Things to do & places to visit in Cusco Region, Peru

Cusco Region #1 destination in Peru 2023. The average rating score is 4.57 based on 142.7k traveler reviews, of 171 attractions. Timezone: America/Lima, current date and time: Friday, May 03, 2024, 11:27.

Top things to do (21)

Top places to visit (30 attractions) view more »

5.0 Santuario Historico de Machu Picchu (19.8k reviews) from $35.00
- As Good As Expected
Spent More than 3 hours Historic Sites • Ancient Ruins

We did this as part of a day trip out of Cusco on the train. It makes for a long day, but so worth it for the views and the history. We'd booked our entrance ticket and train in advance. Once we got off the train, we bought our tickets for the bus and got in line the bus line (it takes you up a series of switchbacks to the ruins and much better than walking). While in line, we found and booked an English speaking guide to go with us on the bus and take us through the ruins. Having that guide made all the difference. I can see that it would be quite confusing on your own so highly recommend finding a guide. She charged $60 (USD) for 4 of us and was extremely knowledgeable. See more..
5.0 Archaeological Park Ollantaytambo (5.554 reviews)
- Spectacular ruins
Friday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Spent 2-3 hours Historic Sites • Ancient Ruins

Well worth visiting the spectacular ruins here as a day trip from Cusco. I caught a colectivo early morning from C. Pavitas in Cusco city centre (10 Soles, 1.5 hr journey). Guides offer their services as you go into the archaeological park but are not pushy. I declined as I had previously obtained maps and articles about the site, and always prefer to explore at my own pace. After nosing around the site for an hour or two, I walked over to the other side of town and climbed up to the Inca granaries on the other side of the valley. Across the Inca Bridge on the other side of the river there is a pleasant hiking trail which gives nice photo ops back across to the town and the ruins. Early /mid afternoon, colectivo drivers hawk for trade in the main squares of the town centre for rides back to Cusco, so the return journey is no problem. A great way to spend a day. See more..
5.0 Huayna Picchu (4.260 reviews) from $49.00
- Worth every step!
Friday: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM Spent < 1 hour Mountains

The Wayna Picchu mountain, Wayna Pikchu in Quechua, (with an altitude of 2667 meters above sea level) is part of the eastern foothills of the Salcantay massif, in Cusco, Peru. It is part of a large orographic formation known as Batolito de Vilcabamba, in the Central Cordillera of the Peruvian Andes and is known mainly as the backdrop of most photographs See more..
5.0 Humantay Lake (940 reviews)
- RENT THE HORSES
Friday: 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM Spent More than 3 hours Bodies of Water

Located over 2.5 miles above sea level in the Andes mountains, Humantay Lake is one of Peru’s most unique natural wonders. With turquoise water you’d expect from the Caribbean and beautiful rugged terrain, it’s a favorite amongst photographers and outdoors enthusiasts. Don’t forget to keep an eye out while hiking to the top as you might see condors flying above. You can hop on a day-long private tour from Cusco or the Sacred Valley to reach the lake, or opt to complete the Salkantay Trek, which will take you from Humantay all the way to Machu Picchu. – Tripadvisor See more..
5.0 Winay Wayna (351 reviews)
- Low key better than Machu Picchu
Friday: 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM Spent 2-3 hours Ancient Ruins

Like most Inca sites it´s absolutely massive. Incredible view of the Urubamba Valley, and very well preserved. It has the little stone house remains you also see at Machu Picchu. THE KEY: Very few people, and no tourists in their designer clothes taking pictures everywhere, which is why I call it low-key better. it's only accessible by foot. It's close to the end of the Inca trail. Lie down in the grass on a sunny day and be at peace. See more..
5.0 Choquequirao (294 reviews)
- ¡¡¡¡Trekking fully recommended!!!!
Spent More than 3 hours Historic Sites • Ancient Ruins

Considered to be the "sister" to Machu Picchu, this ancient ruin complex consists of palaces and temples on two levels, canals, aqueducts and systems of fountains. See more..
4.5 Sacsayhuaman (14.9k reviews) from $117.95
- Great Inca stadium.
Friday: 7:00 AM - 5:30 PM Spent More than 3 hours Historic Sites • Ancient Ruins

A great place to appreciate Inca stone-fitting work. You can access the multiple tiers of the great stone wall. Great for selfies. The temperature drops quickly after sundown, and it can rain unexpectedly. Bring a wind breaker, and buy a Peruvian snoopy hat (chuyo). See more..
4.5 Centro Historico De Cusco (14.2k reviews)
- Wonderful historic Cusco
Open now - 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Spent More than 3 hours Ancient Ruins • Architectural Buildings

