Cusco Airport Guide: From Lima to Your Hotel in Cusco

Cusco airport at a glance

• Name and code: Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport, IATA code CUZ.
• Where it is: in the south-east of the city, about 5 km from the Main Square (Plaza de Armas).
• Altitude: about 3,310 m (10,860 ft). The historic centre is a little higher, at 3,400 m (11,150 ft).
• Main route: Lima to Cusco, about 1 hour 20 minutes of flying time. There are also domestic flights from other Peruvian cities.
• Into town: 20 to 30 minutes by car in normal traffic, longer at rush hour.
• Size: a single, compact terminal. You walk from the plane to baggage claim and out to the arrivals area in a few minutes.
• New airport: a new international airport is being built at Chinchero, in the hills above the Sacred Valley. It is still under construction and has no confirmed opening date, so for now every flight uses Velasco Astete.

Step 1: landing in Lima and connecting to Cusco

There are almost no long-haul flights straight into Cusco, so your trip to Cusco really starts at Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima. Since June 2025 all flights at Lima, domestic and international, use the new passenger terminal, which replaced the old building. If you read an older guide that describes a walk between gates in the old terminal, it no longer applies.

When you arrive on an international flight, you go through immigration, collect your checked bags, pass customs and then check in again for the domestic flight to Cusco. Even if both flights are on one ticket, plan as if you will have to handle your luggage yourself, and confirm the details with your airline before you travel.

How much time to leave? We recommend not booking a tight same-day connection. Long-haul flights are often late, queues at immigration can be long, and missing the Cusco flight means re-booking on a busy route. If you want to fly on to Cusco the same day, leave a generous margin. Better still, do what our packages do: spend the first night in Lima, recover from the long flight at sea level and fly to Cusco the next morning. Our guide to Lima in 1 or 2 days shows how to use that extra day.

Step 2: the Lima to Cusco flight

The Lima to Cusco flight is short but spectacular. You take off over the desert coast, climb over the Andes and, on a clear morning, see snow-capped peaks before the plane drops into the Cusco valley. Sit on a window seat if you can. The flight time is about 1 hour 20 minutes, but count on half a day door to door once you add the transfer to Lima airport, check-in and security.

Several Peruvian and regional airlines fly the route, with many departures a day, most of them in the morning. Schedules and baggage rules change by airline and by season, so check them on the airline's website when you book. On our packages we book the domestic flights for you, in the name and document number on your passport, so the only thing you need to do is carry that same passport at the airport.

The approach into Cusco is one of the most memorable in South America: the runway is long because of the altitude, and the city fills the valley on both sides as you come in to land. Do not worry if the landing feels fast. Planes need more speed to land in thin air, and the pilots on this route fly it several times a day.

Step 3: the arrival hall at Cusco airport

Velasco Astete is a small, single-terminal airport, and that is good news after a long trip. You leave the plane, walk a short distance to the baggage belts and, once you have your bags, walk out into the arrivals area. There is no immigration on domestic flights: that already happened in Lima.

The arrivals area is busy. You will see drivers holding signs, hotel staff, and people offering taxis and tours. Take a moment, find your driver or the official taxi desks, and do not hand your luggage to anyone you have not agreed to travel with. There are ATMs and small cafés in the terminal, but the exchange rate is better in town, so change only what you need for the first hours.

This is also the moment the altitude makes itself felt. Walk slowly with your bags, let the driver load them, and do not rush. The airport is at about 3,310 m and the historic centre at 3,400 m (11,150 ft), more than three kilometres above Lima.

Cusco airport to the city: taxi or pre-arranged transfer?

Step 4: getting from Cusco airport to your hotel

The road from the airport runs along Avenida de la Cultura, one of the city's main avenues, and then climbs into the historic centre. In normal traffic the drive takes 20 to 30 minutes. At rush hour, during festivals or when there are marches in the centre, it can take longer.

Taxis. If you travel independently, use an official taxi from the authorised desks inside the terminal rather than a car from the street outside. Agree the price before you get in and have your hotel's address written down, with a nearby street or square: many hotels in San Blas and around the Main Square are on narrow or pedestrian streets where the car can only drop you at the corner.

Pre-arranged transfer. This is how our package clients arrive. On the Peru 7 days and Peru 9 days packages, we take you from your hotel to Lima airport, you fly to Cusco on the ticket we booked for you, and our transfer is waiting when you land to take you to your hotel in the imperial city. On the Peru and Bolivia tour, our representative meets you at Alejandro Velasco Astete Airport and takes you to your hotel in the same way. On Day 1 in Lima, our agent waits at Jorge Chávez with a personalised sign bearing your name, so from the moment you land in Peru there is always someone expecting you.

