Things to do in Cusco
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Cusco
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best dry-season months: blue skies, dry trails and clearest Machu Picchu and Rainbow Mountain views.
Shoulder months: mostly dry, landscapes still green, fewer people, occasional wet days.
Dry but peak crowds, highest prices and fastest sell-outs.
Wet season: daily rain, muddy trails, thinner crowds and lower prices.
Worst wet months: heavy rain, possible snow at Rainbow Mountain and landslides; Inca Trail closed in February.
What's on
- Inti Raymi 24 June
Festival of the Sun: dawn at Qorikancha, midday at the Plaza, afternoon re-enactment at Sacsayhuamán.
- Corpus Christi typically early/mid-June
Saint processions and the chiri uchu festival dish in the plaza during festival month.
- Q'eswachaka rebuilding early/mid-June, over 4 days ending the second Sunday
Four Quechua communities re-weave the last Inca rope bridge by hand.
- Semana Santa Easter week
Solemn processions, notably Señor de los Temblores on Easter Monday; book ahead, prices spike.
- Fiestas Patrias 28-29 July
National holiday crowds and price peaks.
- Cusco Carnival Feb/March, movable
Water fights and parades.
Best things to do in Cusco
Qorikancha
The most important Inca temple, with flawless stone walls under a Spanish convent: Cusco in one building.
Sacsayhuamán
Vast ceremonial fortress of precisely fitted giant stones above the city, with the best in-city ruin walk.
San Blas
Artisan quarter of cobbled lanes and workshops, ending at a viewpoint that is best at sunset.
Mercado Central de San Pedro
The working city market for juice rows, local lunch stalls, Andean produce and cheaper souvenirs.
Plaza de Armas
The living room of the city: Inca foundations, colonial arcades, two great churches and golden-hour people watching.
Peruvian cooking class with market tour
Market tour with a chef, then ceviche, pisco sour and Andean dishes you cook and eat: ideal acclimatisation day.
ChocoMuseo
Bean-to-bar chocolate workshop of about two hours: the family-friendly, low-exertion alternative activity.
Museo Inka
The context museum: Inca ceramics, textiles, metalwork and mummies that make the ruins legible.
Where to stay in Cusco
Historic Centre / Plaza de Armas
first trip, all-round base
Flat and walkable to Qorikancha, the Cathedral, San Pedro Market and every tour pickup.
San Blas
character, couples and repeat visitors
Boutique hotels in colonial houses, best cafes and quieter nights, but steep lanes at altitude.
Lucrepata / San Cristóbal
quiet and views, longer stays
Residential and peaceful above San Blas, closest to Sacsayhuamán, with an uphill return at night.
Coricancha / Av. El Sol / Limacpampa
families, groups and practical mid-range
Larger modern hotels, easier vehicle access and flat minutes to the plaza, with less charm.
Sacred Valley base (Ollantaytambo or Urubamba)
altitude-smart split stay
Sleep at 2,800m while acclimatising, do the valley from there and train to Machu Picchu from Ollantaytambo.
Think twice about
- Wanchaq and the far south/east sprawl
Modern, traffic-heavy and taxi-dependent, with no historic fabric: around the bus terminal, Av. de la Cultura beyond Limacpampa and the airport fringe.
- Streets immediately on Plaza de Armas / Av. El Sol nightlife block
Party hostels and clubs around Portal de Panes and Calle Plateros bring noise until 2 to 3am and persistent tout pressure if you sleep lightly.
- Remote hillside Airbnbs above San Cristóbal / in Santa Ana and Belén
For a short first trip: unlit, steep and unmapped lanes, hard for pickups, and local guides advise returning before nightfall if you do not know them.
Best restaurants in Cusco
MAP Café
Contemporary Peruvian tasting menus in a glass cube in the museum courtyard: the special-occasion table.
Chicha por Gastón Acurio
Regional Cusco dishes at the highest level above Plaza Regocijo: the accessible splurge, generous portions.
Cicciolina
Candlelit tapas bar and restaurant with Mediterranean-Peruvian plates and a serious wine list.
Morena Peruvian Kitchen
Coast, Andes and Amazon on one menu with balcony views over the plaza: the crowd-pleaser for mixed tastes.
Pachapapa
San Blas courtyard restaurant for wood-oven cuy, roast meats and pizzas around a fire on cold nights.
