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Food & Drink Travel, Latin America

The Best Specialty & Third Wave Coffee Shops in Lima, Peru

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Lima, Peru is a foodie mecca in a country that produces incredible coffee. Use our list & map of the best third wave coffee shops in Lima for your next cup!
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Lima, Peru is a foodie mecca in a country that produces incredible coffee. Use our list & map of the best third wave coffee shops in Lima for your next cup!

Lima, Peru is a top foodie destination, and it’s fortunately located in a continent – and a country – known for growing high quality coffee.  Google “Best Coffee Shops in Lima” and you’ll find a lot of cozy spots where you can get a perfectly decent cup of brew, but what we were most excited about was the blossoming specialty & third wave coffee scene in Lima.

We visited a ton of amazing third wave coffee shops in Lima and were pleased to find that every single one of them was proudly brewing only locally grown Peruvian coffee beans!

Our list of the best specialty & third wave coffee shops in Lima, Peru is a labor of love (and many very jittery afternoons).

Psst: Planning a trip to Peru? We’ve got a few other posts that might be helpful!

What is Specialty/Third Wave Coffee?

Before we dive in, here’s a quick primer on Third Wave coffee. Born in Portland, Oregon and coined in 2002, the Third Wave Coffee movement is the latest iteration of coffee brewing. You may also hear it referred to as specialty coffee or craft coffee.

Focusing on high quality, small-batch coffee, specialty coffee is everything that Starbucks isn’t, and the difference in quality is easy to taste. Personally I never liked the bitter, burnt taste of coffee until I drank my first cup of single-origin light roast heaven.  If you’ve ever wondered how anyone can drink their coffee black, this is your answer.

San Francisco is rich with amazing third wave coffee, and we are full blown  Bay Area third wave coffee snobs (we’ve also got a guide to the best San Francisco specialty coffee shops, if you’re curious). Coffee to us is what wine is to… well, people who know a lot more about wine than we do.

But you don’t have to be a third wave coffee snob to find, appreciate, and enjoy a delicious cup of specialty coffee at a great coffee shop! Here are some tips for finding a third wave coffee shop near you.

When identifying a third wave coffee shop, know what to look for:

  1. Single Origin Beans: Coffee beans should be sourced from one country, region, and/or farm. No blends! Each bean variety responds best to different roasting and brew treatments, so mixing beans means losing the ability to let each unique bean shine.
  2. High Quality Beans: The best of the best from the crop. Each coffee farm will harvest and sell both cheaper, imperfect beans and a top-quality crop. A third wave coffee shop only buys the best quality beans. (Yes, this means you will pay more for your cup of coffee!)
  3. Each cup is hand crafted to order. No giant vats of drip coffee here. Each cup of coffee is hand crafted precisely for you, from a freshly ground bean to your preferred brewing method. Some of the unique brewing methods you’ll find at third wave coffee shops include V60, Chemex, Clever, Aeropress, Siphon, and Cold Brew. Each brewing method brings out different flavors for different beans, and many third wave coffee shops offer a variety of roasts and beans to best match its featured brewing methods. If you prefer espresso drinks, you’ll also find that latte art is a good indicator of a third wave coffee shop.
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Now that you know what to look for, check out these incredible third wave coffee shops in Lima, Peru and get your hands on a delicious ristretto or an aromatic pourover!

The Best Third Wave Coffee Shops in Lima, Peru

A cappuccino at Aromia in Miraflores, one of the best third wave coffee shops in Lima, Peru.

A cappuccino at Aromia in Miraflores, one of the best third wave coffee shops in Lima, Peru.

