Cusco, Peru
The stone-walled heart of the Inca empire, where colonial balconies rest atop ancient masonry and the road to Machu Picchu begins.
Cusco was once the capital of the Inca Empire, and its cobbled streets still run atop massive polygonal stone walls fitted together without mortar. Today it's a lively Andean city of colonial churches, bustling markets, and world-class restaurants, best known as the essential gateway to Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley.
Don't miss
- Plaza de Armas — Cusco's grand central square, ringed by colonial arcades and the imposing Cusco Cathedral, sits on the site of an old Inca ceremonial plaza.
- Qorikancha — Once the Inca Empire's richest temple, sheathed in gold, its precise stonework now forms the foundation of the colonial Santo Domingo convent built atop it.
Sacsayhuamán — A hilltop Inca fortress-temple above the city where boulders weighing many tons were carved and stacked with astonishing precision.Photo: Diego Delso — CC BY-SA 4.0
- San Pedro Market — A sprawling, aromatic market hall where locals shop for produce, cheeses, and juices alongside stalls serving hearty Andean soups.
- San Blas neighborhood — A steep, artsy quarter of whitewashed houses and narrow lanes, packed with galleries, cafés, and workshops of local artisans.
- The Sacred Valley — A short drive from the city, this fertile Andean valley links Inca sites like Pisac and Ollantaytambo along the Urubamba River.
Getting your bearings
Cusco sits at high altitude in the Peruvian Andes, and its historic center is compact and walkable, built directly over the old Inca capital. The Plaza de Armas is the natural starting point, with San Blas climbing the hillside to one side and San Pedro's market quarter spreading out on the other. Many travelers use Cusco as a base for a few days before or after heading into the Sacred Valley or on to Machu Picchu.
Altitude and pacing
Cusco sits well above 3,000 meters, and altitude sickness is a real consideration for most visitors, regardless of fitness level. It's wise to arrive with a light schedule for the first day or two, drink plenty of water, go easy on alcohol, and let your body adjust before tackling long hikes or the trek to Machu Picchu. Coca tea is a traditional local remedy many travelers swear by.
Getting around and beyond
The historic center is best explored on foot, with taxis cheap and plentiful for longer hops or trips to the airport. To reach the Sacred Valley or Machu Picchu, most travelers book a combination of van, train (from stations like Ollantaytambo or Poroy), and bus, or arrange a multi-day trek such as the classic Inca Trail, which requires advance permits booked well ahead.
Food and drink
Cusco's food scene blends ancient Andean staples with modern Peruvian cuisine — think alpaca steak, hearty soups like chairo, and quinoa dishes alongside classics like cuy (guinea pig) and lomo saltado. San Pedro Market is a good spot for cheap, authentic bites, while the city also has an increasingly serious fine-dining scene drawing on Peru's culinary reputation.
Local character
Cusco is unmistakably Andean, with Quechua widely spoken alongside Spanish and traditional dress still common, especially outside the tourist core. It's a city that has absorbed centuries of layered history gracefully — Inca stonework, Spanish colonial churches, and modern Peruvian life stacked visibly on top of one another.
A sample keepsake
This is the kind of trip story Voyagekit writes for you afterward — from your real trip.
A Week Among the Stones
This is an illustrative sample itinerary for a first trip to Cusco, following a loose, generic traveler's path through the city and its surrounding valley.
Arrival and thin air
We landed in the early afternoon and felt the altitude almost immediately — a light-headedness that made even the walk from the taxi to our guesthouse feel slower than usual. We spent that first day deliberately doing very little: sipping coca tea, wandering a few blocks around the Plaza de Armas, and watching the evening light hit the cathedral's stone facade before turning in early.
Photo: szeke — CC BY-SA 2.0
Stonework and steep streets
By the second day our heads had cleared enough to explore properly, and we spent the morning at Qorikancha, tracing the seams of Inca stonework fitted so precisely that not even a blade could slip between the blocks. In the afternoon we climbed into San Blas, ducking into artisan workshops and pausing often on the steep cobbled lanes, half for the view and half to catch our breath.
Above the city at Sacsayhuamán
One afternoon we took a short taxi ride up to Sacsayhuamán, where the scale of the boulders stopped us in our tracks — some the size of small trucks, cut and stacked without any mortar. We sat on the grass as the sun dropped, looking back down at the red-tiled rooftops of Cusco spread across the valley below.
Photo: wallygrom — CC BY-SA 2.0
A market lunch
We ducked into San Pedro Market one morning for lunch among the locals, choosing a stall serving a steaming bowl of soup thick with potatoes and herbs. Around us, vendors called out prices for cheese, bread, and jungle fruits we didn't recognize, and it felt like the most honest meal of the trip.
Into the Sacred Valley
On our last full day we took a van out into the Sacred Valley, stopping at the terraced ruins of Pisac in the morning and the fortress town of Ollantaytambo by afternoon, its Inca walls rising in stepped terraces above the modern village. Standing there with the Urubamba River below and the mountains closing in on both sides, it finally felt like we understood why this valley had been the empire's chosen heartland.
Photo: Vlad Podvorny — CC BY-SA 3.0
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Good to know
How many days do I need in Cusco?
Most travelers spend at least a couple of days acclimatizing in the city itself, plus additional days for the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu — a week total is a comfortable minimum to see the region without rushing.
Do I need to worry about altitude sickness?
Yes, it's common even in healthy travelers since Cusco sits at very high elevation. Plan a slow first day, stay hydrated, avoid heavy exertion or alcohol early on, and consider consulting a doctor beforehand if you have health concerns.
Do I need to book the Inca Trail or Machu Picchu tickets in advance?
Yes — entry tickets to Machu Picchu and especially permits for the classic Inca Trail are limited and often sell out well ahead of peak season, so it's best to book months in advance through an authorized operator.
When is the best time to visit?
The dry season, roughly May to September, offers the most reliable weather for hiking and sightseeing, though it's also the busiest and coolest at night. The shoulder months can offer a good balance of decent weather and lighter crowds.
Is Cusco safe for tourists?
Cusco is generally safe and very used to tourism, though petty theft and scams targeting visitors do occur in crowded areas, so normal city precautions apply.
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