Lima include Copa Airlines, United Airlines, LATAM, Avianca, American Airlines, Delta, and Air Canada.

Over nine flights connect SFO to Lima (LIM) every day. Direct flights cover a flight distance of 4,511 miles, and the fastest direct flight takes about nine hours, 40 minutes, while flights with connections take slightly over 15 hours to arrive in Lima. Most indirect flights have one layover, while others feature two, so exercise caution when booking. Popular connecting cities include Los Angeles, Dallas, Atlanta, Montreal, Houston, San Salvador, and Panama City.

Public transportation, parking, and ride-shares at SFO and LIM

SFO Airport is linked to downtown by the local subway system BART (Bay Area Rapid Transport). The BART station is at the departures level of the international terminal, and the service can be accessed from any of the terminals by riding the Airtrain to the garage station. Aside from the train, passengers can opt for the SuperShuttle taxi service that takes several passengers at the same time. Unfortunately, it is less convenient and generally takes longer, but could be a good option for travelers on a budget.

Both Uber and Lyft are ridesharing companies that are incredibly safe, reliable, and less expensive than taxis – particularly when driving from San Francisco Airport to downtown. Travelers can book either from their smartphones and get to downtown San Francisco in about 25-30 minutes.

SFO airport has short-term parking in the domestic parking bay for travelers taking domestic flights. Also, there are off-airport parking lots and garages within close proximity to the airport.

Public transportation in Lima isn’t too elaborate. Nonetheless, passengers can take the Combis, small public minivans, from the airport to the city center. The Combis don’t have any fixed schedule with their departure frequencies varying from time to time. Alternatively, they can opt for the Airport Express Bus connecting to the airport every 30 minutes.

Taxi operators, Uber, Cabify, and Beat offer a safe and affordable way to get to and from the airport. Passengers can get cars at the designated drop-off and pick-up points at the airport. Lima airport also has a long-term parking lot and garage north of the airport. Also, there is an off-site parking lot from which shuttle services to the terminals operates.

Practical information

Foreign drivers can use their home driving licenses for six months in Peru. After this period, one is required to get a Peruvian-issued driving license. Foreigners should acquire a residence permit after being in the country for six months.

Lima is two hours ahead of San Francisco. Both cities have different weather patterns with San Francisco having cold summers and warm falls while Lima is quite dry. Lima, despite being a coastal city, is dry because of the cold water currents lapping the shore. It may occasionally sprinkle between the months of June and September, but torrential rains are infrequent. Lima has abundant rainfall and milder temperatures of 53-64 F between December and March.

Top travel tips

December to April is the best time to visit Lima as it experiences warm summer weather. Visitors traveling from the United States to Lima need to change their currency from USD to the Nuevo Sol. The exchange rate for the two currencies is 1 PEN=0.29638 USD. Spanish and Aymara are the official languages in Lima. Since Spanish is also used in San Francisco, visitors may find it easy to communicate in Lima city.

San Franciscans are quite informal. Instead of handshakes, kisses are also acceptable as a form of greetings. Hugging is also allowed among friends. When entering a home or a shop in Lima, one needs to use an appropriate oral greeting. Similarly, people say “goodbye” upon leaving. Also, Peruvians usually shake hands upon leaving their hosts’ homes, so nothing too different.

What to see in Lima

Parque Kennedy

Parque Kennedy hosts events from art exhibits to dances at nightime. It also features cats that prowl the park late at night, which have reached iconic status. This is a great place to soak up Lima's atmosphere and do some people-watching.

Palomino Island

Here, visitors can enjoy swimming with sea lion pups. One can also enjoy riding a boat from Lima to Palomino Island while enjoying the city’s abundant marine life.

Colonial mansions

These colonial mansions currently serve as boutique bars. Here, visitors can enjoy taking their favorite cocktails as they explore the mansion’s many hidden rooms.

Read more about Lima

Popular routes departing from San Francisco: