Bridge of Sighs (Lima)

The Bridge of Sighs is the romantic heart of Barranco, Lima's bohemian seaside district. A modest wooden footbridge built in 1876, the Puente de los Suspiros spans a leafy ravine that runs down toward the Pacific, and it has become the most beloved landmark of this artistic quarter.

Its significance is woven from legend and song. Tradition holds that those who cross the bridge for the first time while holding their breath may have a wish granted, and the crossing has inspired poets and musicians, most famously the composer Chabuca Granda, whose waltz named for the bridge is a classic of Peruvian music. That romantic aura draws couples and performers to the spot.

The bridge sits at the centre of Barranco, a district of pastel colonial houses, art galleries and lively bars just south of Miraflores. Beneath it, the Bajada de los Baños, a cobbled path once used by fishermen and bathers, winds down the gorge toward the sea, lined with restaurants and murals. Nearby stand the district's church and its palm-shaded main square.

For visitors, the bridge anchors an evening stroll. Cross it, listen to the buskers who gather at its ends, then follow the path down toward the ocean lookout before returning for dinner in the surrounding streets. The area is at its most atmospheric at dusk and after dark, when the bars fill and music drifts through the lanes. It is free to visit and easy to reach from Miraflores. As the emblem of Lima's most creative neighbourhood, and a place steeped in the city's musical and poetic imagination, the Puente de los Suspiros offers charm out of all proportion to its size. The nearby MATE museum and the district's many galleries make Barranco a centre of contemporary Peruvian art and photography as much as of romance and music.