Aromia

  • Aromia Coffee Shop is as elegant and refined as its coffee: from the melt-in-your-mouth butter cookie that came with our espressos, to the minimalist aesthetic and baked good selection, Aromia is picture perfect. However, the real star at Aromia is its incredible espresso. Unlike most of the espresso drinks we’ve had in South America, the sweet milk in our ristretto and cortado perfectly balanced the expertly pulled espresso without overwhelming it. In addition to espresso, Aromia offers a wide variety of third wave brewing methods, including Chemex, V60, Aeropress, and Siphon.
  • Address: Libertad 415, Miraflores | Hours: Sunday-Saturday 8am-9pm
  • Facebook | Instagram | TripAdvisor
Movement + Surf Cafe is a laid back surf-themed third wave coffee shop in the Miraflores neighborhood of Lima, Peru.

Movement + Surf Cafe is a laid back surf-themed third wave coffee shop in the Miraflores neighborhood of Lima, Peru.

Movement Surf + Cafe

  • Outfitted with a couch and several surfboards, Movement Surf + Cafe felt more like a relaxed hang-out than a third wave coffee shop, but its cold brew, pour-over, and cappuccino were all on point. A huge bonus for this cafe is that it has excellent food in addition to its coffee: we ordered a fantastic Movement panini and a rich, luscious piece of chocolate cake. Had it been a little later in the afternoon, we might have topped things off with a craft beer: Movement has a whole fridge stocked with intriguing local craft brews.
  • Address: Berlin 135, Miraflores | Hours: Monday-Saturday 7:30am-9:30pm, Sunday 8am-8pm
  • Facebook | Instagram |TripAdvisor
Latte art and a cookie at a third wave coffee shop in Lima, Peru.

Latte art and a cookie at a third wave coffee shop in Lima, Peru.

Cafe Verde

  • Cafe Verde doesn’t have the aesthetic appeal of Aromia or the hangout vibe of Movement Surf Cafe, but it does have  excellent in-house roasted coffee.  Cafe Verde’s roaster occupies a whole room in the bright green shop. Our drip coffee was an impressively aromatic dark roast: it was rich and deep without that burnt bitterness that is common among imperfectly brewed dark roasts. Cafe Verde is the perfect spot for an unpretentious cup of finely brewed earthy black coffee.
  • Address: Av. Santa Cruz 1305, Miraflores |  Hours: Monday-Friday 7am-9pm, Saturday 8am-8pm, closed Sunday
  • Facebook | TripAdvisor
Admiring the display room in Cate Tasting Room, a third wave coffee shop in Lima, Peru.

Admiring the display room in Cate Tasting Room, a third wave coffee shop in Lima, Peru.Cate Tasting Room

Cate Tasting Room 

  • Located on a busy street in Miraflores, we almost walked right by this nondescript coffee shop. We’re so glad we didn’t! Specializing in tea, coffee, and chocolate, Cate Tasting Room offers some of the best local Peruvian espresso we’ve ever had. Our cortado was bright and bitter, with a hint of sweetness and a spark of acid. Our server explained the origin and location of each of our cups: our excellent espresso was from Cusco. Cate Tasting Room serves up Clever, v60, Aeropress, and French Press as well as an entire selection of drinking chocolate; we recommend the espresso.
  • Address: Independencia 269, Miraflores | Hours:  Monday – Sunday 8am-10pm
  • Website | Facebook | Instagram | TripAdvisor
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Delicious Peruvian specialty coffee and espresso at Puku Puku, a third wave coffee shop in Lima, Peru.

Delicious Peruvian organic specialty coffee and espresso at Puku Puku, a third wave coffee shop in Lima, Peru.

Puku Puku Cafe

  • A block away from the sprawling handicraft markets in Lima sits 1 of the 3 locations of Puku Puku Cafe, a laid back coffee shop with a cozy patio looking out over a gorgeous old colonial home. Our espresso was bold and dark, but our Chemex was bright and acidic. We weren’t surprised to learn that Puku Puku hosts a barista class for third wave coffee shops in Lima. With a large selection of local artisan beers, Puku Puku also makes a great post-shopping wind-down spot.  BTW, huge shout-out to Puku Puku’s Tiramisu cupcake: it was the best cupcake by far we’ve had on our entire 4-month South America trip!
  • Address: 1) Narciso de la Colina 297 | 2) Larco 1285, Miraflores | 3) Pardo and Aliaga 695, San Isidro | Hours: Monday – Sunday 7am-9pm
  • Website | Facebook | Instagram | TripAdvisor
A cup of Chemex brewed coffee at True Artisan Cafe, a third wave coffee shop in Lima, Peru.

