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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Overview >Bucket list experience:
A day in Cusco
Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru
Last updated: 10 November, 2022
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.
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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
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
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
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
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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Overview >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
Inca ruins at Pisac (and Pisac market)
Pisac, Cusco Region, Peru[18.9 miles]
Mountain-top ruins with intact Inca stonework, dramatic views across the Sacred Valley and a great market, best reached on a spectacular day hike.
Best for ages: 18+ | £40
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Overview >Other worthwhile experiences near this experience if you have time or interest..
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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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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