This list of the best places to visit in Cusco It will help you to prepare a route through one of the most historic and most beautiful cities in Latin America, which we are sure, will not disappoint you.
Located on a slope of the Andes mountain range, Cuzco was the capital of the Inca Empire and one of the most important cities in the Spanish colonial era. Declared a World Heritage Site, it still retains remains of Inca temples and constructions in the foundations of numerous colonial buildings in which this mixture of two cultures can be observed while walking through its cobbled streets and squares, visiting the most important temples and churches in addition to when Try their delicious cuisine accompanied with a pisco sour.
In addition the city is perfect as a base to visit some of the great jewels of Peru such as the Sacred Valley, the Mountain of the 7 colors and the Machu Picchu.
Based on the experience of the days we spent in the city during our trip to Peru for free, we have made this list of what we believe are the 10 essential places to see in Cusco. We start!
1. Plaza de Armas
The Plaza de Armas is the heart of the historic center and one of the most important places to visit in Cusco. Formerly this square was a swamp that the Incas dried to make it the administration center of the entire Empire but with the arrival of the Spaniards numerous buildings and churches were built around the square, above the Inca temples and palaces.
At present, the square is full of tourist restaurants and big chains such as McDonald's or Starbucks, travel agencies and souvenir shops, which for us have taken away the charm of times gone by, although it is still a must in the city.
Two of the most interesting places you can visit in the square are the Cathedral of Cusco and the Church of the Society of Jesus. The Cathedral with a mixture of Baroque, Gothic and Plateresque styles has several wonders inside, such as the chapels, the main altar and the sacristy.
Next to the Cathedral, there is the Church of the Society of Jesus, one of the most beautiful baroque churches in Peru where in addition to observing its impressive facade, it is worth entering to see the main altar, the 4 cedar altars and the golden pulpit.
An interesting option to know the history of the city and not miss anything is to book this private tour with a guide in Spanish or this free tour of Cusco Free !.
Visiting hours of the Cathedral: every day from 10am to 6pm
Church visiting hours: every day from 8 am to 11 am and from 1 pm to 5 pm
Main Square
2. San Blas Neighborhood
San Blas, located in the historic center, is the most beautiful and charming neighborhood what to see in Cusco. Strolling through the narrow and steep cobblestone streets, seeing the old colonial houses or looking for some original souvenir in one of the craft shops and workshops, are some of the best things to do in Cusco.
Among its most interesting places is the Church of San Blas, the oldest in the city built on an Inca temple that is worth entering inside to see its fantastic carved wooden pulpit.
Also in this neighborhood, being in the upper part of the city, you will have good views of the city.
It is advisable to finish a route through Cuzco in one day returning to this bohemian neighborhood at night to have a pisco sour in one of its picturesque places full of tourists and locals.
San Blas neighborhood
3. Qorikancha and the Convent of Santo Domingo
Qorikancha was a temple built by the Incas dedicated to the Sun god that over time expanded and embellished until it became the most important place of worship of the Inca Empire. One of the most outstanding elements that are conserved of the temple are the great blocks of solid rock that were united without any type of mortar, until forming great walls. These walls that were covered with gold sheets delimited several temples within Qorikancha such as the Sun, the Moon and the Stars.
With the arrival of the Spaniards, the Convent of Santo Domingo was built on top of Qorikancha, destroying the upper part of the Inca temple.
Visiting hours: Monday to Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sunday from 2pm to 5pm
Qorikancha
Our recommended hotel in CuscoOur recommended accommodation in Cusco is the Casa Andina Cuzco Plaza, located in the historic center, a few meters from the Plaza de Armas. In addition to its fantastic location, it stands out for the excellent attention of the staff, a good buffet breakfast, free coffee and coca tea at the reception and one of the best quality / price ratios in the city.
4. Sacsayhuamán, one of the places to visit in Cusco
Located about 40 minutes walk north of the historic center, there are the ruins of the Sacsayhuamán fortress, another of the essential places to visit in Cusco. This complex began to be built in the fifteenth century by order of Pachacutec, one of the most important Incas that the Empire had. And although only part of the old Sacsayhuaman is currently preserved, the incredible walls of large blocks of stone can still be seen forming 3 overlapping platforms.