A cup of Chemex brewed coffee at True Artisan Cafe, a third wave coffee shop in Lima, Peru.

True Artisan Cafe

  • Roasting Peruvian coffee with Italian finesse, True Artisan Cafe in Miraflores is an excellent place for espresso, coffee, or cold brew. They proudly brew their espresso on La Marzocco espresso machine hand crafted in Florence, Italy, and the attention to quality shows. True Artisan Cafe also sells fantastic quiche, sandwiches, and pastries.
  • Address: Bolivar 153, Miraflores | Hours: Monday – Saturday 7am-10pm, Sunday 9am-7pm
  • Facebook | Instagram | TripAdvisor

More Third Wave  Coffee Shops in Lima, Peru

We didn’t get a chance to visit these third wave coffee shops in Lima, but we’ve heard good things. These third wave coffee shops are part of Lima’s Ruta del Cafe. Give them a try when you’re in Lima and let us know what you think!

  • Apu: Jr. Risso 381, Lince
  • El Cafe de Harry: Av. Armendariz 546 (Peru pa’ti)
  • Origen: av. Bolivar 1199, Pueblo Libre
  • The Coffee Road: Av. Guillermo Prescott 378, San Isidro
  • Tostaduria Bisetti: Av. Pedro de Osma 116, Barranco

Map of the Best Third Wave Coffee Shops in Lima, Peru

Use our handy map to locate the best third wave coffee shops in Lima! Travel Tip: download this map to your smartphone for offline browsing (click here for instructions).

Yum! Are you totally fiending for a hot cup of coffee now, or is it just us?

Psst: Planning a trip to Peru? We’ve got a few other posts that might be helpful!

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Lima, Peru is home to some excellent third wave coffee! If you like specialty coffee - especially locally grown, single origin, expertly brewed third wave coffee - you need this guide to the best third wave coffee shops in Lima, Peru.

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12 Comments

Comments

  1. Bizarre Globe Hopper says: February 26, 2017 at 7:02 pm

    What a lovely and informative article! I had absolutely no idea that Lima has so many excellent third wave coffee shops. So nice to meet fellow traveling coffee geeks, looking forward to your new articles!

    Reply
    • Lia says: February 27, 2017 at 3:36 pm

      Thank you! They have a TON, we were surprised too!

      Reply
      • Peter says: September 4, 2017 at 4:43 am

        Peru is apparently the worlds fastest growing country, and with that, Lima has a fast developing coffee culture. It’s no surprise, given the easy access to their coffee production. It really is growing very rapidly. I tend to visit Peru every couple of years so ive noticed the development in standards of coffee and cafes and attention to detail and service. I highly recommend Origen Tostaduras. They do espresso, aeropress, v60, iced coffee aeropress, french press, moka pot, pisco coffee sours, chilcano con cafe. the espresso is a single origin blend of washed and honey process from San Martin in the Amazonas region.

        Reply
        • Lia says: September 5, 2017 at 11:43 am

          Wow, I didn’t realize Peru was the world’s fastest growing country! That’s incredible! We will definitely check out that coffee shop next time we’re in Lima – thanks so much for the tip!

          Reply
  2. Aidan says: June 29, 2017 at 12:04 pm

    Great post, but I’ve found a relatively new coffee shop that tops most of these called Colonia & Co in Barranco. They have a slayer espresso machine and pull the best shot of espresso I’ve had in South America! Great vibe with a small bakery and small ice cream shop sharing the same building.

