– What to do in Cusco –

The charm of Cusco

It is a weird mix: the seemingly best preserved old Inca architectural buildings house the most modern venues. You’ll be surprised to see old cobble stoned buildings at the Plaza de Armas give host to MC Donald’s and KFC. For its 350,000 inhabitants Cusco (or Cuzco in English spelling) looks and feels surprisingly small. All sights in the centre can be visited by foot and there is virtually no high-rise. Many long-term travelers stick around this charismatic town for multiple weeks due to its relax vibe, amenities and the surplus of like-minded travelers.

Nonetheless there is no need for fear of missing out if your staying shorter as all points of interest can be visited in a day or two. So apart from trekking, visiting Machu Picchu and exploring its surroundings here is what you should do when in Cusco.

Doing an independent walking tour in the old centre

With it being the old capital of the Inca’s there is no getting around checking out the old architecture and soaking up some culture. A great starting point it to just walk around and lonely planet’s free walking tour provides a perfect route to do so. If you do not carry one, or think the route is too long I would suggest the following. I am assuming you have downloaded an offline map or carry a real one.

Start at the Plaza de Armas, which is the heart of the city and a great place to find a restaurant or bar in the evening. This used to be the Haukaypata, the old Inca main square. Head southwest to the plaza San Francisco and from there further on to the San Pedro market.

Get juiced up at the San Pedro market

The San Pedro market is the perfect place to start any day with a ‘jugo de fruta‘, or ‘zumo de fruta’. Fresh fruit-juice mixed with either water, orange juice or milk. A bit Spanish is helpful here as the two languages spoken are Spanish and Quechua (the old Inca language), I am assuming here you don’t speak the latter;).

Pro-tip: After you empty your glass tell the lady at the fruit stall: ‘Yappa’ which is Quechua for ‘more’ and a sign of appreciation. She will gladly give you a free second serving.

Try stall nr. 63, which belongs to a sweet old lady that will give you three full servings and will not stop chattering your ears off in a mix of Spanish and Quechua.

The San Pedro Market is also a good place to get a ‘Menu del Dia‘ a three-course lunch menu (not always of the best quality and taste) that goes for as little as 5 soles. An easy money saver is to have your main meal during the afternoon instead of in the evening. You will generally get the same amount of food for half the price. 

From the market head  up to the Palacio de Justicia. Enter the little street called calle Loreto, a small walk-way with old Inca-walls on both sides. This brings you back to the Plaza de Armas.

Hike up to Sacsayhuaman

If you are up for some more walking, head up to Sacsayhuaman which is about 30-40 minutes steeply up hill from the plaza. This used to be a massive structure and is still an impressive sight. When the Spanish Conquistadors invaded the Inca lands they did not believe that the Inca were capable of building such complex structures. This is what started the legends about the Inca’s being in contact with aliens. Still a popular topic on The History Channel.

If you made it this far it is only a 10 minute walk to the Cristo Blanco, the 8-meter high white statue of Jesus Christ. A post WWII gift from the Arabic Palestinians. The Cristo Blanco can be seen overlooking Cusco from almost every place in town. It gives you the best viewpoint to overlook the city. Walk back down to Mirador de San Christobal which also offers a decent view, but if you went up to Cristo Blanco this will not impress you much.

Seeing the museums

If you are really into museums you can buy a ‘boleta religioso’ which gives you access to the four main churches. This includes one in San Christobal. In all honesty, they are not impressive at all. If you are also visiting Lima you are better off visiting the religious buildings and museums over there.

A fun and free thing to do is a visit to the Chocolate Museum (‘Museo de Choco’, Calle Garcilaso 210) which includes a free tour with a lot of tasting. It also organises cacao-farm tours and organic chocolate-making workshops. The latter will cost you 70soles.

Try the best coffee in town in the Museo del Café , this more up-class venue gives you a free insight into the way coffee is farmed and produced in Peru. A cup costs a bit more than you would like but if you are into coffee it is worth it nonetheless.

Further I recommend to just enjoy Cusco. Make use of the cheapest massages I encountered in South-America, eat the good food and take it easy. Cusco is perfect to acclimatize to the altitude, for example in preparation of a multiple-day trek. It offers all travel/trekking-gear you can think of. Both in sale and rental, so even if you did not plan on trekking, it is not too late to change your mind!

Around Cusco

Definitely worth the visit is the Sacred Valley which offers horse-riding, world-class rafting on the upper Urabamba river and is also the place you should go if you want to try out Ayahuasca or San Pedro. Don’t attempt rafting at the lower Urabamba. These parts are very polluted and mostly visited by the cheaper tour-companies.

Ollantaytambo offers fantastic Inca-ruins but the many lorries that try to squeeze through its tiny streets make it an unpleasant place to be. Do not stick around. Lastly, obviously one cannot visit Cusco without also visiting Machu Picchu. Check out this article on how best to visit these sacred Inca ruins.

– What to eat and where to sleep –

Eating

If you want to sample Cuy (guinea pig), Cusco is not the place as you will be overcharged by a lot. It is best to try this local delicacy in a random nearby village to end up with a cheaper, fresher and better tasting dish. Take a collectivo out of town for 2 or 3 soles. If you dare to watch you can pick one out yourself which they will prepare right in front of you.

If you are craving western food there is just no beating the lush portions of Jack’s Cafe. A lesser known restaurant which is perfect for dinner is Tabasco Café, located next to the San Blas plaza (Carmen Bajo 169). They serve delicious food at very sharp prices. We paid 38 soles for 2 persons including 2 beers each! The interior is a bit dated but that just adds to the charm.

Sleeping

We found out that Booking.com will consistently give you the best rates on hotels. To make finding the perfect spot a little easier we made a selection for Cusco. Click the link below to find the best places to stay in Cusco.

Looking for the perfect hostels in other places in Peru? We wrote a complete guide that lists our top 9 hostels in Peru plus a full comparison of all the hostel chains. So you’re sure to book the best fit for you. Click the link below to find the best hostels in Peru.