From Cusco airport to the city
1 h route3 stopsBest: Fly in the morning: afternoon valley wind complicates landingsUpdated July 2026
Three and a half kilometres separate the terminal from the historic centre, making this probably the shortest transfer on this whole site: ten or fifteen minutes and you’re at the Plaza de Armas. The airport is literally inside the city.
Which is why what matters here isn’t how to get in but what altitude you’ve just landed at: the runway is at 3,310 metres, and you go from plane to street with no transition at all. Your first hour in Cusco decides how your first two days will go.
The route, stop by stop
3 STOPS- 01
The taxi, and why you book it inside
The normal transfer, and it’s short. The sensible move is to book at the authorised counters inside the terminal, where the fare is set, rather than with whoever approaches you outside. The difference is usually not about safety but about price and clarity. Many hotels include pick-up if you tell them, and at this altitude that has value: arriving, getting into a car and not hauling a suitcase uphill is exactly what you want on day one.
- 02
Your first hour at 3,300 metres
You land at 3,310 metres with no intermediate stop, and your body notices between half an hour and a few hours later: headache, some dizziness, breathlessness on stairs. It’s called soroche and it happens to most people, fit or not. Fitness doesn’t protect you.
What works on day one is dull and effective: go slowly, carry nothing heavy, drink plenty of water, eat light, avoid alcohol and don’t take a very hot shower straight after arriving. Coca tea helps.
If you’re doing anything demanding, leave it for day three.
- 03
The new airport that isn’t there yet
Chinchero international airport has been talked about for years, intended to replace this one and allow direct international flights without going through Lima. Construction began in 2021 and the project has carried delays and controversy over its impact on the archaeological area.
As of today it is **not open**, so all flights still arrive at Velasco Astete, inside the city.
Worth knowing because there are articles and guides that treat it as already inaugurated, and because when it does open it will change the transfer entirely: Chinchero is some thirty kilometres from Cusco.
Frequently asked
How high is Cusco airport?
Around 3,310 metres, with the city centre at about 3,400. You land directly at altitude with no intermediate stop, so soroche can appear shortly after arriving. The airport is only 3.7 km from the historic centre.