Keep in mind that in the complex you can walk through the different platforms using the stairs and doors made of stone such as the fantastic Puerta del Sol and in several stones of the walls, which reach 400 meters in length, see several images made by the Incas .
If you have time, we recommend making a route that can take you one morning, first visiting the Inca ruins of Tambomachay, Pukapukara, Qenqo and ending with Sacsayhuamán. To do this route you can take a combi in the Plaza de Armas until you reach the last site and walk down visiting the rest of the temples.
If you want to know better the history of the city and the Incas, the most interesting option to visit this area is to book this guided tour with a guide in Spanish that includes the 4 Inca ruins.
Visiting hours: every day from 07h to 18h
Sacsayhuaman
5. Loreto Street and the Stone of the 12 angles
Loreto Street, located in the historic center, is the most interesting in the city as the contrast of the Inca and colonial buildings can be seen more clearly. The Inca walls located in the lower part of the Spanish buildings are an authentic work of art where the large blocks of stone fit perfectly like a puzzle.
The most famous point of the Inca walls and located between the places to see in Cusco essentials, is located a few meters from Loreto Street, on Hatun Rumiyoc Street, where the Stone of 12 angles is located, famous for its great finish and bordered by its twelve angles.
Loreto Street, one of the places to visit in Cusco
Book the best rated tours and excursions in Spanish from Cuzco by travelers:
- Guided tour of Cusco and its 4 ruins
- Excursion to the Sacred Valley of the Incas
- Excursion to Machu Picchu
- Rainbow Mountain Trekking
- 2-day route along the Inca Trail- Many more excursions and tours here
6. San Pedro Market
Another of the places to see in Cusco It is the Mercado de San Pedro, the oldest and best known in the city. This market also called Mercado Central, was built by the famous Gustav Eiffel, author of the Eiffel Tower and inside you can see stalls of all kinds of typical products of Peru such as passion fruit, pineapple, corn, cassava, Andean potatoes and other more common in all markets.
It is also a good place to buy handicrafts and try typical local dishes at one of the food stalls.
A good way to tour this market and try some of the Peruvian delicacies with the recommendations of an expert is to book this gastronomic tour with a guide in Spanish.
Visiting hours: Monday to Saturday from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. On Sundays it closes at noon.
San Pedro Market, one of the places to see in Cusco
7. Tambomachay, Pukapukara, Qenqo and the White Christ
In addition to Sacsayhuamán, there are three other Inca archaeological sites that deserve to be among the essential places to visit in Cusco. The first is Tambomachay, dedicated to the cult of water and located 8 kilometers from Cusco in which a beautiful natural environment stands out where there was an Inca hydraulic system formed by fountains, canals and aqueducts.
A 5 minute walk from Tambomachay is Pukapukara, known as the Red Fort. In these ruins you can see the different rooms and walls of the old fortress, which could be used as a hunting shelter, guard post or a stop for the royal entourage.
Following the road towards Sacsayhuamán you will arrive, in an hour's walk, to Qenqo, a religious complex in which you can see the remains of several Inca constructions such as an amphitheater, two columns with astronomical functions, a canal and an underground room.
Qenqo is located one kilometer from Sacsayhuamán and also very close to Cristo Blanco, an 8-meter statue from which you can take the way down to the city, with fantastic views of the city of Cusco.
To save money we advise you to book the specific tourist ticket for the Cusco area that includes all these ruins and the city's tourist attractions.
Keep in mind that although it is advisable to do this walking tour through the landscapes, you can take a combi that will bring you closer to this site.
Cusco from the White Christ
8. The Sacred Valley
The magical Sacred Valley of the Incas, located 15 kilometers from Cusco, is one of the most impressive places to visit in Peru. In this valley of the Andes that pass several rivers, you will find archaeological sites of the ancient Incas, indigenous and colonial peoples and landscapes that will leave you speechless.
This valley was much appreciated by the Incas for its good conditions for agriculture in which, taking advantage of geography, they created a system of terraces to grow their precious corn.