    Reply
  3. Mary says: February 17, 2018 at 8:22 am

    Great article! I’m headed to Lima on Monday, so I’ll be sure to check out your recommendations. You are the second person this week to recommend Puka Puka, and the first was a total coffee snob, so I’m definitely headed there. The detailed explanation on third wave coffee shops is very informative. I’ve never heard that term before. I did a coffee tour in Colombia recently called WakeCup Coffee Tour and I met two farmers who grow specialty coffees. It’s a really great tour. If you go to Colombia, it is THE coffee tour to take. You can read about it on my blog, if you like. Thanks again for the great post!

    Reply
    • Lia Garcia says: February 20, 2018 at 6:35 am

      We are total coffee snobs too, so now you definitely need to go 😉 We took a wonderful coffee farm tour here in Colombia at Finca el Ocaso in Salento, which is in the coffee region of Colombia. But that tour sounds really interesting. Thank you for your recommendation!

      Reply
  4. Ana says: February 26, 2018 at 7:55 pm

    Those are all great cafes, ones that my coffee loving friends go to regularly!
    If someone is looking for something more off the beaten path, they might try Martin’s (he has a green sign) in Mercado Magdelena (plus you get to experience an authentic South American market, always a plus!). Not only can you buy an excellent cup of coffee (or frozen hot chocolate, in my case), you can also buy coffee from all over Peru to take back with you! He’ll bag it and seal it on the spot, and even grind it for you if you ask. It’s where a lot of expats go to get coffee to take home to friends and family.

    Reply
  5. Divya says: April 24, 2018 at 2:46 pm

    Great roundup! 🙂 I’m slowly learning about third wave coffee shops myself, so I’ll be sure to check them out on my visit to Lima next month. xx

