Things to Do in Cusco: 20 Best Experiences in the City and Around

Cusco at a glance

• What it is: the historic capital of the Inca Empire and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983, where colonial churches and mansions stand on top of Inca walls.
• Altitude: 3,400 m (11,150 ft). Take the first day slowly; our guide to altitude sickness in Cusco explains how.
• How many days: 3 to 4 days in the Cusco region plus Machu Picchu is a comfortable minimum; with 5 or 6 you can add a trek or a high-altitude day trip.
• Tickets: many sites around the city and in the Sacred Valley are covered by the Cusco Tourist Ticket (Boleto Turístico); the Cathedral and Qorikancha have their own tickets.
• Weather: dry and sunny from May to September, with cold nights; rainy afternoons from November to March. Layers work all year.

The 20 best things to do in Cusco, at a glance

1. The Main Square, the heart of Inca and colonial Cusco

Every visit starts at the Plaza de Armas. In Inca times this was the great ceremonial square of the capital, much larger than today, where the most important festivals of the empire were held. The Spanish built their city around it, and today it is framed by the Cathedral, the Church of La Compañía de Jesús and long colonial arcades full of cafés and balconies.

Come twice: once in the morning, when the light hits the Cathedral and the square is calm, and once after dark, when the churches are lit up. Sit on a bench, watch the processions and school parades that often fill the square, and get your bearings: almost everything in the centre is a short walk from here.

2 and 7. The Cathedral and La Compañía de Jesús

The Cathedral of Cusco took around a century to build and was raised over an Inca palace, partly with stones taken from Sacsayhuamán. Inside, it is one of the great treasure houses of the Cusco School of painting, the colonial art movement in which Andean painters reinterpreted European religious images. Look for the famous Last Supper in which Christ and the apostles share a roasted guinea pig, and for the silver altars and carved choir stalls. The Cathedral has its own entrance ticket, separate from the tourist ticket.

On the other side of the square, the Church of La Compañía de Jesús was built by the Jesuits on the palace of the Inca Huayna Cápac, with a façade so elaborate that it is said to have rivalled the Cathedral. Its towers are the most photographed in Cusco, especially lit up at night.

3. Qorikancha, the Temple of the Sun

If you see only one Inca building in the city, make it Qorikancha, the most important temple of the Inca Empire, dedicated to the Sun. Chroniclers described walls covered with sheets of gold and a garden of life-size gold and silver plants. After the conquest, the Dominicans built the Church and Convent of Santo Domingo on top of it, and the result is a unique mix: a colonial cloister wrapped around some of the finest Inca stonework that exists, with perfectly fitted walls and trapezoidal niches.

Plan about an hour, and go with a guide or read about it first: the meaning of the temple is the key to understanding Cusco. Below the building, the gardens lead down to a small site museum, which is included in the Cusco Tourist Ticket. Our article on the Inca Empire gives you the background.

4 and 5. The 12-angled stone and the San Blas quarter

From the Main Square, walk up Hatun Rumiyoc street, lined with the walls of the palace of the Inca Roca. Halfway up you will find the 12-angled stone, a single block of stone cut with twelve corners and fitted perfectly to its neighbours without mortar. It is the symbol of Inca masonry, and there is usually someone in Inca costume next to it posing for photos.

Keep climbing and you reach San Blas, the artisans' quarter, with whitewashed houses, blue doors, steep cobbled lanes and the small San Blas Church, which holds a carved wooden pulpit considered a masterpiece of colonial art. The area is full of workshops, galleries, cafés and viewpoints over the rooftops. It is the best place in Cusco to buy art and crafts directly from the people who make them, and in the evening it has a relaxed bohemian feel.

6. San Pedro Market

Ten minutes' walk from the Main Square, San Pedro Market is where Cusco does its shopping. It is a big covered hall divided by sections: tropical fruits and fresh juices, dozens of varieties of potatoes and corn, cheeses, breads from Oropesa, medicinal herbs, flowers, meat, and long counters of food stalls where locals eat soups and set lunches.

