Airport hub guide
Lima Jorge Chavez LIM: the complete layover guide
One brand new terminal, four real lounges, a hotel on a walkway, and a transfer fee nobody asked for. Here is how to spend a layover at Lima without stress.
Layover verdict Good and getting better. The new terminal that opened in June 2025 fixed most of what made old Lima miserable: it runs around the clock, the lounges are real, and overnight options exist on both sides of security.
Best lounge play The Club LIM on level 4 takes Priority Pass, runs 24 hours, and has showers plus nap pods, the rare lounge that genuinely covers an overnight.
The one thing to know International connections through Lima now carry a transfer fee of about 12.67 US dollars, the TUUA, and international to domestic means collecting your bags and rechecking. Plan 3 hours.
Last reviewed 21 April 2026
Quick facts
Lima at a glance
| Terminals | 1 single terminal, opened June 2025; the old terminal is closed to passengers |
| Airside transit between terminals | Not applicable. All gates, domestic and international, sit in the one building |
| Free wifi | Yes, free on the official airport network |
| Sleep friendliness | Fair to good. Quieter seating on level 4, Sleepover capsules landside, nap pods inside The Club LIM |
| Lounge count | 4 verified airside (Hanaq, Sumaq, The Club LIM, LATAM); inventory still settling after the 2025 move |
| Nearest in terminal hotel | Wyndham Grand Costa del Sol, connected to departures by a covered walkway |
Orientation
How the new Lima airport is laid out
Everything written about Lima airport before mid 2025 describes a building that no longer serves passengers. The new single terminal opened on June 1, 2025, and it changed this airport from a place you endured into a place you can actually use.
The new building is roughly three times the size of the old terminal and is designed for up to 40 million passengers a year. Every flight, domestic and international, departs from the same structure, so there is no terminal change to plan for. Arrivals come in at ground level, check in and security sit on level 3, and the lounges occupy level 4 at the top. Escalators and lifts connect the floors, and signage runs in Spanish and English.
Once through security you are on one long gate level. Domestic flights cluster around the A gates, international departures use the D block, and a set of C gates between them swings both ways depending on the schedule. Walks are longer than at old Lima, so budget 10 to 20 minutes from security to the far gates.
Connections are the part to take seriously. International to international transfers stay airside and are straightforward, but since December 7, 2025 they carry a transfer fee, the TUUA, of about 12.67 US dollars including tax per connection. Many carriers now build it into the ticket; if yours does not, you pay online through the airport portal or at payment stations along the transfer route. The equivalent fee for domestic connections was suspended as of this review. International to domestic is the slow path: you collect bags, clear immigration and customs, then check in again on level 3 and pass security from scratch. The airport recommended a 3 hour minimum during the terminal's first year of operation, and that remains the honest floor.
The airport sits in Callao, northwest of central Lima, with no rail link. A taxi to Miraflores runs 45 to 90 minutes each way depending on traffic, which in Lima is a serious variable. Use the authorized taxi counters inside arrivals rather than anyone offering a ride in the hall. For a layover dash into the city you want 8 hours or more on the ground; under that, stay in the terminal and head for the lounge floor.
Level by level
What each floor gives you
Level 1, arrivals
Arrivals, immigration and the meeting hall sit at ground level, along with the most useful landside sleep option at the airport. Sleepover operates capsule rooms on the arrivals level, open around the clock, with rates listed from about 54 US dollars for a private pod. If you land late on separate tickets and check in does not open until morning, this is the move.
Level 3, check in and the gates
The engine room. Check in islands and kiosks fill the landside half; beyond security you get the main shopping and dining stretch, with several eateries open 24 hours, then the gate piers. Seating at the gates is standard airport fare with armrests, so treat it as a waiting floor, not a sleeping floor. Power outlets are reasonably common but fill up fast near busy gates.