Among the essential places to see in the Sacred Valley are:
- Pisac: The impressive Inca ruins located on a hill, the cultivation terraces and the craft market, are sufficient reasons to visit Pisac.
- Ollantaytambo: This is one of the masterpieces of Inca architecture that highlights a huge multi-storey complex built on two mountains that had defensive, religious and administrative functions.
- Moray: In this place you can see perfect circular terraces that would have been used by the Incas to do experiments with different crops.
- Salineras de Maras: Thousands of small pools full of water form this old salt mine that will leave you in the retina a picture of a postcard.
- Chinchero: This indigenous people is one of the most beautiful in the Sacred Valley. Do not miss the square settled on what was an Inca palace and the stalls to buy handicrafts that ride in the surroundings.
All these places can be visited with day trips from Cusco being the two most common excursion to Pisac and Ollantaytambo and the one that runs through the Salinas de Maras and Moray. In both you will have a guide in Spanish and pick up at your hotel.
Another option is to use the combi for longer journeys and to get to the entrance of the sites take a taxi.
To save money, we recommend booking the specific tourist ticket for the Sacred Valley area.
Moray
9. Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu, the lost city of the Incas, located just over 100 kilometers from Cusco, is considered one of the seven wonders of the world in addition to one of the most important places to visit in Cusco.
This ancient Inca city, which was hidden between the mountains and the vegetation until it was discovered in 1911 by the explorer Hiram Bingham stands out for its 15th-century ruins such as the Intihuatana stone, the Temple of the Sun, the Main Temple, the Temple of the Condor and the Room of the Three Windows.
To learn more about the history of this ancient city and not miss any interesting place, it is advisable to make a part of the visit with a guide.
To visit the city of Machu Picchu and climb the Huaynapicchu, you have to book the entrance several months in advance, having a limited number of daily visitors.
To get to Machu Picchu by public transport you can take a train in Cuzco or Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes from where buses leave every hour that will take you to the entrance of the archaeological site.
Another option is to book this day trip that includes transportation, hotel pick-up, admission and a guide in Spanish during your visit to Machu Picchu.
That said, we have to emphasize that the most magical way to get to Machu Picchu is to walk the 40 kilometers of the Inca Trail, which has made it one of the best things to do in Peru.
This 4-day excursion through paths with steps of ancient stones, valleys and mountains with landscapes of dreams, will take you to this wonder of the world. You can shorten a part of the journey by booking this tour for only two days.
Visiting hours: every day from 6 am to 5:30 pm.
Machu Picchu, one of the places to visit in Cusco
10. The Rainbow Mountain
Another of the best excursions and places to visit in Cusco It is the Rainbow Mountain also called the Mountain of the Seven Colors. Located more than 5000 meters high in the Andes mountain range, it presents one of the most incredible geological phenomena on earth, which has made it one of the best known places in the area in a few years.
This explosion of colors is a product of the combination of different minerals that give the feeling that a rainbow from the sky fell on the mountain, when viewed from afar. Keep in mind that the best time to see the shades clearly is in July and August, the dry season.
The best and most comfortable way to reach the Rainbow Mountain is to book this excursion from Cusco with a guide in Spanish or this 4-day tour that includes Machu Picchu, both will take you to one of the places to visit in Cusco more impressive.
Keep in mind that the journey to the point where the trekking starts is about three hours and although the views of the mountain and the road are impressive, the trekking of about 3 hours to the Rainbow viewpoint is quite demanding. It is advisable to bring warm clothes and coca leaves to overcome altitude sickness.
Although this place is far from the usual tourist routes that focus on knowing the Sacred Valley, it is becoming very fashionable and more and more people visit it, so if you are going to make the excursion, it is worth reserving it in time .
Mountain of the Seven Colors
Recommended travel cardsRemember that in order not to pay commissions and always have the current change we recommend you use the N26 card to pay and the Bnext and Revolut cards to get money at the ATMs. They are the ones we use, They are free and will save you a lot.
You can find more information in this article about the best cards to travel without commissions.
If you feel like helping us complete the list of the 10 places to visit in Cusco, add yours in the comments.
