Playa Santa María del Mar

About Playa Santa María del Mar

Santa María del Mar is a residential beach district south of Lima; its seafront is split between Playa Grande, Playa Chica and Embajadores, and the Grau boardwalk runs above Playa Grande. The municipality set a capacity limit per beach by ordinance (002-2024-MDSMM) —2,762 people at Playa Grande, 1,388 at Playa Chica and 1,200 at Embajadores— and in late 2025 worked on the boardwalk and on restoring Playa Grande for the 2026 summer. The 2026 beach guide by Somos (El Comercio) describes it as a bay whose sea is often calm for swimming, with restaurants and a boardwalk, for families and friends seeking an orderly setting. Our take: it is a beach with clear rules —capacity limits, no pets— and so one of the most orderly in the south, good for a quiet day with children. Entry is free and there are no set hours; the municipality reminds visitors that pets are not allowed on the beach (Law 27596). Digesa rated "Playa Santa María" healthy in its early-January 2026 report (Perú21 and Caretas, 02/01/2026); the rating changes week to week. Curation note: we found no official source on parking or lifeguards for 2026.

Official website →