Photos: Lima by James C., CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped; San Sebastian by Guérin Nicolas, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped.
Lima or San Sebastian?
Our verdict in twelve categories, each scored against the same fixed benchmark cities, and the climate month by month, so you can choose for your trip.
Choose Lima for
- prices
- nightlife
- culture and sights
What lies behind each score is written up on Lima’s own page.
Choose San Sebastian for
- day trips
- getting around
- nature and the outdoors
What lies behind each score is written up on San Sebastian’s own page.
Scoreboard
Twelve categories on one fixed scale from 0 to 100. The shaded stretch is the gap between the two.
What lies behind each score is written up on the two cities’ own pages: Lima and San Sebastian.
Your match
Pick a travel style or drag the sliders, and both match scores follow your weighting.
Wins on prices and nightlife with your weighting.
Wins on day trips and getting around with your weighting.
What matters to you?
When should you go?
Pick your month. The climate figures are measured averages, not a forecast.
Lima in July
San Sebastian in July
Daytime high, °C
Rainfall in the month, mm
Where the figures come from
San Sebastian's station stands 252 m above the city centre, so the centre is likely a little warmer than the figures say.
Temperature and rainfall are climate normals, averaged over the years shown. Lima: 1991-2020 normals, Lima-Callao / Aerop. Internacional Jorgechavez (10.9 km from centre). San Sebastian: 1991-2020 normals, San Sebastian / Igueldo (6.1 km from centre).
Before you go
| Measure | Lima | San Sebastian |
|---|---|---|
| Official language | Spanish, Aymara, Quechua | Spanish |
| Currency | Sol (PEN) | Euro (EUR) |
| Sockets | ABC220 V, 60 Hz | CF230 V, 50 Hz |
| Driving side | Right | Right |
| Time zone | UTC-5 | UTC+1, UTC+2 in summer |
| Emergency number | 111 or 911 | 112 |
| Elevation | 154 m | 6 m |
| Main airport | Jorge Chávez International Airport (LIM)9 km from centre61 non-stop destinations | San Sebastián Airport (EAS)16 km from centre11 non-stop destinations |
| Public holidays this year | 16 days | 13 days |
By the numbers
| Measure | Lima | San Sebastian |
|---|---|---|
| City population | 9,943,800 | 189,866 |
| People per km² | 3,721 | 3,118 |
| Museums within 10 km | 47 | 14 |
| UNESCO World Heritage sites within 50 km | 2 | 3 |
| Swim season, months above 21 °C | 2 months | 2 months |
Where else could you go?
Every comparison below shares a destination with this one, so you can follow Lima or San Sebastian somewhere new.