As part of the Wendy Wu Sourth American tour we spent time in Cusco with our Guide Corrina Duran exploring the delights of the city and enjoying some wonderful food. We stayed in the wonderful Inca Palace hotel and visited the cathedral and saw the last supper painting with the Guinea pig and also saw the Black masons There were celebrations in the square that we watched whilst enjoying an excellent lunch. There were also some excellent shopping opportunities to enjoy See more..
4.5 Plaza de Armas (9.951 reviews)
- Plaza with Many Restaurants and Shops
Friday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Historic Sites

This is a beautiful plaza with amazing views and where most of the restaurants for foreigners are located. We probably visited the plaza at least 8 times in our 4 days in Cusco, because a bunch of other attractions are very close to it, such as the twelve angle stone. Be aware that there will be many locals trying to sell you items or paintings and they will repeatedly keep coming up to you. There will also be local ladies with alpacas walking around that you can take a picture with for a few soles. See more..
4.5 Salinas de Maras (7.596 reviews)
- Tasty Salt!
Friday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Historic Sites • Geologic Formations

Visited as part of a larger all-day tour, this was an unexpected treat to see thousands of salt pans, hundreds of years old, still tended to by local salt-farming families. All of Cusco uses and sells the salt from here which is quite tasty (I bought some rosa ahumada or pink smoked salt). To think it all comes from a small saltwater spring emanating from the mountain! NOTE: Unfortunately, due to trash contamination from visitors, you can no longer go beyond the rope and explore deeper into the terraces as once before, effective Sep 2019. TIP: You can find the same salt less expensive at markets back in Cusco (e.g. San Pedro Mercado). See more..
4.5 Qorikancha (7.491 reviews)
- House of the sun god.
Friday: 8:30 AM - 5:30 PM Spent 2-3 hours Historic Sites • Ancient Ruins • Religious Sites

This ruin was once the most important temple of the Incas, which was later used as a base for the Church of Santo Domingo when the Spanish conquered the city. See more..
4.5 Cusco Cathedral (7.235 reviews) from $10.26
- Would like to recommend it
Friday: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM Churches & Cathedrals

Dominating the northeast side of the Plaza de Armas, this magnificent renaissance-style, 16th-century building is in the shape of a Latin cross and contains nearly 400 colonial paintings including the Last Supper by Marcos Zapata. See more..
4.5 San Blas (4.234 reviews)
- It was beautiful!
Friday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Neighborhoods • Points of Interest & Landmarks • Historic Walking Areas

This traditional old quarter of Cusco is the city's most picturesque district characterized by narrow and steep streets, colonial houses built with walls of Incan stone and numerous art workshops. See more..
4.5 Pisac (3.931 reviews)
- discovery of Pisac ruins
Friday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Spent More than 3 hours Points of Interest & Landmarks

this was our first real tour in the Holy Valley. The small town of Pisac in the valley between the mountains is very beautiful (at about 2950 meters). The Inca ruins at an altitude of 3,500 meters are breathtaking. We arrived from Cuzco by bus to the entrance (Parque Arqueológico Pisac). From there we continued on foot, and I must tell you in advance that such a hike at this altitude can be tiring due to the thinner air. We stopped at the base of (Pisac Q'allaqasa (citadel)) and continued from there. In practice, stairs lead up to the level of the building. From there, we went uphill took the right way at the fork. In the end, we only went as far as the second viewpoint, because we wouldn't have had time to go any further. You should proceed with deliberate, slow steps. And if necessary, stop and rest for a few moments. We are in no rush. you should also have fluids, coca leaf hiking shoes and comfortable hiking clothes. See more..
4.5 ChocoMuseo (3.135 reviews)
- Great Tour, Excellent Chocolate
Friday: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM Spent More than 3 hours Speciality Museums

Are you a chocolate lover? Come and live a truly chocolate experience at ChocoMuseo! In our chocolate museum you will uncover all the cocoa secrets while you taste the best artisanal chocote made with the best organic Peruvian beans! Further more, get ready to make your own chocolate in our Chocolate Workshops or be ready to drink the best of our coffee or chocolate delights in our cafeteria! Please notice we have another 3 locations: - On the same square, opposite corner: the factory, - on plaza de armas on the left of the cathedral, -by the 12 corner stone See more..
4.5 Inca Trail (2.915 reviews)
- Outstanding Inka Trail with Local Trekkers
Friday: 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM Spent More than 3 hours Hiking Trails

