Peru Guide
The south coast
Tacna
TACNA, 552m above sea level, is the last stop in Peru. The only real reason to stay here is if you're coming from or going over the border into Chile and the border crossing timing demands you stop, or if you feel like a break in your overland journey.
The main focus of activity in this sprawling city is around the Plaza de Armas and along the Avenida Bolognesi. At the centre of the plaza, the ornamental pileta, designed by Gustave Eiffel, has a Neoclassical base depicting the four seasons while on top of the main fountain are four children holding hands. The nearby Arco Parabólico was erected in honour of the Peruvian dead from the War of the Pacific. Fronting the plaza is the Catedral, designed by Eiffel in 1870. Around the corner there's the Museo Histórico (Mon– Sat 9am–6pm; free) where you can browse around the pre-Conquest artefacts and exhibitions related to the nineteenth-century wars with Chile. The Casa de Zela, C Zela 542 (Mon– Fri 8am– noon & 3–7pm), houses a small archaeological museum exhibiting ceramics largely discovered in the region.
For rail enthusiasts there's the Museo Ferroviario (daily 8am–5.30pm; $1), on the corner of Calle Albarracin and Avenida Dos de Mayo, containing locomotives, machinery and documents mainly relating to the now defunct Tacna– Arica line. There's also a Parque de la Locomotora, built on Avenida Grau in 1977, dedicated exclusively to housing the antique Locomotive No. 3, which carried troops to the historic battle of Morro de Arica in 1879.