Cusco

Set at approximately 3,400 metres in the Huatanay River valley of southeastern Peru, Cusco was the imperial capital of Tawantinsuyu (the Inca Empire) before Spanish conquistadors refounded the city on 23 March 1534. Rather than clearing the Inca capital completely, colonial builders raised Renaissance and Andean Baroque churches, convents, and courtyard mansions directly on top of mortarless polygonal andesite and diorite walls. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 and recognised by the 1993 Peruvian Constitution as the Historical Capital of Peru, Cusco had a census population of 428,450 in 2017.

The historic core radiates from Plaza de Armas, Cusco Cathedral, and La Compañía, built over the great Inca ceremonial square of Huacaypata. Four blocks southeast along Calle Loreto stands Qorikancha and the Convent of Santo Domingo, where curved dark-andesite chambers from the Inca Temple of the Sun survive inside a 17th-century Dominican cloister. Northeast of the Cathedral, Hatun Rumiyoc displays the interlocking Twelve-Angled Stone on the climb into San Blas and Cristo Blanco.

High on the limestone plateau two kilometres north of the centre, Sacsayhuamán, Q’enqo, Puka Pukara, and Tambomachay guard the upper approaches at 3,701 metres. Beyond the basin, Cusco serves as the primary base for Pisac and Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley, the terraced salt pans of Maras, Moray, and Chinchero, and narrow-gauge trains to Machu Picchu.

Direct domestic flights from Lima land in around 80 minutes at Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport (CUZ), located 5 kilometres southeast of Plaza de Armas at 3,249 metres elevation. According to CORPAC statistics, the terminal handled over 3 million passengers in 2023, making it Peru's second-busiest airport. Because the historic centre sits at 3,399 metres, we recommend spending your first 24 to 48 hours walking gently around the flat streets near Plaza de Armas or descending immediately into the lower Sacred Valley (Urubamba at 2,870 metres or Ollantaytambo at 2,792 metres) to acclimatise.

Narrow-gauge passenger trains operated by PeruRail and Inca Rail connect Cusco (San Pedro and Poroy stations) and Ollantaytambo with Aguas Calientes at the foot of Machu Picchu, while PeruRail also runs the Titicaca Train southeast across the 4,313-metre La Raya pass to Puno on Lake Titicaca. Full arrival details are covered in How to Get to Cusco.

Where you sleep in Cusco shapes how easily you adjust to the 3,400-metre elevation. The flat valley floor around Plaza de Armas, Plazoleta Regocijo, and Plazoleta de las Nazarenas places you in restored 16th- and 17th-century colonial mansions (casonas) built around colonnaded stone courtyards, with level walking to museums, churches, and cafés.

Northeast of the main square, hillside San Blas appeals to travellers looking for car-free cobbled steps, family folk-art studios, and sunny garden terraces overlooking the red-tiled city, while lower-altitude towns in the Sacred Valley offer a gentler first two nights right off the plane. Compare each district in Where to Stay in Cusco.

Start on Plaza de Armas inside the 3,920-square-metre Cusco Cathedral Basilica and the twin-towered Jesuit Church of La Compañía de Jesús, then step into Museo Inka, MAP, and Casa Concha to examine carved wooden keros, gold jewellery, and artefacts excavated at Machu Picchu. Walk down Inca-walled Calle Loreto to the curved solar masonry of Qorikancha and pass the Twelve-Angled Stone along Hatun Rumiyoc on your way into San Blas.

On the western market spine, walk through Plaza San Francisco and the 1835 Santa Clara Arch to browse the 1925 iron hall of San Pedro Market. Dedicate your second and third days to the three-tiered zigzag walls of Sacsayhuamán and the agricultural terraces of Pisac, Moray, Maras, and Ollantaytambo. See our complete breakdown in Things to Do in Cusco.

Highland Cusqueño cooking celebrates native Andean tubers, giant-kernel Sacred Valley maize (choclo), quinoa, kiwicha, and aromatic mountain herbs such as huacatay (black mint). Traditional picanterías and modern bistros sear lomo saltado (beef or lean alpaca tenderloin wok-tossed with red onions, tomatoes, and yellow chilli) and roast whole cuy al horno (guinea pig seasoned with huacatay) in wood-fired clay ovens.

During the June Corpus Christi festivities, locals gather for chiri uchu, a cold ceremonial platter combining highland meats, toasted cancha corn, Andean cheese, and cochayuyo seaweed. On cold evenings, warm up with quinoa soup, choclo con queso, and cups of purple-corn chicha morada or mate de coca. Explore our dish-by-dish guide in What to Eat in Cusco.

Cusco's cultural calendar blends Inca solar observances with centuries-old Catholic processions. On Easter Monday, thousands fill Plaza de Armas as the dark-wood Crucifix of the Señor de los Temblores (Lord of the Earthquakes, credited with halting the 1650 tremor) is carried from the Cathedral under a shower of crimson ñucchu blossoms.

In June, the movable feast of Corpus Christi brings fifteen ornate silver and gilt saints' litters from parish churches across the valley to the Cathedral, followed on 24 June by Inti Raymi (the Inca Festival of the Sun), staged in Quechua at Qorikancha, Plaza de Armas, and the esplanade of Sacsayhuamán.