Arequipa: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
Arequipa is a city of 1.2 million people in Peru, 2,397 m (7,864 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is Rodríguez Ballón International Airport (AQP), 7 km (4 mi) from the centre. It has 1 railway station on record, including Estación Arequipa. Our booking partner lists 537 places to stay.
Key facts
Daylight in Arequipa runs from about 11 h 11 min a day in late June to 13 h 9 min in late December (computed for -16.4° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Arequipa is served by one airport with scheduled flights. The closest large one is Rodríguez Ballón International Airport (AQP), 7 km (4 mi) from the centre, with a longest runway of 9,777 ft, which limits it to short and medium-haul aircraft.
Flights to Arequipa: every airport, routes and times
By rail: stations on record include Estación Arequipa. Trains to Arequipa
Buses to Arequipa · Driving and car hire
Where to stay
Our booking partner lists 537 places to stay in Arequipa. Of the 344 with a star rating, the largest group is 3-star (241), and 6 are five-star. Across 129 properties with at least 50 reviews, the average guest score is 8.6 out of 10. Guests have left 59,925 reviews in total.
Hotels in Arequipa: the full picture, and book
Our booking partner lists 40 hostels in Arequipa, out of 537 places to stay of every kind — 7.4% of everywhere it lists in the city, which puts it in the top tenth of the cities we hold hostel figures for — a well-established backpacker trail. Across 13 hostels with at least 50 reviews, the average guest score is 8.4 out of 10, 0.2 below the 8.6 its hotels average. Guests have left 7,220 reviews across them.
Hostels in Arequipa: the full picture, and book
What people come for
UNESCO World Heritage in the city: Historic Centre of Arequipa.
Tours, tickets and day trips from Arequipa
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- La Paz, 361 km (Bolivia) — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Cusco, 322 km — flights · buses · car rental
- Tacna, 226 km — flights · buses · car rental · tours
- Juliaca, 180 km — flights · buses · car rental · tours
- Arica, 266 km (Chile) — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Puno, 173 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
Twin towns and sister cities: Florence, Guangzhou, Biella, Vancouver, Zibo, Corrientes, Arica, Iquique, São Paulo, Ponta Grossa, Lins, El Tocuyo, Moyobamba, London.
Common questions
Which airport serves Arequipa?
Rodríguez Ballón International Airport (AQP), 7 km (4 mi) from the centre.
How big is Arequipa?
About 1.2 million people live in Arequipa, across 650 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).
What time zone is Arequipa in?
America/Lima, currently UTC-5.
What currency is used in Arequipa?
The Sol (PEN). Traffic drives on the right.
Are there hostels in Arequipa?
40 of them, bookable on this site. Hostels in Arequipa.
How many hotels are there in Arequipa?
Our booking partner lists 537 places to stay in Arequipa, bookable on this site.
Which cities are near Arequipa?
La Paz (361 km), Cusco (322 km), Tacna (226 km), Juliaca (180 km), Arica (266 km).
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 14 September 2026. Hotel and hostel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.