Level 4, the lounge floor
The top floor is where the new terminal earns its keep. The Club LIM is the headline: close to 20,000 square feet, the largest lounge in The Club network, open 24 hours, with showers and proper nap pods, the first in the Americas. It takes Priority Pass and sells entry at the door. Next to it, the LATAM lounge opened later in 2025 as a dual zone space of about 26,000 square feet for LATAM premium passengers and eligible status holders. Hanaq VIP Lounge serves international passengers around the clock and also takes Priority Pass and Amex Platinum; the airport lists its entrance opposite gate 13. Sumaq, the contract lounge several airlines use for their premium passengers, made the move as well, though its exact position in the new building is to be confirmed. That makes four verified lounges, with the full inventory still settling after the relocation.
The hotel situation
The old terminal's one claim to comfort, the landside Costa del Sol Wyndham, has been outdone. The new Wyndham Grand Costa del Sol stands directly opposite the terminal with 249 rooms and connects to the departures level by a covered walkway, so you can roll a bag from the gate area to a bed without stepping outside. The original Costa del Sol at the old terminal site still operates and runs a free 24 hour shuttle to the new building, usually at a lower rate. Between the walkway hotel, the Sleepover capsules and The Club's nap pods, Lima now covers every budget for an overnight, which is a sentence nobody could write before June 2025.
Your layover, planned
The LIM guides
Lima layover guide, hour by hour
What 3, 5 and 8 hours actually buy you in the new terminal, and whether a run to Miraflores is realistic. Spoiler: only with a big cushion and luck in traffic.
Every LIM lounge and how to get in
Hanaq, Sumaq, The Club LIM and the LATAM lounge on level 4, with access methods, Priority Pass status and hours.
Sleeping at Lima airport
The honest sleep map: quiet corners on level 4, the Sleepover capsules, The Club nap pods, and what the walkway hotel costs in practice.
Check lounge access for LIM
Four lounges operate airside in the new Lima terminal and two of them take Priority Pass or sell entry at the door. Compare current access options, prices and hours before you fly.
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FAQ
Lima layover questions
Can I sleep overnight at Lima airport?
Yes, and better than at most South American hubs. The new terminal operates around the clock, several eateries stay open 24 hours, and level 4 has quieter seating away from the gates. For real sleep, Sleepover sells capsule rooms landside on the arrivals level, The Club LIM lounge has nap pods airside, and the Wyndham Grand connects to the terminal by walkway.
Is wifi free at Lima airport?
Yes. The new terminal provides free wifi on the official airport network. The lounges and the Wyndham Grand run their own networks if you need more speed.
How much connection time do I need at Lima?
For international to international, plan at least 2 hours; you stay airside in the single terminal. For international to domestic or any separate ticket itinerary, plan 3 hours or more, because you must collect bags, clear immigration and check in again on level 3. The airport itself recommended 3 hours during the new terminal's first year.
What is the TUUA transfer fee at Lima airport?
Since December 7, 2025, passengers connecting internationally through Lima pay a transfer fee of about 12.67 US dollars including tax. Many airlines now include it in the ticket; if yours does not, you pay online or at stations along the connection route. The fee for domestic connections was suspended as of this review. Verify the current rules before travel.
Can I leave the airport during a layover at LIM?
If you meet Peru entry requirements, yes, and many nationalities enter visa free; verify before travel. Miraflores and the coast are 45 to 90 minutes each way by taxi depending on traffic, so treat anything under 8 hours as an airport layover.
Is there a hotel inside the new Lima terminal?
Effectively yes. The 249 room Wyndham Grand Costa del Sol stands directly opposite the terminal and connects to the departures level by a covered walkway, no taxi needed. The older Costa del Sol Wyndham at the old terminal site still operates with a free 24 hour shuttle and usually costs less.
Nearby
Related airports
Bogota El Dorado (BOG)
The other big Andean hub. Many North America to South America itineraries route through Lima or Bogota interchangeably, so compare the two before booking.
Santiago Arturo Merino Benitez (SCL)
LATAM's home base down the coast. Lima to Santiago is one of the busiest corridors on the continent, and connections between the two hubs are constant.
Quito Mariscal Sucre (UIO)
The high altitude Ecuadorian hub to the north. Smaller than Lima, but a common alternate gateway for Andean itineraries and Galapagos connections.
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