Uchu Peruvian Steakhouse
Beef, alpaca and pork served sizzling on volcanic stone in a small stone-walled room: the carnivore dinner.
Organika
Farm-to-table from Sacred Valley fields: fresh, light cooking that is a mercy after days of trek food.
Green Point
Vegan Peruvian classics and set lunches in a garden courtyard, gentle on altitude-queasy stomachs.
Outdoor things to do in Cusco
Machu Picchu
The citadel earns its fame, but book entry and train first and ideally sleep nearby to enter early.
Sacred Valley
Pisac, Ollantaytambo and Chinchero at lower altitude: the essential valley day to do early in the trip.
Rainbow Mountain
Striped mineral ridge at 5,036m: real colours on a clear dry day, muted under cloud, so go late in the trip.
Humantay Lake
Turquoise glacial lake under a glacier at about 4,200m after a steep climb: a beautiful single-payoff day.
7 Lakes of Ausangate
Seven coloured lakes under Ausangate on a 12km circuit ending at hot springs: the hardest, highest-rated day.
Salkantay Trek
Four to five days past Humantay and the Salkantay Pass to Machu Picchu, with no permit lottery.
Moray
Moray terraces and Maras salt pans by ATV or bike through farmland and villages the tour buses never enter.
Tipón
Exquisite Inca waterworks in the South Valley with Pikillacta and Andahuaylillas: uncrowded and cheap.
Best hotels in Cusco
Palacio Nazarenas, a Belmond Hotel
Benchmark luxury in a former convent on Inca foundations, with oxygen-enriched suites, pool and spa.
Palacio del Inka, a Luxury Collection Hotel
Grand 500-year-old mansion opposite Qorikancha with a serious spa: the big-hotel version of the history.
Novotel Cusco
Reliable mid-range centre pick in a colonial courtyard house with a modern wing, close to the plaza.
Pariwana Hostel Cusco
Large, clean colonial-courtyard hostel a few blocks from the plaza, with dorms and private rooms.
Antigua Casona San Blas
Restored colonial casona turned boutique hotel with spa and fireplaces: the San Blas splurge.
Atoq San Blas
Smaller and quieter San Blas hotel with excellent breakfast, city views and altitude-helpful staff.
Tierra Viva Cusco San Blas
Dependable boutique house in San Blas with a calm courtyard, strong breakfast and fair price.
JW Marriott El Convento Cusco
Restored Augustinian convent with oxygenated rooms and polished international service.
Is Cusco expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | PEN 220 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | PEN 450 a person |
| Splurge | PEN 850 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Peruvian cooking class with market tour: a few days ahead
- ChocoMuseo: a few days ahead
- Cusco Planetarium: a few days ahead
- Machu Picchu: months ahead
- Rainbow Mountain: a few days ahead
- Humantay Lake: a few days ahead
- 7 Lakes of Ausangate: a few days ahead
- Salkantay Trek: weeks ahead
- Book Machu Picchu entry and trains before anything else: 2 to 3 months ahead for May to September.
- Inca Trail permits go 5 to 6 months ahead for peak months and the trail closes all February.
- Buy the Boleto Turistico at the first gate, cash in soles: general S/130 for 10 days.
Is Cusco safe?
- Rest on arrival, hydrate, no alcohol for 24 hours and eat lightly at night at 3,400m.
- Watch pockets in San Pedro Market, on crowded colectivos and during festivals.
- Use Uber or hotel-called cars after midnight instead of unlicensed taxis.
- Do not drink tap water, and use SPF 50, hat and sunglasses every day at altitude.
- Tourist Police on the Plaza de Armas are helpful and English-speaking.
- Check your government's current travel advice before you go.
Cusco travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Cheapest plaza and airport tour offers often exclude entry fees, trains or oxygen and use the largest groups.
- Llama photos, free bracelets and street massage offers can turn into charges: a friendly no and walking on ends it.
- Aguas Calientes restaurants by the station are the worst value in the region: walk uphill away from it.
- Do not do Rainbow Mountain in bad weather or in your first 48 hours.
Getting around Cusco: public transport and more
- Walk the historic centre.
- Taxis are unmetred: agree S/5 to 8 in the centre before getting in; Uber and InDrive also work.
- Colectivos from Pavitos and Puputi run to Pisac and Ollantaytambo for S/10 to 15.
- Do not rent a car for the centre or valley circuit.
Who Cusco suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Cusco your trip
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