Piura
The big city
Piura has a cute historic center with the requisite Plaza de Armas and cathedral. The cathedral is famous in the region for its gilded altar. However, most of Piura is industrial.
Piura isn’t very scenic, but it’s a great place to stock up on supplies for a week at the beach. Paita is the closest beach, just 45 minutes away. Paita has a few beaches nearby, but the coast in town is rocky. If you want good beaches, head north from Piura
Transport
This is an inland city and transportation hub. It has the most flights from Lima of any of the cities in the region. You can get busses from Piura to just about anywhere north of Trujillo.