Things to Do in Cusco: 15 Ideas

Cusco has enough for several days even before Machu Picchu: Inca temples and walls in the center, colonial churches, museums, markets, viewpoints, the ruins above the city and day trips into the Andes. Here are 15 things to do in Cusco, with what each costs in tickets and how much time it takes. Spend the first day gently, because the city is at 3,399 m.

Things to do in Cusco at a glance#

The integral Boleto Turístico (S/ 130 for foreign adults, 10 days) covers all three circuits; prices and rules are in our Cusco travel guide.

1. Walk around the Plaza de Armas#

The main square of Cusco was the center of the Inca city. Around it stand the cathedral and the Jesuit church of La Compañía, with arcades and balconies all around. It is busiest in the evening, when the churches are lit.

2. Visit the cathedral#

Built between 1559 and 1654, the cathedral holds a large collection of paintings of the Cusco school, including a Last Supper with a cuy on the table. It is not on the Boleto Turístico: it has its own entrance or the religious ticket (Boleto Religioso), which also covers the San Cristóbal church and the Museum of Religious Art. More in our guide to the churches of Cusco.

3. See Qorikancha, the Temple of the Sun#

The most important temple of the Inca Empire, now under the convent of Santo Domingo, where Inca walls of perfectly fitted stone stand next to colonial cloisters. Entry is paid at the door; the Boleto Turístico only includes the small site museum under its gardens.

4. Explore San Blas#

The artisans’ quarter, a steep walk of 10 to 20 minutes from the plaza, has narrow streets, small workshops of woodcarving and ceramics, galleries, cafés and views over the roofs of Cusco.

5. Climb to San Cristóbal and the Cristo Blanco#

For the best views of the city, walk up to the San Cristóbal viewpoint, or further to the Cristo Blanco, an 8-metre statue given to Cusco in 1945. The walk is short but steep; take a taxi if you have just arrived.

6. Sacsayhuamán and the ruins above the city#

Sacsayhuamán, at about 3,700 m, is the great Inca complex above Cusco, with zigzag walls of stones of up to about 125 tons. Along the road, Q’enqo is a carved rock shrine, Puka Pukara a small Inca post and Tambomachay a site of water channels and fountains. All four are on Circuit I of the Boleto Turístico and fit in half a day by taxi, on a tour or walking downhill from Tambomachay. See our guide to archaeological sites in Cusco.

7. Walk to the Temple of the Moon and the Devil’s Balcony#

Behind Sacsayhuamán and Q’enqo there are smaller sites that few visitors see: the Temple of the Moon (Amaru Marka Wasi), the Temple of the Monkeys (Kusilluchayoq) and the Devil’s Balcony (Balcón del Diablo), a rock formation with a stream running through it and Inca carvings. They are outside the Boleto Turístico. Go with a guide or in daylight with someone who knows the paths.

8. Visit the museums#

Circuit II of the Boleto Turístico includes the Regional History Museum, the Contemporary Art and Popular Art museums, the Qorikancha site museum, the Pachacútec monument with its view over the city and the Centro Qosqo de Arte Nativo, which has evening shows of Andean music and dance. Other museums, such as the Inca Museum and the Museum of Pre-Columbian Art, have their own tickets. See our guide to the best museums in Cusco.

9. Eat at San Pedro Market#

The main market of central Cusco is open every day from early morning. Come for fresh juices, bread, cheese, soups and cheap set lunches, and to see the local produce. Our guide to Cusco markets also covers San Blas and the craft markets.

10. Try the local food#

See our Cusco food guide for restaurants and bars.

11. Coffee and chocolate#

Peru grows coffee and cacao in the valleys below Cusco, such as La Convención, and the city has many specialty cafés, especially around San Blas, and shops where you can see chocolate being made and join a workshop.

12. Look at the Inca sky at the planetarium#

The Planetarium Cusco, on the road to Sacsayhuamán, runs evening shows about how the Incas read the stars and the dark constellations of the Milky Way, with telescope viewing on clear nights. Its shared show, with transport, starts from S/ 90 per adult.

13. Spend a day in the Sacred Valley#

About an hour from Cusco, the valley has the market and terraces of Pisac, the Inca town of Ollantaytambo, the weavers of Chinchero, the terraces of Moray and the salt pans of Maras. Read our Sacred Valley guide.

14. Go to the South Valley#

South-east of Cusco, Tipón has Inca terraces with water channels still flowing, and Pikillaqta is a large walled city of the Wari, built centuries before the Incas. Both are on Circuit II of the Boleto Turístico.

15. Take a day trip into the Andes#

• Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca): a full day and a hike to 5,036 m. See our Rainbow Mountain tour.
• Machu Picchu in a day: by train, or on foot on the 1-Day Inca Trail.
• Humantay Lake: a turquoise lake at about 4,200 m, about 3 hours by road from Cusco.
• Huchuy Qosqo: a long hike to an Inca site above the Sacred Valley. See the best treks in Cusco.

When to go#

From May to September the days are sunny and the nights cold; from November to March it rains more, often in the afternoon. On 24 June the city celebrates Inti Raymi, with ceremonies at Qorikancha, the Plaza de Armas and Sacsayhuamán, and in late May or June the processions of Corpus Christi; see our guide to Cusco festivals. If it rains, our list of things to do in Cusco in the rainy season has more ideas.