Top Things to do in Cusco Peru
Cusco is one of my favourite cities in Peru and the place I visited on my first trip. There is so much to see and do whether you are staying for a few days or longer. I hope you enjoy reading my top things to do in Cusco Peru and that you enjoy Cusco as much as I do.
Cusco is located in the Andes of southern Peru and originates from 1100AD and became the capital of the Incan empire in the 13th century. In 1983 it became a UNESCO world heritage site.
The altitude of Cusco is 3,300 metres, which means that some visitors experience altitude sickness in Cusco. To combat this it is best to drink Coca tea or chew on Coca leaves.
It has been debated for a long time whether the name is Cusco or Cuzco, in the Spanish speaking world Cusco seems to be correct but the English speaking world uses Cuzco. In 1976 the word Cuzco was prohibited, though this has now been relaxed. It is best though when you are in Cusco, to use the “Cusco” spelling.
If you are planning on staying a few days and seeing the sights, then you can buy the Cusco Tourist Ticket which covers many sites. There are different options from 1, 2 or 10 days which covers sites in Cusco to sites in the Sacred Valley.
There are many options of places to stay in Cusco for everyone’s budget, from a dorm room in a hostel, to beautiful hotels and the city even has eight 5 star hotels for you to make your time even more enjoyable.
Best Things to do in Cusco
Plaza de Armas
The Plaza de Armas dates back to the time of the Inca’s but in this time the Plaza de Armas was much bigger than it is now.
It is now surrounded by Spanish colonial buildings and arched walkways with Inca walls as foundations to many of the buildings.
It is a beautiful square and the place where many people hang out during the day and night. It is great to have dinner or a drink in one of the many bar/restaurants that have balconies overlooking the square.
The San Blas area about a 5-10 minute walk from the Plaza de Armas is another great area to explore with lots of cafes to relax in and plan what you want to do in the area.
Many of the festivals are celebrated in the main square and I was lucky enough to celebrate a crazy New Years Eve there.
Cusco Cathedral
The Cathedral of Cusco is located in the Plaza de armas in Cusco and was built in 1654. It took almost 100 years to build. It became a UNESCO world heritage site in 1983.
Originally on the site was an Inca temple but the Spanish decided to remove it and build a Cathedral in it’s place to try and stop the Inca’s from continuing to worship their gods.
The stones to build it were taken from Saqsayhuman.
The Cathedral is impressive inside and worth a visit and is one of the things to do in Cusco Peru.
Temple of the Sun (Koricancha)
The Temple of the Sun is one of my favourite things to see in Cusco.
It was originally called Intiwasi and was dedicated to the Inti the ancient Inca sun God.
The walls were covered in sheets of gold until 700 were removed to pay the ransom for the Inca leader Atahualpa to the Spanish.
The temple has now been mostly destroyed and the foundations used to build a cathedral on top of it.
There is also a museum near which shows textiles, idols and mummies found in the temple.
Monumento de Pachacutec
The Monumento de Pachacuteq was built in 1991 and is a museum with a statue on the top in bronze.
The museum is dedicated to Inca Pachacuteq Yupanki, he was the emperor that built Cusco. He helped expand the Inca empire and is one of the most important people in Peruvian history.
At the top of the tower is a viewing platform where you get 360 degree views of Cusco.
Sacsayhuaman
Saqsayhuman is located just outside Cusco, maybe a 30 minute walk from the Plaza de Armas on a hill above Cusco and one of the best things to do Cusco.
It was originally built in the 1100’s and then extended by the Inca’s in the 1300’s.
Saqsayhuman was a fort that overlooked the city of Cusco, it had huge stones walls and 2 high round towers and many rooms. The main plaza area was designed for ceremonies and could hold thousands of people.
After the Spanish had conquered Cusco they took much of the stone to build the city we now see, leaving only the blocks that were too big to remove.
It is an impressive site and a must see when you visit Cusco.
