Machu Picchu’s stone buildings and green grassed plazas seen from the upper terraces, with the peak of Huayna Picchu towering over the citadel

south america

CuscoTravel Guide

Peru4 stories

Cusco, the former capital of the Inca empire, sits at 3,400 metres in the Peruvian Andes — a city of colonial arcades built directly on Inca stonework, and the gateway to the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. Done in the right order, the journey from its plaza to the citadel is one of travel's great set pieces.

When to come

May–September (Andean dry season)

What it costs

Mid-range. Comfortable without planning around money, expensive if you stop counting.

What we've planned, and who for

We publish a multi-day route for this one.

Three days, planned

Cusco is inAncient wonders Snow and mountains

When to go

May–September (Andean dry season)

Budget level

Mid-range

Typical cost profile for visitors

Combine it with

Lima580 km
half a day's travel · but their best months do not overlap with this one · a different price level (mixed)

Plan itWhere to stay in Cuscoad · Booking.comTours and tickets

On the map

Finding Cusco

Open in Google Maps Larger map

The stories

Reading Cusco

The stone terraces and ruins of Machu Picchu with Huayna Picchu peak rising behind, wisps of cloud drifting across the surrounding Andes

Hidden Gems

Cusco at First Light and After Dark: The City Before and After the Tour Groups

Peru · 2 min

A market stall piled high with wheels of Andean cheese at a covered market in Cusco, the vendor arranging her display

Food

A Market-to-Table Food Day in Cusco

Peru · 2 min

Planning

Cusco, place by place

Everything below is named in one of our own stories about Cusco. The line under each is the sentence that recommended it, and the link goes to the piece it came from.

Where to eat

Tables worth crossing the city for

Mercado de San Pedro
Cusco
Then browse Mercado de San Pedro for fruit juices and textiles.
Cusco and Machu Picchu: The Classic Route Done Right See on the map
Chicha por Gastón Acurio
Cusco
Chicha por Gastón Acurio, just off the plaza, does refined Cusqueñan cooking; go easy on the pisco sours tonight.
Cusco and Machu Picchu: The Classic Route Done Right See on the map

What to see

The things that justify the trip

Isaac clinton Suca Fuentes
Plaza de Armas
Start in the Plaza de Armas, ringed by colonial arcades built on Inca walls.
Cusco and Machu Picchu: The Classic Route Done Right See on the map
Diego Solorzano
Qorikancha
Afternoon: Visit Qorikancha, the Inca temple of the sun with the church of Santo Domingo built directly on top of it — the clearest illustration in Peru of conquest in stone.
Cusco and Machu Picchu: The Classic Route Done Right See on the map

Things to do

Walks, tours and days out we would book again

Pisac
Cusco
Morning: Take a taxi or tour over the pass to Pisac, whose hillside ruins — terraces pouring down the mountain — rival anything outside Machu Picchu itself.
Cusco and Machu Picchu: The Classic Route Done Right Find tours
Ollantaytambo
Cusco
Afternoon: Continue down the valley to Ollantaytambo, a living Inca town whose grid of streets and water channels has run continuously since the 15th century.
Cusco and Machu Picchu: The Classic Route Done Right Find tours
Aguas Calientes
Cusco
Morning: Board the train to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo) — around 90 minutes tracing the Urubamba River as the highlands turn to cloud forest.
Cusco and Machu Picchu: The Classic Route Done Right Find tours
Huayna Picchu
Cusco
If you booked the Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain climb (separate, limited permits), that is your mid-morning.
Cusco and Machu Picchu: The Classic Route Done Right Find tours
Machu Picchu Mountain
Cusco
Cusco and Machu Picchu: The Classic Route Done Right Find tours

Our picks

What we'd do in Cusco

See and do

Dawn on the Plaza de Armas
At first light the Plaza de Armas belongs to street sweepers, a few vendors setting up, and the mountains turning gold above the cathedral's twin towers.
Read: Cusco at First Light and After Dark: The City Before and After the Tour Groups
Find tickets
San Pedro Market before breakfast
Cusco's central market opens early and is at its most honest before the crowds arrive: pyramids of fruit from the jungle valleys, sacks of a dizzying range of native potatoes, fresh bread, and juice stalls where the blenders never rest.
Read: Cusco at First Light and After Dark: The City Before and After the Tour Groups
Find tickets
Golden hour at Qorikancha
Late afternoon light does something special to Qorikancha, once the Inca empire's most sacred temple, its dark, precision-cut walls now supporting the colonial church of Santo Domingo built on top.
Read: Cusco at First Light and After Dark: The City Before and After the Tour Groups
Find tickets

Before you go

Practical essentials for Peru

Money

Peruvian sol (PEN)

Language

Spanish, with Quechua and Aymara also official where they prevail; English is limited outside hotels and tour operators.

Power

Type A/B/C, 220V 60Hz

Getting around

Long-distance buses and domestic flights cover the distances, PeruRail and Inca Rail run the tourist trains to Machu Picchu, and cities have their own networks — Lima has the Metropolitano busway.

Tipping

Tourist restaurants often add 10% as servicio; otherwise about 10% is normal, and taxi drivers are not tipped.

Tap water

Tap water is not safe to drink; use sealed bottled or purified water and avoid ice you cannot vouch for.

Driving

Right-hand side; a photocard national licence is valid for a tourist stay, though rental firms often ask for an International Driving Permit.

Emergency

105 police, 116 fire, 106 ambulance (SAMU); a unified 911 is being phased in from Lima

Country-level guidance, checked against official sources. Currency, fares and entry rules change — confirm anything time-critical before you travel.

Keep exploring