Piura is well placed for excursions along the northern coast and into the surrounding countryside. Paita, 55 kilometres west, is the most practical day trip — a working port city in a sheltered bay where the ceviche is excellent and the story of Manuela Sáenz gives the waterfront an unexpected edge. The beach village of Catacaos, just 12 kilometres south, is the best artisan market in the region: gold filigree, straw hats, and good cheap food that alone justify the short ride.
Narihualá, also near Catacaos, is the principal archaeological site of the Piura valley — an earthen pyramid built by the Tallán people before the Inca conquest, with a small on-site museum and a valley-wide view from the top.
Máncora, 180 kilometres north on the Panamericana, is too far for a comfortable day trip but worth one or two nights. Peru's most popular surf town, it has warm water, a long left-hand point break, and a lively beach scene; humpback whales are visible offshore from July to October.