    Reply

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Meet Lia & Jeremy

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  • 'Tis the season of cheerful cold weather, eating a ton of food, and buying things. Lots of things. Oof, was that your wallet I hear whimpering?⁠ .⁠ I wanted to give y'all some tips to keep in mind when the inevitable shopping overwhelm starts creeping in later this month. Save this post for when you're about to spend more than you have in your bank account!⁠ .⁠ 🎁 Don't buy things hoping they will make you happy. Things & stuff may bring you a little joy, but they won't solve all your problems. If you're feeling down, go take a walk, spend time with a loved one, play with a cute animal, or make an appointment with a counselor for a little mental health check-up. (See also: travel. We love travel a LOT, but it also will not solve all your problems. Or make you a different person. Trust us, we've tried!)⁠ .⁠ 🎁 Shop local when you can. It supports your home community! See also: supporting small business owners, such as Etsy creators, your friendly local blogger (hayyy!) and that sweet old lady who sells creepy dolls and weird-smelling candles at your local craft fair. Support her, too.⁠ .⁠ 🎁 Consider buying from fewer online stores to conserve packaging waste. If you can get most of your shopping done in one big order from a single store, instead of buying 1 small thing from 20 different online stores, you'll be saving bubble wrap, boxes, and the gas it takes to ship all those boxes to you. Plus, returns will be easier and require less packaging, too!⁠ .⁠ 🎁 Don't feel guilty for buying stuff. I know, I sound like I'm contradicting myself here. But listen: give yourself a damn break, especially if you sometimes find it harder to spend your hard-earned money than NOT spend it. Buy a few items you truly think will bring you - or a loved one - a little joy, or make things easier. Don't feel guilty for treating yourself or those you love. Just do it responsibly. Shop mindfully, vote with your wallet, and make choices that you feel genuinely good about.⁠ .⁠ Are you planning to do some shopping this month? (We'll be stocking up on stuff for our new house!) Drop us a comment about what you're genuinely excited to buy - or your favorite tips for thoughtful consumerism!
  • This photo was a VICTORY. You see, we'd forgotten to bring our tripod to Lake Arrowhead. Depending on who you ask, it was definitely one of our faults, but we disagree on exactly whose.⁠ .⁠ Why did a missing tripod matter? Well, I had a Job to do on this trip. It wasn't a work trip, it was a family weekend, but I had a few specific things to photograph on this trip, including this adorable, comfy wool dress gifted by @wool.and. The idea was we'd dress up, take a little walk together, find somewhere to set up our tripod, take a few quick shots, and go back to hanging with the 'fam. Supes chill. NBD. Right?! ⁠ .⁠ If you've been following us for more than 5 minutes, you know by now that we are NEVER supes chill. We're more like totes anxsch. (Yes, I just coined anxsch. It's a thing.)⁠ .⁠ Anyway, so we forgot our tripod. And we've learned - after lots of trial and error - that asking other people to take our photo makes us feel awkward and anxious and rushed. Plus the photos always seem to end up oddly lit and weirdly angled. Long story short, our tripod takes all of our photos now. And we didn't have it.⁠ 🤦‍♀️ .⁠ So we spent our walk snipping at each other (lovingly) and looking for places on which to rest our Very Expensive Camera, like the ground, and on a trashcan. And then we definitely may have but absolutely did trespass onto somebody's dock - and lo and behold: a BENCH! . With some careful rigging, and the use of his wallet, Jeremy managed to balance the camera just so. We started the self-timer and did like, this awkward shuffle-step so as not to rock the dock and tumble the whole setup into the water. (I'm not holding Jeremy's hand just because I love him. It's actually because I'm trying not to fall into Lake Arrowhead.) . But all things considered, I think this photo came out looking pretty good! We even found a conveniently placed stump for a few more photos afterwards. And it all reminded me: the most fun part of my weird job? It's not the ~creativity of crafting a narrative or staging a photo bla bla bla. It's just hanging out with Jeremy and exploring places, together. 📸 . Have you ever turned a f**k up into like... a fun-up? Drop us a comment!
