Most travellers treat Cusco as a waiting room for Machu Picchu. That is a mistake — the former capital of the Inca Empire, sitting at around 3,400 metres in the Andes, is one of the great cities of the Americas in its own right. This route gives the city and the Sacred Valley the time they deserve, with altitude built into the plan.

Key facts

  • Altitude: around 3,400 m — take day one slowly, drink water, and go easy on alcohol
  • The boleto turistico (tourist ticket) covers many sites in and around the city; buy it once
  • The Sacred Valley sits lower than Cusco, so it is actually easier on the body
  • Rainy season is roughly November to March; the dry, cold, clear months are May to September

Day 1 — Arrive low and slow

Morning: Land, check in, and resist the urge to sprint anywhere. Take a gentle first walk around the Plaza de Armas, ringed by colonial arcades and two grand churches built on Inca foundations.

Afternoon: Visit Qorikancha, once the empire's holiest temple, its precision-cut Inca walls still standing beneath the colonial church of Santo Domingo built on top of it. This one site explains the whole city.

Evening: Climb — slowly — into San Blas, the artisans' quarter of steep whitewashed lanes. Coca tea, an early dinner, an early night. Altitude rewards patience.

Day 2 — The Sacred Valley loop

Morning: Head out early to Pisac, where terraced Inca ruins pour down a mountainside above a town famous for its artisan market. Walk the upper terraces before the day-trip crowds arrive.

Midday: Continue down the valley floor along the Urubamba River. Lunch in the valley — trout, corn and quinoa dishes are the regional staples.

Afternoon: Ollantaytambo, the best-preserved living Inca town, where people still inhabit the original grid of stone lanes and water channels. Climb the fortress terraces for the valley's finest view.

Evening: Return to Cusco, or sleep in the valley if you are continuing to Machu Picchu by train the next day — Ollantaytambo is the main departure station.

Day 3 — The heights above the city

Morning: Take a taxi up to Sacsayhuaman, the colossal zigzag fortress overlooking Cusco, where some stones weigh more than a hundred tonnes and fit together without mortar. Walk back downhill via the smaller sites of Q'enqo and the viewpoint over the city's terracotta roofs.

Afternoon: San Pedro Market for juice, cheese and people-watching, then the last museums or churches on your list.

Evening: A farewell dinner in San Blas or just off the plaza — alpaca steak and a pisco sour are the classic send-off.

If you have a fourth day

Machu Picchu is the obvious extension: take the train from Ollantaytambo, book entry tickets well ahead, and treat it as a full day. We cover that route in detail separately.

Tip: Book Machu Picchu train and entry tickets before you leave home, but keep your Cusco days flexible — this is a city that rewards wandering, and altitude makes rigid schedules miserable.