Come in the morning, have a fresh juice at one of the juice stands, try a slice of the giant round bread, and walk through the section of herbs and amulets. Keep an eye on your bag in the crowded aisles, and buy fruit you can peel. It is one of the most authentic experiences in Cusco and costs almost nothing.

8, 9 and 10. Sacsayhuamán and the Inca sites above the city

Above Cusco, a 20 to 30 minute walk uphill from the Main Square, stands Sacsayhuamán, a ceremonial complex of three enormous zigzag walls built with stones that weigh many tonnes and fit together perfectly. It is the most impressive Inca site in the city and the stage of the modern Inti Raymi, the Festival of the Sun, every 24 June.

Along the road that continues above it are three smaller sites usually visited on the same afternoon: Q'enqo, a carved limestone shrine with a tunnel and an altar; Puka Pukara, a red-stoned control post; and Tambomachay, the Inca baths with fountains that still flow. Together they form Circuit I of the tourist ticket. Next to Sacsayhuamán, the Cristo Blanco, a white statue of Christ, is the best free viewpoint over the whole city, especially at sunset.

The easiest way to see all four is the classic afternoon Cusco city tour, which combines them with Qorikancha and the Cathedral, or a taxi to Tambomachay and a downhill walk back to town.

The Cusco Tourist Ticket (Boleto Turístico): what it covers

The tourist ticket is sold by COSITUC, the official committee that manages it. According to its official price list, the general ticket for foreign visitors costs S/ 130 and covers all three circuits; each partial ticket costs S/ 70. Nationals and students have reduced rates. Not included: the Cathedral, the Qorikancha church and convent, the Maras salt mines and Machu Picchu, which have separate tickets. On our tours, the tickets each excursion needs are listed in the inclusions.

11, 12 and 13. Museums, textiles and food

On a rainy afternoon or your acclimatisation day, Cusco's museums are ideal. The Inka Museum, in a colonial mansion near the Main Square, explains the Inca world with ceramics, textiles, *qeros* (wooden cups) and mummies. The Museum of Pre-Columbian Art (MAP), in a beautiful courtyard house on Plaza Nazarenas, displays a refined selection of pieces from all of Peru's ancient cultures.

For living culture, visit the traditional textiles centre on Avenida El Sol, run with weaving communities of the region, where weavers demonstrate natural dyes and back-strap looms. The work is slow and the pieces are expensive for a reason: a single textile can take months.

And eat. Cusco's cuisine is hearty Andean food: chiri uchu, the festive cold dish of Corpus Christi, adobo for Sunday breakfast, trout from the highland lakes, alpaca, quinoa soups, and cuy (roasted guinea pig) if you dare. Many restaurants in the centre reinterpret these ingredients in a modern way; for something traditional, look for a *picantería*. Drink coca tea in your first days to help with the altitude.

14 and 15. The Sacred Valley, Maras and Moray

The Sacred Valley of the Incas is the most popular day trip from Cusco, and the most comfortable for your first days, because it lies lower than the city. A typical full day visits the market and terraces of Pisac, the weaving town and Inca site of Chinchero, and the fortress of Ollantaytambo, the town where many trains to Machu Picchu depart.

On the high plateau above the valley, Moray is a set of circular Inca terraces that look like an amphitheatre and are thought to have been an agricultural experimentation site, and the Maras salt mines are thousands of salt pans cascading down a hillside, still worked by local families. Our Sacred Valley guide covers each stop in detail.

In our Peru programmes, the Sacred Valley day ends in Ollantaytambo with the train to Aguas Calientes, so you sleep at the foot of Machu Picchu.

16. Humantay Lake

Humantay Lake is a turquoise glacial lake at 4,200 m (13,780 ft), at the foot of the snow-capped Humantay peak, in the Salkantay range. It is the most popular hike from Cusco after Rainbow Mountain, and many travellers find it even more beautiful.

