Cusco 3-Day Itinerary: Historic Core, Sacsayhuamán and the Sacred Valley

Pacing a three-day stay in Cusco around altitude makes all the difference to how much you enjoy the city. Rather than climbing straight to 3,700-metre ruins on your first morning, this itinerary keeps Day 1 entirely on the flat valley floor (3,399 metres), dedicates Day 2 to the northern Inca sanctuary of Sacsayhuamán and the hillside streets of San Blas, and spends Day 3 exploring the lower agricultural terraces and salt pans of the Sacred Valley.

Day 1: Plaza de Armas, Qorikancha and the Twelve-Angled Stone

• Morning on Plaza de Armas and Cusco Cathedral: Start slowly after breakfast with a cup of coca tea on Plaza de Armas. Tour the Cathedral Basilica and the adjoining Church of El Triunfo to see Cusco School paintings and the silver carriage used during Corpus Christi, then step into the Jesuit Church of La Compañía de Jesús on the southeast side of the square.
• Midday at Museo Inka and Hatun Rumiyoc: Walk one block up Cuesta del Almirante to Museo Inka for a chronological introduction to pre-Inca and Inca artefacts. Return via Hatun Rumiyoc to inspect the interlocking diorite masonry of the Twelve-Angled Stone.
• Afternoon at Qorikancha and Avenida El Sol: Walk gently downhill along Calle Loreto (lined on both sides by Inca walls) and Avenida El Sol to Qorikancha and the Convent of Santo Domingo. Pick up your Boleto Turístico at the nearby COSITUC office on Avenida El Sol before an early dinner near Plazoleta Regocijo.

Day 2: Sacsayhuamán, Northern Ruins, San Blas and San Pedro Market

• Morning at Tambomachay, Puka Pukara, Q’enqo and Sacsayhuamán: Take a taxi 8 kilometres up the Pisac road to Tambomachay (3,700 metres), the highest of the four northern archaeological sites, and walk downhill via Puka Pukara and the carved limestone labyrinth of Q’enqo to finish at the megalithic zigzag walls of Sacsayhuamán.
• Midday at Cristo Blanco and San Blas: Pause at the Cristo Blanco viewpoint and San Cristóbal church terrace before descending the stone stairs into San Blas for lunch and a visit to its family ceramic studios.
• Afternoon at San Pedro Market and MAP: Walk west through Plaza San Francisco and the Santa Clara Arch to San Pedro Market, then end the evening at the Pre-Columbian Art Museum (MAP) on Plazoleta de las Nazarenas.

Day 3: Chinchero, Maras, Moray and Ollantaytambo

• Morning in Chinchero and Moray: Depart early for the high plateau of Chinchero to see its Inca terrace walls and traditional weaving cooperatives, then continue to the concentric circular agricultural bowls of Moray.
• Midday at Salineras de Maras: Descend to the terraced pre-Hispanic evaporation ponds of Salineras de Maras before stopping for lunch in Urubamba.
• Afternoon at Ollantaytambo Fortress: Explore the Temple Hill terraces and intact Inca grid streets of Ollantaytambo, where you can either return to Cusco or board an evening train to Machu Picchu.