Travelling to Cusco?
Cusco was the capital of the Inca empire and it sits at 3,400 metres, two facts that condition absolutely everything you do here. The Spanish didn’t raze it: they built on top, so half the city is Inca walls of stone fitted without mortar with a colonial church resting above. Later earthquakes brought down the upper part and left the lower one untouched.
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What to see in Cusco
8 ROUTESOur routes, not a list of everything. Places that have been there for centuries: no opening times or prices, which go stale.
- 01
Cusco in a day
8 hA sun temple with a church on top, a twelve-angled stone, and a fortress of blocks weighing over a hundred tonnes.Qorikancha · The Plaza de Armas and the cathedral · Hatun Rumiyoc street and the twelve-angled stone · SacsayhuamánRead the full guide - 02
A weekend in Cusco
20 hOne day for the city and your body, and one to drop into the valley, which is prettier and also lower.Písac · Ollantaytambo · Moray and the Maras salt pansRead the full guide - 03
What to see in Cusco
7 hInca stone below, Andean baroque above, and a school of painting that smuggled the indigenous world into religious canvases.The church of La Compañía · San Blas and its workshops · San Pedro marketRead the full guide - 04
Where to eat in Cusco
4 hThree thousand potatoes, a rodent that is a feast dish, and a leaf chewed here without any mystery.The potato, seriously · Cuy, alpaca and feast food · Coca, chicha and what to drinkRead the full guide - 05
Where to stay in Cusco
2 hHere the question isn’t only which quarter, but how many steps you’ll climb at 3,400 metres.Historic centre and Plaza de Armas · San Blas · The Sacred Valley as a baseRead the full guide - 06
Day trips from Cusco
14 hThe most famous citadel in the Americas, a coloured mountain at 5,200 metres, and a canyon with condors.Machu Picchu · Vinicunca, the rainbow mountain · Humantay lakeRead the full guide - 07
From Cusco airport to the city
1 hThe airport is inside the city, so the transfer isn’t the hard part: what you do in your first hour is.The taxi, and why you book it inside · Your first hour at 3,300 metres · The new airport that isn’t there yetRead the full guide - 08
Cusco: practical tips
1 hAltitude rules everything else, and there’s a leaf that’s legal here and isn’t at home.Soroche, specifically · Seasons, rain and the Inca Trail · Money, water and connectivityRead the full guide
Airport to city centre
2 OPTIONSThe real options, with what actually decides it: which terminal it leaves from and where it drops you. Fares and timetables live with the operator, who keeps them current.
- TaxiCentro histórico y Plaza de ArmasThe airport is only 3.7 km from the centre, so the ride is short. Book at the authorised counters inside the terminal, which is the sensible option over those touting outside the door.10-20 minFares and timesTaxi autorizado del aeropuerto
- BusAvenida El Sol y centroThere is city transport on the avenue outside the airport gate, far cheaper but awkward with luggage and with no stop inside the grounds. With a suitcase and freshly arrived at 3,300 metres, almost nobody picks it.·Fares and timesTransporte urbano de Cusco