22 Must do’s in Cusco | Peru
Cusco, the ‘Navel of the World’ and former Inca capital, is a city with a mixture of colonial Spanish, and pre-Columbian charm with some Incan foundations in many streets. Cusco is the perfect base to visit Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley. Spend 5 to 6 full days with the following things to do in Cusco, Peru.
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Cusco is situated at an altitude of 3,200 meters. During your first one or two days, take it slow and give your body the time to get used to it (unless you already did Arequipa and Puno, then you’re normally good to go like us!)
Tip: Drink a few cups of Coca Tea to help your altitude sickness.
1) Machu Picchu & Huayna Picchu
Machu Picchu is an ancient city that lies on the top of a mountain. We did Machu Picchu in 2 days. Too much to say about Machu Picchu so that will be a separate blog article!
Read more about my Machu Picchu Travel Guide in this special blog post!
» Machu Picchu Travel Guide | Peru «
2) Historic center
Go to the Plaza de Armas and the colonial cathedral of Cusco but remember you can’t take photos inside the cathedral! You will see a lot of buildings in Cusco that have like two layers in their facade. The bottom layer is made out of the original Inca building. The Spaniards just built on top of the Inca buildings.
Fun fact: Go to the Inca street of Loreto with its 12 corner stone. Notice the large Inca stones at the bottom of the buildings, these enormous granite blocks fit together perfectly without cement. The Spaniards built their buildings in the old city. Many churches were placed on the foundations of ancient Inca palaces and temples.
3) San Blas District
San Blas is a pleasant neighborhood with many nice restaurants, shops, and cafes. It’s the artistic neighborhood of Cusco and gives the same vibe as Barranco in Lima. Loved the vibe here and wished I could stay here forever (or am I aiming at Peru in general?). Go to Aura Bar/Restaurant for good music, food and view on Cusco.
Fun Fact: From the San Blas district, you can easily walk/climb to the San Blas viewpoint and the Desde el Cristo Blanco viewpoint.
4) Qoricancha Temple in Cusco
Qoricancha (or Koricancha or Corikancha) was a holy temple of the sun covered in pure gold of the Inca people. The Spanish forced the Incas to change religion and built a Christian monastery on top of the Qoricancha temple. You can still visit the remains in the monastery.
5) Street art
Near Coricancha you can find some cool street art paintings or the Cusco Mural, the largest mural in South America! It depicts the history of Cusco with the pre-Incas, Incas, the Spaniards, and modern-time Cusco.
Inca Ruins in Cusco
6) Sacsayhuaman
A 30-minute walk from Cusco is Sacsayhuamán, Sacsahuaman, or Saqsaywaman (UNESCO), a large wall Inca site (pronounced as ‘sexy human’). Each stone in the wall weighs around 300 tons!
7) Q’enko
Q’enqo, Qenko, Kenko, or Quenco is one of the largest holy places in the Cusco Region. Walk through the labyrinth and find the chamber where there was once a mummy as the case is as cool as a fridge!
8) Tambomachay
Tambomachay consists of a series of aqueducts, canals, and waterfalls that run through the terraced rocks. From the spring Timpuc Puquiu flows three waterfalls that still flow today. Some say the water has healing abilities like eternal youth.
9) Puca Pucara
Puka Pukara is a site of military ruins and was part of the defense of Cusco. It was also the station for the Inca runners who could run really fast. They could get a message from Cusco to Lima in one day by a human chain of runners!
10) Rainbow Mountain
The rainbow mountains used to be under ice till 2015, but due to climate change, they are now visible in the right season. It attracts over 1000 (or 7000 in the high season) visitors each day and all have to hike a path for 3 hours to 5.063 meters!
Fun Fact: YOU ARE HIGHER THAN THE MONT BLANC!!! 😍 What an achievement!!
You leave Cusco at 4 AM to start your hike at 8 AM (breakfast stop included). At around 10-10.30 AM you arrive at the top of Rainbow Mountain. Another 30 minutes are needed to get back to your starting point. Total route of 4.5km, climbing 300 meters.
Fact: There is less oxygen in the air and you feel that! Something that seems so easy and you’re out of breath after 10 steps??!! Mindset adjustment is needed! No, you’re not a “loser” who is going slower than the rest, just keep calm and do your own tempo. You’re on holiday, right? So no rushing!
Fact: You must keep drinking water however for me water was too heavy on my stomach. I tried the red Gatorade/Powerade and immediately felt the effect. Suddenly I had my powers back. I was lacking some electrolytes which are present in the drink so I would recommend carrying a bottle of that as well just in case you need it as I did! Oh and don’t forget your coca leaves/candies 😉 You’ll feel the altitude and the lack of oxygen!