  • Where in the world is Lia Garcia? 🎶⁠ .⁠ In Episode 1 of "Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego," Carmen flies to Amsterdam, eats some Stroopwafel, admires some canals, and then casually steals the famous portrait of Vincent Van Gogh, that handsome ginger with a missing ear (this is where the couple's costume part comes in - just go with it, y'all). Then she hops from city to city, mixing sightseeing with stealing famous paintings from museums - all with one dastardly goal in mind: to cut them up turn them into a portrait of herself!⁠ 😱 .⁠ Which like ... that's a fantastic idea. I want to host a craft night and do exactly that. Where my crafty criminals at??⁠🎨✂️ .⁠ I was never clear on whether Carmen Sandiego was supposed to be the hero or the villain, because like ... come on. She's AWESOME. She is clearly the most bada$$, most fabulous, absolute coolest world-traveling criminal mastermind of all time. Don't @ me. You know she's amazing and like, a total role model.⁠ .⁠ I mean, she taught us GEOGRAPHY. She taught us HISTORY. She taught us how to rock a red hat and trenchcoat and look AMAZING. She taught us how to be a fabulous take-no-BS-from-nobody SHTAR. And she taught us that sometimes, the fun of a heist is just the challenge of the heist itself.⁠ 🧘🏽‍♀️ .⁠ I may not personally be a criminal, but I am a world traveler who looks fabulous in red. And while having a fun rhyming name post-marriage wasn't immediately appealing to me, I grew to love it once a friend pointed out that Lia Garcia has a similar ring to it as Carmen Sandiego, and therefore is the perfect travel blogger ~~nom de plume~~. And Carmen has been my patron saint ever since!⁠ 💄✈ .⁠ What did you dress up as for Halloween this year? Tell us all about your costume in the comments!! ⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ #femaletravelbloggers #halloween2019 #girlslovetravel #shewhowanders #ladiesgoneglobal #travelwriter #trickortreat #happyhalloween #globecouples #marriedtomybestfriend
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  • This month we carved out time together to do stereotypical fall things, like get lost in a giant corn maze, eat apple pie at an apple farm, step on some crunchy AF leaves, take this dorky AF picture, and make a lame fall pun that I really hope y'all caught 🎃 We also managed to lose Jeremy's glasses at a pumpkin farm and found them smashed to smithereens in the middle of the road, which isn't fall-like but is very much us in a nutshell (a vlog of that fun little incident is in the works! Yes, y'all, we ~vlog now. Follow our new bebe YouTube channel!).⁠ .⁠ Even though we haven't been very active on IG, we've been having a lot of fun in real life. And like, I hope y'all understand that sometimes we're doing awesome things in Actual Life and not sharing it on IG not because we don't want to share it with you, but because it's important for us to just be together without stepping out of that moment to document it for online consumption. (And also because stories take hours and hours for me to post and I find them overwhelming this month for whatever reason.)⁠ .⁠ I love you guys, but boundaries are important, and keeping our relationship healthy & fun isn't just something we do for the 'gram, the blog, the podcast, the YouTubes, the 'book, or the, like, email newsletter. Or for anyone else other than us.⁠ .⁠ For nearly 6 years, we've been the kind of mushy, annoying couple that gets the same song stuck in our collective head, finds the same dumb joke funny to the point that one of us references it WAY too much (usually me, I have no sense of overkill), has the same "omg a cute animal!" voice (with different voices for different sized animals) and sings along in the car to the same songs on road trips. For nearly 6 years, our relationship has been a source of comfort, joy, and stability. And that is truly something precious.⁠ .⁠ Do you have a relationship that's a source of joy & comfort to you? (Is it a fur friend?! Can we see pictures?!) Drop us a comment and tell us all about your special loved ones! ⁠ .⁠ #couplesofig #colorsofautumn #couplesthattravel #travellustcouples #marriedtomybestfriend #marriedaf #couplestuff #fallfestivities #fallfeels #bayareablogger
  • What happens when you drop the ball? When you were supposed to do a thing, and you MEANT to do the thing, but then you just ...don't do the thing? . Sometimes, people get really mad. You let them down. You let YOURSELF down. Everything is horrible and everybody feels terrible. That's the worst, and it sucks. . But sometimes nothing happens. Nobody cares, really. It was a self-imposed deadline. The only person upset is yourself. And when you DO do the thing - or a small portion of the thing, or maybe just let everyone know "hey, I can't do that thing, and here's why," everything is actually OK. And that gnawing feeling of dread and guilt you've been holding inside for weeks? That was worse than just admitting your ball-drop. . I drop the ball a lot. For example, this month I'm dropping the ball on blog posts and Instagram Stories. I have like, 912689 stories I've recorded that I was so excited to share with you, but when it came down to it, I couldn't make myself sit down and spend the several hours I'll eventually need to catch you up. Whoops. My b, y'all. . And like, yeah, it makes me feel like sh*t and like I'm a bad blogger, which is my job, so therefore I feel like I'm bad at my job. But I'm not seeking validation. I've made my peace. I know it's