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Bucket list experience:

Last updated: 10 November, 2022
Expert travel writer: Alex Robinson

Cusco was the Inca capital, laid out in the shape of a giant puma, sitting at the heart of an empire that stretched to Ecuador and Bolivia. It was from Cuzco that the Incas administered their vast empire and the city centre’s tight grid, laid out in the 1400s, still bears their mark – as well as that of their conquerors, the Spanish.

Inca foundations are capped with Mediterranean-style structures, and the sun temple has an adjacent baroque church. Inca ruins litter the city – the bell-shaped Qoricancha temple, hulking Sacsayhuaman fort with its massive ramparts and Inca walls everywhere – jigsaw-pieced together from huge boulders, cut into bewildering geometric shapes. There are Spanish treasures too – magnificent churches and convents decorated with art made by indigenous Peruvian artisans.

Today, Cusco is the official ‘historic capital’ of Peru and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Yet many visitors use Cusco merely as a base for Machu Picchu, and miss out on all these sights.

What to see and do 

Take at least a day to wander the cobbled streets, starting at stately Plaza de Armas square, getting lost in the narrow, convent-lined streets of San Blas, visiting the Qoricancha and finishing with a cab ride to Sacsayhuaman, where you should stay until the sun sinks over the mountains.

The main square is ringed with second-floor restaurants with good views. This is another good place to be as the sun dips down, bathing the churches in an ethereal pink light.

Qorikancha

Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru

The Inca empire’s most elaborate sun temple, covered in gold and silver, is now a colonial church housing stunning Inca stonework.

Best for ages: 18+ | £2

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Hikers reaching the viewpoint at the summit of the mountain
Experience

Rainbow Mountain

Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru

A mountain of striking, colourfully-striated rock bands, caused by layers of varying mineral deposits. It’s a 2-hour drive from Cusco, followed by 5km (3 mile) walk.

Best for ages: 18+ | Free

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Price: Free
Minimum age: Any
Age suitable: 18+
When: All year around
Duration: 1 day

Getting there & doing it

The historic heart of Cusco is compact and easily navigable on foot. Its main points are clearly mapped on the tourist ticket (boleto turístico), which provides admittance to all the major sights and can be bought at the first site you visit.

Note that Cusco sits at an elevation of 3,400m, so mild altitude sickness can be problem. Allow plenty of time to acclimatise and avoid racing around the sites on your first day. Pickpocketing can be a problem in crowded areas, especially in the blocks around the central market.

When to do it

Temperatures are consistent year-round in Cusco, however May-September see the least rainfall and is the best season to visit.

Our selection of the best Viator tours of this attraction or activity

Cusco Airport Arrival Transfer

Cusco Airport Arrival Transfer

Cusco

Arrive in Cusco stress-free and make the most of your time in Peru by pre-booking your arrival airport transfer. Skip all the taxi lines and...

$10 | Rating 4.5 / 5 [168 ratings]

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Cusco Airport Departure Transfer

Cusco Airport Departure Transfer

Cusco

Travel from your Cusco hotel to Alejandro Velasco Astete Airport worry-free and without a hassle. These shared transfers are available 24 ho...

$13 | Rating 4.52 / 5 [88 ratings]

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Open Bus Cusco City Tour

Open Bus Cusco City Tour

Cusco

This Cusco SightSeeing is one of the best things to do in Cusco while you are acclimatizing. We have carefully curated the itinerary to give...

$14 | Rating 4.79 / 5 [126 ratings]

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City Tour in the city of Cusco 1/2 Day

City Tour in the city of Cusco 1/2 Day

Cusco

The City Tour in the city of Cusco will allow you to know the most impressive archeological and religious tourist places of the cosmopolitan...

$16 | Rating 4.69 / 5 [79 ratings]

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Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first

Hotel Monasterio

Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru[1.5 miles]

A grand, luxury hotel housed in a restored 16th-century monastery and filled with priceless colonial art. Restful and meditative, yet just a few blocks from Cusco’s historic heart. 

Official star rating:

Inkaterra La Casona

Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru[1.5 miles]

Luxurious rooms in a beautifully-restored 16th Century Spanish-colonial mansion where Simon Bolivar once stayed.

Official star rating:

Belmond Palacio Nazarenas

Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru[1.6 miles]

A luxuriously-restored convent with a glittering baroque chapel, filled with Cusqueno artworks and home to one of Cusco’s top restaurants.

Official star rating:

El Mercado

Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru[1.8 miles]

Good-value, centrally located hotel with modern rooms fitted into the cloisters of the Spanish-colonial market.

Official star rating:

Destination guides including or relevant to this experience

Peru

Peru

A land of spectacular deserts, high mountains and rainforests that teem with wildlife, Peru is also home to an array of dramatically situated pre-Colombian ruins, including Machu Picchu.

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Our writer’s recommendations of other bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first

Festival of the Sun

Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru[1.5 miles]

Colourful parades and ancient Inca ceremonies are re-enacted at this world-famous winter solstice festival.

Best for ages: 8+ | Free | 5 hours

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Sacsayhuaman

Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru[2.3 miles]

A vast, fortified Inca sun temple that perches over Cusco, housing boulders and masonry astonishingly jigsaw-pieced together, without cement or metal tools.

Best for ages: 18+ | £24

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Hiram Bingham Train

Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru[8.6 miles]

One of the world’s most spectacular train rides, the journey between Cusco and Machu Picchu via the Sacred Valley combines dramatic landscapes and absolute luxury.

Best for ages: 18+ | £550 | 3 hours

Other worthwhile experiences near this experience if you have time or interest..

A small village on a mountain covered in yellow grasses, with mountains in the background
Experience

Hike from Cusco to Huchuy

Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru[4.2 miles]

This, the shortest and easiest of alternative Inca trails, takes three days from Cusco and offers wonderful mountain views, little-visited Inca sites and a final day at Machu Picchu itself.

Best for ages: 18+ | £4 | 3 days

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Town square and market with small church viewed from across the valley.
Experience

Chinchero village

Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru[17.2 miles]

This little village in the Sacred Valley near Cusco is a centre for traditional indigenous weaving in Peru. It has a lively market and ancient Inca agricultural terraces.

Best for ages: 13+ | Free

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