The Royal Tombs museum without the crowds: the best time to visit

The Royal Tombs of Sipán Museum is in Lambayeque, 20 minutes from the hotel, and it is the best archaeological museum in the north of the country. It is also the busiest, and that is the catch: from 11:00 the Lord of Sipán room fills with guided groups and seeing the tomb calmly becomes impossible.

The exact hour

It opens at 9:00, Tuesday to Sunday. Leave the hotel at 8:30, buy your ticket on arrival, and go straight to the third floor: the route is designed top to bottom. Between 9:00 and 10:30 the museum is practically empty. It closes on Mondays.

What to see if you only have an hour

1. 1The burial goods room. The turquoise ear ornaments and the shell pectoral. No photograph you see later does them justice.
2. 2The tomb reconstruction. It takes up an entire room and explains the discovery better than any wall text.
3. 3The final crypt. It is at the end of the route, dimly lit. Take your time: it is the part people skip out of fatigue.

If you have time left, the Sicán National Museum in Ferreñafe is 25 minutes away and almost never has a queue. Both in one morning is possible, though you will get to lunch after 2:00.