My friends and I booked a classic 4 days Inka Trail with Local Trekkers Peru and it was incredibly very well arranged, they were ver helpful throughout the booking and made the whole process a breeze. During the Trail our guide Hendri was outstanding, we had some great laughs together and he really looked out for us when we got sick. He handled all of the campsites, food orders and found us the best campsites along the way. Always with a big smile and a sense of humour. also he is very well informed about the Peruvian Andes, he always told us some stories about the Incas, once in Machupicchu, he took us to another level with his explanation about this amazing Inca city Thanks Amigo!!!. Local Trekkers Peru, They take great care of his clients, they provided us with enough porters to make this trip easier, and let me tell you that these guys will take all our admiration since without them none of this amazing experience would have been possible, they were the owners of the show. Also we had enough food for our group very well prepared, tasty and varied, Cristobal our cookman was Fantastic he was always in good mood, thanks to him we don’t worry at all about food, he is a genius. Finally I can't recommend this company and these guys highly enough. Seriously, look no further. See more..
4.5 Sacred Valley of the Incas (2.360 reviews)
- The Valley
Friday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Spent More than 3 hours Historic Sites • Ancient Ruins

If we are honest most people have no idea of what [The] Sacred Valley is. Knowing that our trip to Perù was imminent I did a little research on the Internet, words on a page cannot prepare you for one of the most beautiful and remarkable places in Perù, some would argue on earth. The natural valley(s) with the remnants of a civilisation that we still cannot comprehend through a modern lense. From an architectural viewpoint the remaining walls and structures equal that of Machu Picchu. The stone masons of the Inca age seem to me magicians - the reality being that they were master craftsmen. Take time to look at how the structures have been put together, the ultimate 3-D jigsaw puzzle. An amazing place and a once in a lifetime experience. See more..
4.5 Inca Trail (2.212 reviews)
- Machu Picchu Amazing, do it Through the Inca Trail
Spent More than 3 hours Hiking Trails

Machu Picchu was a great experience for me and my brothers, we made the Inca trail 4 days with Local Trekkers Peru, and it was the best decision since there are thousands of websites offering the same ones cheaper than others and some more expensive than others, but they gave us a good price since we were 6 in the group all family. Nobody else joined our group so we were able to complete this amazing walk without any problems and at our own pace. The ruins along the Inca Trail and especially Machu Picchu are Incredible, it is amazing to think how the Incas could build such buildings with a very advanced architecture for the time. Each explanation of our guide Roberto left us perplexed and very amazed. We had a great experience knowing MachuPicchu through the Inca trail, so I highly recommend this trek and I also recommend Local Trekkers Peru as your trek operator with them you will not have negative surprises but yes a great Experience. See more..
4.5 Mercado Central de San Pedro (2.028 reviews)
- Great hidden gem for chicken soup with noodles inside Mercado San Pedro
Friday: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM Flea & Street Markets

My son and I visited Mercado San Pedro and this place has SO many stands inside for fruit, bread, chocolate... pretty much everything you want from a fresh local market. We also got some sugarcane juice just outside for $2 soles ( about $0.53 U.S.) and chicken & rice for $5 soles. Both were very good and such as bargain. Inside the market, there's this stall shops serving chicken soup with noodles that a lot of locals dine at. It's only $8 soles for a generous bowl and they even offer free refills. We stopped at this place called Sopas Y Sabores. One bowl was already very hearty and the flavor was wonderful. It was comfort food and we were craving for. The staff was extra friendly and even invited us to take pictures with the cook. Definitely a hidden gem! See more..
4.5 Intipuncu (1.139 reviews)
- Great Location, Excellent Service!
Friday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Ancient Ruins • Points of Interest & Landmarks • Lookouts

Melinda and the hotel staff took great care of us during our stay. The hotel is just steps from reataurants, the train station and the bus to Machu Pichu. I was concerned about train noise, but it was never an issue. The noise proof windows worked great. The free breakfast was plentiful and delicious. They allowed us to keep one of our rooms after check out time so we had a place to rest until it was time for our train. We had a great experience at Inti Punku Hotel and will definitely stay again on our next visit to Machu Pichu! See more..
4.5 Tipon (1.109 reviews)
- Great Architecture and Water System
Historic Sites • Ancient Ruins

Great Architecture and Water System. According to history the two brothers of Incas were at loggerheads. The father wanted the sons to make peace. So one son went to meet the other and was ambushed (at the behest of the father). But he prevailed and killed his half-brother(?) and was forced to arrest and exile his father here. I could not find reference to this but this is what the guide told me. A beautiful palace with irrigation systems was built. There are two sources of water with exclusive hydraulic engineering. One source comes from the mountains and one from a natural spring. The spring is providing water at 50 liters per second. Stepped terraces are available but the guide told me it was most likely that only garden flowers were grown. I did see a place for food storage. I did it trek further up due to lack of time . See more..
4.5 Moray (998 reviews)
- Very nice terraces!
Spent 2-3 hours Ancient Ruins