» Book our Rainbow Mountain tour «
Discover the Sacred Valley
The Sacred Valley holds some of the best-preserved Inca architecture in Peru.
11) Moray
These man-made terraces in an amphitheater shape were an Inca agricultural laboratory. The Incas could experiment with different lighting, heights, soils, and temperature conditions for growing crops. Moray is one of the reasons Peru has over 2000 species of potatoes today.
Tip: We did Moray and Maras in half a day
12) Maras Salt Mines
Thousands of salt pans that have been in use since Inca times can be seen here. Large basins collect the saltwater that flows from within the mountain and then dries in the sun. The salt is collected and sold on the local market and is considered one of the most expensive salts in Peru. Of course, I also bought some salt after a tasty tasting!
Tip: We did Moray and Maras in half a day
13) Pisac Ruins
Machu Picchu’s little brother, the Pisac Ruins. It overlooks the entire Urubamba Valley, and the terraces are still used today. The Inca terraces (called Andenes) of Pisaq are 1km broad and 400m high(or deep depending on where you’re standing). Quite incredible to walk on these terraces with the walls being 5 meters high! We were a bit rushed by our guide and couldn’t explore the whole site. If you have the time, you can spend 8 hours in this complex! Don’t forget to visit the town of Pisac as well. Lovely town with a colonial church, and beautiful streets!
Tip: We did Pisaq and Ollantaytambo in one day
14) Ollantaytambo
We visited the picturesque old town and ruins of Ollantaytambo on our way to Machu Picchu as the train station is located there. Ollantaytambo was the second last Inca city after Cusco fell in the hands of the Spaniards. It’s surrounded by the valley and water, giving it a perfect place to strengthen the fort. But in the end, even Ollantaytambo fell into the hands of the Spaniards and the Inca hid away in their last Inca capital in the jungle.
Tip: We did Pisaq and Ollantaytambo in one day
15) Chocolate Museum
Peru is one of the world’s biggest cacao producers. Go to a chocolate museum or follow a chocolate-making workshop. We had so much fun following a chocolate workshop (and eating our works of course).
» Book our chocolate-making workshop here «
16) Cusco Viewpoints
The best view from Cusco is from the top. Some of the best viewpoints in Cusco are Plaza San Cristobal, Desde el Cristo Blanco, and Mirador de San Blas. Just be prepared to walk (but it’s worth it!).
17) San Pedro Market
Shop fruits, veggies, cheese, meat, fish, souvenirs, and so much more at the San Pedro Market. We bought our souvenirs here on our last day (much cheaper). For example 30 soles for a sweater instead of 120 or 60. Oh and real alpaca wool is something you can feel and will notice.
18) Horseriding
You can also do some horse riding in Cusco if you like! Enjoy nature and discover some caves (yes you will climb them as well)!
» Book our horse riding tour in Cusco «
19) Taste the best restaurants in Cusco
Cusco is a paradise for foodies! Go eat some Italian, Japanese, Vegan, and Peruvian food! Go to Mistura Grill Cusco (and also a rooftop bar!), Chicha restaurant, Huaraca Grill, and Aura resto-bar (with rooftop bar + really good music!).
Sad Fact: I didn’t like the churros. They had something not yummy inside them. Not like the European churros 😅
20) Humantay Lake Tour
A 2-hour hike to Humantay Lake at an altitude of 4,200 meters is also a must do. We chose Rainbow Mountain over this one but if I had the time I would for sure do this hike!
» See tickets and availability for the Humantay Lake Tour «
21) Alpaca wool sweater
One you can’t miss is to learn how Peruvians make (real) Alpaca wool sweaters. Fascinating to learn how they get these vibrant colors from herbs or plants! And yes you will feel the difference between Alpaca wool and sheep wool.
22) Sightings bus drive from Puno to Cusco
On your bus drive from Puno to Cusco you can see these amazing places!
Where to Stay in Cusco
We stayed at the Sacha Centric Hotel. Close to the historic center and San Blas district! Perfect location and close to everything in the city.
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3 Comments
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Eva
I am still hesitating which is my favo place – machu picchu or rainbow maintain?! However, you should do both if you have time!!! The views are amazing and the way to reach the top is it really worth! 🤩😍
Lisa
In love with Cusco! Zoveel te zien, zoveel te doen. De Machu Picchu eindelijk in het echt zien was zalig 😍 De Rainbow mountain ziet er fantastisch uit!