Whichever option you choose, keep your passport, phone and money on you rather than in the boot, and send your hotel a message with your flight number so they know when to expect you.

Step 5: your first hours at altitude

The most common mistake on arrival day is treating it like any other travel day: dropping the bags and heading straight out to see everything. In Cusco, the first afternoon is for resting. Have a light lunch, drink plenty of water, walk slowly to the Main Square and go to bed early. That is exactly why our packages leave the day you fly in as a free acclimatisation day.

Mild headaches, short breath on the stairs and poor sleep on the first night are normal. We do not repeat the whole subject here: our guide to altitude sickness in Cusco explains the symptoms, what helps, what to ask your doctor about and when to worry.

If you feel fine by the evening, the historic centre is beautiful after dark. Our list of things to do in Cusco suggests easy, flat walks for the first day and saves the steep viewpoints for later.

Option: go straight down to the Sacred Valley

Some travellers skip Cusco on the first night and drive directly from the airport to the Sacred Valley. The valley floor, around Urubamba and Ollantaytambo, sits at about 2,800 to 2,900 m, roughly 600 m lower than Cusco, so the first night is easier on the body. Ollantaytambo is also where most trains to Machu Picchu leave, which makes it a natural base before the citadel.

The drive from the airport takes longer than the short ride into Cusco, roughly an hour and a half to two hours depending on where you stay, and it crosses the high plateau around Chinchero before descending into the valley. It works best with a pre-arranged private transfer and a morning flight, so you arrive in daylight.

The trade-off is that you see Cusco at the end of the trip instead of the beginning. Our Sacred Valley guide compares both orders, and our guide on how to get to Machu Picchu explains how the valley connects with the train. Our standard packages start in Cusco; if you would rather begin in the valley, tell us when you enquire and we will tell you whether it fits your dates.

Luggage tips for the Lima–Cusco flight

• Check your fare. Baggage allowances on Peruvian domestic flights depend on the airline and on the fare. Many basic fares include only a small personal item, so check what your ticket includes and add a checked bag before the airport if you need it.
• Keep the essentials in your hand luggage: passport, medication, a warm layer, a water bottle (empty for security) and anything you need for the first night.
• Pack for two climates. Lima is mild and humid; Cusco is cold in the mornings and evenings all year, and the sun is strong at midday. Have a fleece or jacket at hand when you land.
• Think ahead to the Machu Picchu train. The trains only allow small bags on board, so most travellers leave their large suitcase at their Cusco hotel and take a daypack. Our comparison of PeruRail and Inca Rail lists the limits for each company.
• Label everything with your name and a phone number, inside and out.

Flying out of Cusco: departure tips

Arrive early. Cusco airport is small and the security queue can build up quickly when several flights leave at the same time. On our Peru 7 days and Peru 9 days packages we pick you up from your hotel two hours before your flight to Lima, and our team confirms the exact pickup time with you.

Prefer a morning flight. Weather in the Andes tends to be clearer early in the day, while afternoon cloud, wind and storms in the rainy season are more likely to cause delays. A morning departure also leaves more margin if a flight is moved.

Leave a buffer in Lima. Do not plan your international flight home too close to your arrival from Cusco. If your Cusco flight is delayed, a few spare hours in Lima, or one more night there, protect the most expensive ticket of your trip.

Last morning in town. If your flight is in the afternoon, you can store your bags at the hotel and take a final walk around the historic centre, as we suggest at the end of the 7 days in Peru itinerary.

Why we include the airport transfer in our packages

We are based in Cusco, and we have seen every version of the first hour in the city: travellers who wait at the wrong door, taxis that cannot reach a hotel on a pedestrian street, and people who carry their suitcase up San Blas hill on their first afternoon at 3,400 m. A pre-arranged transfer removes all of that. Someone is waiting, the hotel address is already in the car, and you sit down within minutes of collecting your bags.

It is also part of a wider plan. On our Peru 7 days and Peru 9 days packages, the airport–hotel–airport transfers in Lima and Cusco, the Lima–Cusco and Cusco–Lima flights and the free acclimatisation day are all built into the itinerary, so the arrival day sets you up for the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and the high-altitude hikes that follow. The Peru and Bolivia tour includes the Lima–Cusco flight and continues overland to Puno and Bolivia.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources: Lima Airport Partners: the new Jorge Chávez terminal begins operations · CDC Yellow Book: High Altitude Travel and Altitude Illness · UNESCO World Heritage: City of Cuzco

About the author

Amilcar Catari

Travel Writer and SEO Editor at ViajaXmundo

Amilcar has worked in Peru's tourism industry for 10 years and writes and updates the ViajaXmundo travel guides from Cusco, together with our licensed guides and following the latest regulations of Peru's Ministry of Culture.