City guide
Things to do in Cusco in 2026, the old Inca capital and gateway to Machu Picchu
Updated
What to see in Cusco starts with the old Inca capital, now a colonial city perched high in the Andes at around 3,400 m. Add the Sacred Valley, lower and milder, and Machu Picchu, the Inca citadel you reach by train. This is the heart of the Andean world and one of Peru's Catholic hearts, and per the country's government it's expected on the papal itinerary.
This guide sorts the trip so the altitude doesn't run it. You'll see what to do first, how the city, the Valley, and Machu Picchu connect, and how many days to set aside. About three days covers the highlights, starting slow to let your body adjust.
Cusco is a heart of Andean Catholicism, where the Inca and Christian worlds fused into one, and per Peru's government it's expected on the papal itinerary.
The 9 best things to do in Cusco
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1. Machu Picchu
A 15th-century Inca citadel on a high ridge at 2,430 m, today one of the most famous sites in the world.
Built around 1450 as a royal estate of the emperor Pachacuti, it was brought to world attention by Hiram Bingham in 1911. It's been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983 and a New 7 Wonders of the World since 2007.
What to expect: You take the train to Aguas Calientes (Machupicchu Pueblo), ride a shuttle up to the gate, and walk the stone terraces and chambers strung along the ridge.
Why it matters: It's the best-preserved Inca royal estate and Peru's most visited site, entered on a timed ticket with daily caps.
Tip: The Inca Trail trek closes each February for maintenance, but Machu Picchu itself stays open year-round because you reach it by train.
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2. Qorikancha
The most important temple of the Inca Empire, dedicated to the sun god Inti, with a colonial convent built over it.
Once sheathed in gold, it was topped after the conquest by the convent of Santo Domingo, with intact Inca chambers surviving beneath. The mortarless Inca masonry outlasted the earthquakes that damaged the colonial building above.
What to expect: You enter through the colonial convent and, inside, walk the surviving Inca chambers of tightly fitted stone.
Why it matters: It was the most sacred sanctuary of the Inca Empire, and seeing the church set over it sums up Cusco's whole story.
Tip: In one building you step from a baroque cloister straight into intact Inca rooms, the clearest picture of the two worlds layered together.
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3. Sacsayhuamán
An Inca ceremonial complex on the heights above the city (around 3,700 m), famous for its zigzag megalithic walls.
Built under Pachacuti from colossal mortarless stones, the largest well over 100 tonnes, they're fitted so tightly that a sheet of paper won't pass between them.
What to expect: You walk the open terraces and the huge zigzag walls, with a wide view of Cusco below.
Why it matters: Its stones, well over 100 tonnes each, are the most striking display of Inca stone engineering.
Tip: It sits about 300 m above the center, so climb slowly for the altitude; each 24 June its esplanade hosts Inti Raymi, the Inca festival of the sun.
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4. Plaza de Armas de Cusco
The city's ceremonial heart, the great Inca square once called Haukaypata.
Its Inca name, Haukaypata, is often translated as "place of weeping." Today it's framed by Cusco Cathedral and the Compania de Jesus church, both raised over Inca palaces.
Tip: It's your orientation point and altitude baseline (around 3,400 m); most other sights are a short, steep walk away.
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5. Catedral del Cusco
The cathedral on the Plaza de Armas, built between 1560 and 1654 over an Inca palace.
It holds a major collection of colonial Cusco School painting, including Marcos Zapata's famous Last Supper (around 1753), where the table bears an Andean guinea pig (cuy) and chicha. The Senor de los Temblores, Cusco's patron, is venerated here.
Tip: The Last-Supper-with-cuy and the Senor de los Temblores are the two most "Cusco" things in Andean Catholic art, and both live in this one church on the Plaza.
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6. Valle Sagrado de los Incas
The Urubamba river valley northwest of Cusco, lower and milder than the city, the Inca Empire's great maize region.
Its highlights are Pisac (a hilltop Inca site above a famous artisan market), Ollantaytambo (a living Inca town beneath a fortress, and the main train gate to Machu Picchu), and the Maras salt pans with the concentric Inca terraces of Moray.
Tip: Since the valley sits lower than Cusco, many travelers do it first to help acclimatize, and Ollantaytambo lines you up for the train.
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7. Barrio de San Blas
Cusco's traditional artisan quarter, on steep cobbled lanes above the Plaza.
It's full of craft workshops, and its small church, San Blas (built in 1563), is considered Cusco's oldest parish, famous for an intricately carved cedar pulpit.
Tip: It's a genuine working artisan barrio, and the climb up is steep and high, so pace it.
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8. Mercado Central de San Pedro
Cusco's main and oldest food market, a historic iron-framed hall built in 1925.
Under its iron roof you'll find stalls of produce, cheeses, breads, fresh-fruit juices, textiles, and Andean herbs.
Tip: It's a working market a few blocks downhill from the Plaza, by the San Pedro church and the train station, and it's best in the morning.
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9. Casa Concha
A colonial mansion that holds the world's largest collection of Machu Picchu artifacts.
Its core is the 366 pieces Yale University returned to Peru in 2011, objects Hiram Bingham had taken after the 1912 excavations. It's run by Cusco's San Antonio Abad university.
Tip: This is where the things Bingham removed from Machu Picchu now live, a natural companion to visiting the citadel.