really (probably) just me who's legitimately upset about all of my ball-dropping, and the rest of you likely haven't noticed or don't really care. So I'm forgiving myself. I'm accepting my shortcomings. And I'm practicing gratitude for the things I AM accomplishing (cuz actually, I'm kinda killing it if you look at the bigger picture). . We are all constantly juggling so many things: work, life, mental health, keeping the house clean, etc. And you know what? Everything can't be perfect all the time. It just cannot. It's OK. You're fine. We are fine. Take a deep breath. Close your eyes. Listen to some waterfall noises. Pretend you hiked to that waterfall with a llama (which I did!!!!). Relax. It's OK. . Where are you dropping the ball? Have you been beating yourself up about it? Is it time to forgive yourself? Drop me a comment below! #sheisnotlost #girlslovetravel #wanderlustvibes #girltraveller #glaciermt
  • CHEERS! We're celebrating, y'all! 🥂Wait, what are we celebrating?? Is that a baby bump??! 😱 (Ahem: NO!, just a cheese bump. Sorry y'all, we're not quite there yet.) We actually have a LOT to celebrate this month! I know its still October, so we won't dip into being thankful just yet - let's just say its spooky how much we have to celebrate these days:⁠ .⁠ 🍷We're celebrating our new home! After spending most of this year applying to Oakland rentals only to be denied over and over again for BS reasons like "actually somebody offered to just buy the entire building in cash within 30 seconds of the posting going live" (I'm exaggerating, but just barely - the Bay Area rental market is nuts, y'all) we FINALLY found a place, got approved, and then beat out all the other thirsty MFers trying to slide in and take it from us. It is CUTTHROAT 🔪But we love our new place! It's a standalone house rather than an apartment, with 400 extra feet, an actual upstairs (!!!!), a bigger backyard, and a real room for my office rather than just squeezing behind the couch in the living room. No dishwasher, because that's a level of luxury we may never experience. BUT! They allow PETS!!! Which is a Bay Area jackpot 🐕🐺 what should we get first? Cat or dog? Llama, maybe?⁠ 🦙 .⁠ 🎙We're also celebrating the launch of our new Podcast! We're working on finishing up editing the first few episodes and will be launching in just a couple of weeks. Ahh! More on that very soon!!⁠ .⁠ 🎂We're also celebrating the birthdays of 2 of Lia's best friends! One from afar and one in New Orleans next week for Halloween 🎃🎭⁠ .⁠ 🍁And finally, we're celebrating fall, of course! It's the best season of the year and we've been all over California this month in search of fall foliage (plus we got like 28762867 leaf garlands to cover every surface of our apartment with, so it's leafy inside, too).⁠ .⁠ What are you celebrating this month? Drop us a comment & let's celebrate together!⁠ 🍾 .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ #travelcouplelife #globecouples #youcansipwithus #inspiredtravelcouples #ilovefall⁠
  • California was made for road trips.⁠ 🛣️🚙There's nothing more quintessentially Californian than hopping in a car, throwing on your coolest shades, rolling down the window, turning on some music about California (yes, we've got a whole Spotify Playlist just for this purpose), and heading off on a road trip - to somewhere else within California.⁠ .⁠ In a few hours, at any time of the year, you could be anywhere. Lying on a sunny beach with palm trees waving overhead. Sledding soft, powdery snow. Lighting a fire in your A-frame cabin deep in a pine forest. Sipping wine amongst rolling vineyards. Dune-buggying through an otherworldly desert. Hiking through a lush, humid forest filled with ferns and towering redwoods. Befriending otters in a foggy coastal town. You might be driving for 4 hours or 8 hours, but you won't ever need to leave the state: California truly has it all.⁠ .⁠ By far the most popular California road trip is along Highway One, for good reason - it's one of the most scenic drives in the world! But there is no shortage of scenic highways and byways in California. This stunning view is on Route 158 in the Eastern Sierras, near the June Lake Loop. We've got a complete guide to the area (and all of its gorgeous fall foliage) on the blog - link in bio.⁠ .⁠ We think the best time of year for a California road trip is in February & March. When the rest of the country is limping through the last slushy remnants of winter, California is thriving from the rainy season, vibrant green hills bursting with colorful wildflowers. Right now, those same hills are bright gold and dry as a bone (also, it's fire season). But we've been hitting the road anyway to head to pumpkin patches, apple farms, and the parts of the state that actually get a bit of fall foliage (yes, it exists)! ⁠ .⁠ Have you ever taken a California road trip? Where'd ya go? And if not, what is your ideal California road trip destination? Drop us a comment below!⁠

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