Festival of the Sun
Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru[0.4 miles]
Colourful parades and ancient Inca ceremonies are re-enacted at this world-famous winter solstice festival.
Best for ages: 8+ | Free | 5 hours
Best places to stay:
Close to Cusco’s main square and with rooms set in the colonial-era cloisters of the city’s old market, El Mercado offers value-stays in a slice of old Cusco, a stroll from the city centre.
The décor fuses Spanish-era grandeur with modern design (from renowned Peruvian architect Jordi Puig). Rooms come in warm creams with abstract textile carpets, Philippe Starck-inspired drapes and bright modern art on the walls. They sit over a large central atrium with a fire pit and lounge chairs.
The Plaza de Armas and Cusco’s best restaurants and bars are two blocks away.
The hotel sits on a steep cobbled street lined with colonial houses and old Spanish churches in the heart of downtown Cusco, with convenience stores and other hotels as neighbours.
Plaza Kusipata and its surrounding streets (which are lined with restaurants) are a five-minute walk. The main city square (The Plaza de Armas), the cathedral and most of the city’s historic buildings are just under ten minutes away.
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Bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first
Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru[0.4 miles]
Colourful parades and ancient Inca ceremonies are re-enacted at this world-famous winter solstice festival.
Best for ages: 8+ | Free | 5 hours
Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru[0.7 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
Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru[0.9 miles]
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
Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru[1.8 miles]
The heart of the old Inca empire has a wealth of Inca ruins, Spanish treasures and historic architecture to explore.
Best for ages: 18+ | Free | 1 day
Other worthwhile experiences in this destination if you have the time or the interest, closest first
Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru[2.5 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
Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru[15.5 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
Destination guides including or relevant to this place to stay
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.