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Pope Leo XIV and Cusco
Cusco has no personal history with Pope Leo XIV; his see was Chiclayo. What it has instead is depth: it's one of the great hearts of Andean Catholicism, where Christian faith and the Inca world blended until you can't pull them apart. You see it inside Cusco Cathedral (built between 1560 and 1654), raised over an Inca palace and hung with Cusco School (Escuela Cusquena) paintings. Among them is Marcos Zapata's Last Supper (around 1753), where the dish on the table isn't lamb but an Andean guinea pig (cuy), with jugs of chicha alongside.
That blend is prayed, not just painted. The Senor de los Temblores, the «Taytacha Temblores», is the city's sworn patron, a devotion born of the 1650 earthquake, and its great procession goes out in Holy Week, around Easter Monday. In June, the feast of Corpus Christi carries fifteen saints' images into the Cathedral, a tradition that took the place of an older Inca procession. And at Qorikancha, the convent of Santo Domingo was built straight onto the Inca temple of the sun, the two worlds stacked one on the other in plain sight.
One practical note for planning: those two big celebrations, the Senor de los Temblores procession in Holy Week and Corpus Christi in June, don't fall in November or December, so on those dates you'll find the churches and the paintings but not the processions. As for the visit itself, Cusco is expected on the papal itinerary, per Peru's government; for now the Vatican has confirmed only the meeting and has published no schedule.
What to do in one, two, or three days
One day
With a single day, stay in or near the city to acclimatize and not push the altitude. Start at the Plaza de Armas, step into Cusco Cathedral on the square, and drop down to Qorikancha for the Inca rooms beneath the convent. Climb to the San Blas quarter, swing by the San Pedro market, and save the climb up to Sacsayhuaman, above the city, for last.
Two days
Two days lets you add the Sacred Valley. Give the first to the city (Plaza, Cathedral, Qorikancha, San Blas, Sacsayhuaman) and the second to the valley: Pisac and Ollantaytambo, plus Maras and Moray if time allows. Because the valley sits lower, it helps you acclimatize and positions you for the train.
Three days
Three days gets you to Machu Picchu. Take the train from Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley to Aguas Calientes, then the shuttle up to the citadel (book the timed entry and the train ahead). By day three you're acclimatized, and Machu Picchu sits lower at 2,430 m, so you take it in with your body already adjusted.
What to eat in Cusco
Cusco's cooking is high-altitude and festive, built on Andean ingredients, meats roasted for celebrations, and trout from mountain rivers. Guinea pig and corn run the table here, and some dishes only make full sense once you know the feast they belong to. These five carry the flavor of the Andes.
- Cuy al horno. Roasted guinea pig, the emblematic festive meat of the Andes.
- Chiri uchu. Cusco's iconic cold platter, eaten at Corpus Christi, layering guinea pig, chicken, jerky, sausage, seaweed, fish roe, a corn cake, and cheese.
- Alpaca. A lean Andean meat, served as steaks or in stews.
- Lechón al horno. Cusco-style roast suckling pig, served with corn and fresh cheese.
- Trucha. Trout from the high Andean rivers and lakes.
Getting there and around
Cusco's gateway is Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport (code CUZ), mostly domestic, about a 1-hour-20-minute flight from Lima. A new international airport at Chinchero is under construction and not yet open. Trains to Machu Picchu (PeruRail and Inca Rail) leave mainly from Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley.
The historic center is walkable but steep and high, so pace yourself and take your first day easy to acclimatize. Taxis usually have no meters, so agree the fare before you get in. Colectivos and buses serve the Sacred Valley, and Machu Picchu is reached only by train.
Best time to visit
Cusco has a dry season roughly May to September (clear skies, peak season, best for trekking) and a wet season roughly November to March (greener, fewer crowds, afternoon rain). The Inca Trail closes each February for maintenance, though Machu Picchu stays open. So a November or December visit catches the start of the wet season.
Where to stay in Cusco
The easiest base is the Centro Historico, near the Plaza de Armas or in San Blas, walkable and full of atmosphere, with most sights a short stroll away. If the altitude worries you, some travelers sleep their first nights lower in the Sacred Valley and move up to Cusco already adjusted.
Frequently asked questions
How many days do you need in Cusco?
About three days covers the essentials, the city, the Sacred Valley, and Machu Picchu. With less time, focus on the city and Sacsayhuaman first, while you acclimatize.
Is Cusco's altitude a problem?
Cusco sits at around 3,400 m, and soroche (altitude sickness) is common. Rest on arrival, drink water, and don't overdo your first day; many people start lower, in the Valley or at Machu Picchu, and work up. Coca tea is the local remedy. If you have any health condition, check with your doctor first.
How do you get to Machu Picchu, and do you need tickets in advance?
You reach it by train to Aguas Calientes, mainly from Ollantaytambo, then a shuttle up to the gate. Yes, you need tickets ahead: entry is a timed ticket with daily caps, so book both the ticket and the train in advance.
When's the best time to go, weather-wise?
The dry season runs roughly May to September and the wet season roughly November to March. The Inca Trail closes each February for maintenance, but Machu Picchu stays open year-round, so any time works.
Is the center walkable?
Yes, but it's steep and high, so take it slowly. Taxis usually have no meters, so agree the fare before getting in. For the Sacred Valley, colectivos are the practical option.