Traveling to a country like Peru involves a lot of logistics due to the varied range of tourist attractions in the 24 departments that Peru has.
In that sense, knowing where to exchange dollars for soles in Peru is undoubtedly one of those key points so that your vacation becomes a positive travel experience and you do not get any surprises.
1. Why do you need to exchange money in Peru?
Many of the tourist attractions Peru offers are very far from modernity, just to give you an example, Rainbow Mountain and Humantay Lake do not even have a phone signal despite they are the most visited places after Machu Picchu; without going far, various archaeological parks insite Cusco ask you to pay in cash, the same as in natural parks such as the Paracas pier and Huacachina desert.
The list could get longer if we continue other sites that Peru has, let’s add to this the fact that we will always want to buy souvenirs so we have to pay for those in cash.
2. Where to exchange dollars for soles in that sense?
Without a doubt, we highly recommend you exchange money in a money exchange house, why, for the sole matter of security.
2.1 Find a money exchange house according to the location you are in:
In Lima: The area where we recommend staying for safety and comfort reasons is Miraflores, so you can find exchange offices in the Malecon Mall.
In Ica: Many do not know this department by name but it is where the Huacachina desert and the Paracas Bay are located, in that sense in the main squares of these respective destinations you will find money exchange houses.
In Cusco: This is the most touristy city of all and there are two places where to exchange money, one of them is on Av el Sol where exchange rates are more favorable and the other area is in the main square.
In Puno: This department is where Lake Titicaca is located and you can exchange your dollars in the Plaza de Armas, the street that faces Chinatown to be more precise, it is the most commercial area of all in this city.
In Arequipa: The white city has several money exchange houses around the cathedral; in fact, two of the streets surrounding the building are purely pedestrian and that is where you can exchange money.
3. Important considerations at the time you exchange money in Peru:
The fact we recommend you exchange money in a fisical place is because some people in the streets commit fraud by giving tourists ”fake notes” that look similar to the original ones, those thieves take advantage of the Peruvian tradition of buying ”lucky notes” that are fake notes that look exactly the same as of the originals but have a sing that says (this is a lucky note – este es un billete de la suerte).
Unfortunately, this is a very common case we see quite frequently everywhere so we recommend you to familiarize yourself with Peruvian currency before you come to Peru.
4. How much money do you need to exchange?
The truth is that this is relative for each person, but we will try to give you an estimate based on the experience we have with our clients.
The amount in cash that we recommend you exchange for a trip of 4 to 7 days ranges between 200 to 600 dollars, money that will serve you for three things, food, tipping, and buying souvenirs.
5. Places where you don’t need to exchange money:
GET IN PERU travel company is a legal company and we offer the facility of paying by card; Just like us, many other businesses such as restaurants and hotels accept card payments.
Now that you know, have a prepared and safe journey, enjoy a beautiful vacation. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to write to us on WhatsApp that little green button that appears on the lower right hand side of your screen.
Thanks for reading this post 😇