This was one of our stops on our day trip around the Sacred Valley. We decided on booking a private taxi for the day (350 soles) to only visit the sites we wanted to, and to have our own pace. Moray was definitely a highlight for the day! Probably the nicest terraces we saw all week long and lots of hummingbirds as a bonus. See more..
4.5 Temple of the Sun (975 reviews)
- Wow
Historic Sites • Ancient Ruins

Built in the form of a circular tower on a massive slab of granite, this sacred edifice contains the famous Intiwatana, or sun dial, which the Incas used to "tie down" the sun at the winter solstice each year. See more..
4.5 Museo de Arte Precolombino (835 reviews)
- Very informative
Friday: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM Spent 1-2 hours Speciality Museums • Art Museums • History Museums

The Museum of Pre-Columbian Art - MAP Cusco is an experience that allows you to discover the mystical art of ancient Peru. It houses and exhibits admirable objects for its history and aesthetics, created by women and men of the Andes, more than three thousand years ago until the sixteenth century, in the territory where Peru is located nowadays. The 400 pieces exhibited in the MAP Cusco, located in the historic Casona Cabrera, a few blocks from the Plaza de Armas, are part of the collection of the Larco Museum, considered one of the best 20 museums in the world. The MAP Cusco, managed by the BBVA Foundation, offers the possibility of exploring its ten rooms with audio guides in three languages: Spanish, English and French. The narratives will bring the visitor closer to the worldview that defined the beliefs of the ancient Peruvians. The visitor can also enjoy MAP Café tasting the incomparable flavor of Peruvian cuisine in a magical and peaceful setting. See more..
4.5 Vinicunca Mountain (800 reviews)
- Go there early!
Spent More than 3 hours Mountains

The mountain of 7 colors (VINICUNCA) is one of the majestic attractions present on the road to Ausangate, is said to be a place that shows a new opportunity for all who visit, this belief has started in the saying " if you want to see the rainbow you have to face the storm "which teaches us that there is always a reward for our efforts and a new opportunity See more..
4.5 Santuario Animal de Cochahuasi (794 reviews) from $10.00
- Highly recommended
Friday: 7:30 AM - 5:30 PM Spent < 1 hour Nature & Wildlife Areas

We are a private family of organizations that has dedicated itself to the Rescue of Animals that have been abused of, or come from the illict Trafic of Wildlife. The Cochahuasi Animal Sanctuary was founded in the year 2007 . Since them, we have provided refuge to a wide number of especies; a lot of them are in the Brink of extinction in order to acheive the reproduction of these amazin birds and then release the offsprings. OUR MISSION. Education its considered the most important factor when its comes to the conservation of local species and biodiversity. Through educational activities, we ill install values that stimulate appreciation for biodiversity. See more..
4.5 Planetarium Cusco (780 reviews) from $26.54
- Cute and informative place
Speciality Museums

We are an Cultural interpretation center about how the Andean people understand the skies. The explanation in two rooms give us a great perspective, in dome we learn about southern sky and finally, if weather allows, we enjoy some stargazing! See more..
4.5 Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus (769 reviews)
- A fine example of Spanish baroque architecture in Cusco!
Friday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Spent < 1 hour Churches & Cathedrals

The Andean Baroque Route begins in the Main Square of Cusco, in one of the most significant temples of this architectural style. Construction began in 1576 on the Inca temple Amaru Cancha, and was completely refurbished in 1650 after a strong earthquake hit the city. Of Latin cross, its façade is richly decorated stone, it has two large towers and two adjoining chapels. Its interior retains one of the most impressive altars carved in wood and covered in gold leaf, as well as a rich collection of sculptures and painting from the Cusqueña School of Art. The architecture of the temple served as a model for many other temples that were built in the Southern Andes. See more..
4.5 Temple of the Three Windows (664 reviews)
- Aligned with the Sun?
Historic Sites • Ancient Ruins

Located west of the main square, this sacred temple is known for its huge walls and three trapezoidal-shaped windows through which the sun's rays would pass illuminating the "Sacred Plaza" beyond. See more..
4.5 Salkantay Trail (599 reviews)
- Trip of a lifetime!
Spent More than 3 hours Hiking Trails

We just accomplished the 5D/4N Salkantay and Machu Picchu with Terra Quechua Peru ,Our guide, Carlos very professional, informative,He was always with us, pointing our flora/fauna and telling us stories. Our chef. I thought every meal was like eating in a five star restaurant. Lunches and dinners started out with the most delicious soups and what followed was more delectable feasts of some of the best food I’ve ever eaten. Santigo even surprised us with a cake on our last night and I didn’t even know you could make a cake without an oven. To say our group of five hikers was impressed is an understatement. he view was so beautiful and the Inca history and culture were so fascinating. Definitely a once in a lifetime experience. Hope to come back to the venture again!! See more..