The day starts with a pickup at 4:30 to 5:00 am, breakfast in Mollepata, and a hike of about 1 hour 20 minutes up a steep trail to the lake, then lunch and the drive back. It is demanding because of the altitude, so do it after two or three days in Cusco. Read our full Humantay Lake guide or book the Humantay Lake day trip.

17 and 18. Rainbow Mountain and the South Valley

Rainbow Mountain, or Vinicunca, is the striped mountain of red, ochre, turquoise and lavender minerals that became one of Peru's icons. The summit viewpoint is at about 5,200 m, so it is the highest point most travellers reach in Peru: leave it for the end of your stay, when you are well acclimatised. Our Rainbow Mountain guide explains the hike, the alternatives and the best season.

For something quieter, the South Valley has two great sites less than an hour from Cusco: Tipón, an Inca estate with elegant terraces and water channels that still work, and Pikillacta, a huge walled city built by the Wari culture centuries before the Incas. Both are on Circuit II of the tourist ticket, and the village of Oropesa, on the way, is famous for its bread.

19 and 20. Machu Picchu and the great treks

Machu Picchu is, of course, the reason most people come to Cusco. You can see it in a long day trip from Cusco, but we recommend sleeping one night in Aguas Calientes to visit without rushing. Start with our guides on how to get to Machu Picchu, the Machu Picchu circuits and the Machu Picchu rules on what you can bring.

If you have more time and good legs, arrive on foot. The Classic Inca Trail follows original Inca paths to the Sun Gate and needs permits booked months ahead. The Salkantay Trek in 5 days crosses a high pass next to a glacier and passes Humantay Lake, and it does not need permits. Our comparison Salkantay Trek vs Inca Trail helps you choose.

How many days do you need in Cusco?

Three days plus Machu Picchu is the minimum that lets you see Cusco well: an easy first day in the centre, a day in the Sacred Valley that continues to Aguas Calientes, the Machu Picchu day, and one more day for the city's Inca sites or a day trip. With five or six days you can add Humantay Lake and Rainbow Mountain at the end, once you are acclimatised.

That is the structure of our Peru 7 days tour, with Lima, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and Rainbow Mountain, and of the Peru 9 days tour, which adds Humantay Lake and the coast of Paracas and Ica.

A sample 4-day plan in Cusco

• Day 1 (arrival, easy): rest, coca tea, Main Square, Cathedral and an early dinner. No climbs.
• Day 2: morning at Qorikancha, the 12-angled stone and San Blas; afternoon city tour to Sacsayhuamán, Q'enqo, Puka Pukara and Tambomachay; sunset at Cristo Blanco.
• Day 3: Sacred Valley (Chinchero, Moray, Maras or Pisac, Ollantaytambo) and train to Aguas Calientes.
• Day 4: Machu Picchu in the morning, train and transfer back to Cusco.
• Day 5 and 6 (optional): Humantay Lake and Rainbow Mountain, with a rest morning at San Pedro Market in between.

Practical tips for Cusco

Altitude first. Walk slowly, drink water, eat light the first night and avoid alcohol for the first day. Do not plan high day trips until you have slept two or three nights in Cusco.

Cash and cards. Restaurants, hotels and many shops take cards, but markets, taxis, toilets and small entrance fees are paid in soles. ATMs are easy to find around the Main Square.

Weather. Mornings and nights are cold all year; the dry season, from May to September, has the clearest skies and the coldest nights. In the rainy season bring a waterproof jacket and plan indoor visits for the afternoon.

Respect. Ask before photographing people, especially women and children in traditional dress, who will often ask for a small tip. Do not climb Inca walls, and stay on paths at the archaeological sites.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources: UNESCO World Heritage: City of Cuzco · COSITUC: the official Cusco Tourist Ticket (Boleto Turístico del Cusco) · Ministry of Culture of Peru

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.