Qenko
The Qenko ruins are located around 6km from Cusco high on the mountside overlooking Cusco. It is close to Saqsayhuman only about a 10 minute walk.
It is the largest temple in the area and it is believed that sacrifices took place here. It is built around a large rock with underground passages and a large space inside used to carve out an altar where the sacrifices are believed to have been performed!!
It is thought that a large part of Qenko was destroyed by the Spanish who were trying to convert the locals by getting rid of all the Inca shrines
Pucapucara
Puka Pukara meaning red fortress is located 7km outside of Cusco opposite Tambomachay. It is thought the granite walls were once red, hence the name red fortress.
It was part of the Inca defences for Cusco and in the ruins you can see the walls, staircase and terraces. It is believed that it was a guard post and a place that visitors could be checked and stopped before they made it to Cusco.
Tambomachay
Tambomachay is located around 7km outside Cusco.
It is unknown exactly what the site was used for, but it is speculated because of the aqueducts, canals and waterfalls that run throughout the site that it was a spa resort for the Inca elite or a military outpost.
The two aqueducts supply clean water to the site all year round making people believe it was more than just a military outpost and a bathing place for the Inca’s.
Ollantaytambo
Ollantaytambo is located in the Sacred Valley Cusco and is 70km from Cusco and one of my favourite attractions in Cusco region. It is the place where people start the Inca Trail from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu.
The main ruins were an old Inca fortress with terraces down the side of the mountain.
It was built around 1440 on the site of an old city and was part of the royal estate of Pachacuti. The town and ceremonial centre were built around this time too.
The site consists of the fortress, temple of the sun, terraces, quarries. The storehouses (Pinkuylluna) are located across the valley from the main ruins and can be visited too.
It is easy to get the bus from Cusco to Ollantaytambo.
Tipon
Tipon is an Inca ruin located in the Sacred Valley at 3,400 metres above the village of Tipon around 20 kilometres from Cusco.
It is not known what the purpose of Tipon was, but it is thought it may have been an agricultural laboratory due to the layers of terraces and micro climates there.
An irrigation channel comes from high up in the mountains, from a natural spring down into Tipon and runs along little channels throughout the site onto the various terraces.
Pisac
Pisac is an Inca ruin located at 3,347 metres, above the village of Pisac in the Sacred Valley. It is around 28km from Cusco.
What to do in Pisac Peru? There are many things to do, it is famous for the Pisac ruins and the Pisac markets that are held there each week.
It is believed it was built around 1440 , the ruins are huge and consist of everything you would expect in a thriving town, agricultural terraces, residential areas, cemetery, ceremonial baths, a temple of the sun and water channels.
It is very easy to get the bus, from Pisac to Cusco there is a collectivo that runs as soon as the bus is full from near the river.
Moray
Moray is believed to be an old Inca laboratory. It is one of my favourite things to do near Cusco. Located around 50km from Cusco near the village of Maras it consists of circular terraces that go up to 30 metres deep. Each terrace has it’s own micro climate and the temperature can vary from top to bottom by 15 degrees, an irrigation channel also runs from top to bottom.
It is believed it was a research station where scientists could test what type of climate each crop thrived, with the lowest point imitating sea level and even soil from different parts of Peru have been found here.
Salinas de Maras
The Maras salt mines are located in the Sacred Valley from the city of Cusco. There are thousands of salt pools which date back to the Inca times and are still used to this day.
The small pools are each filled with salt water which evaporates to leave behind the salt. The water comes from a natural spring which is mixed with salt deposits from prehistoric salt lakes and over millions of years these lakes are now below the mountains.
It is believed that they were originally constructed by the Wari before the Inca came along later and expanded the salt pans over a larger area of the mountainside.
Chinchero
Chinchero is located 30km from Cusco. It is famous for weaving and has a great market.
It is believed that the ruins of Chinchero Peru Cusco was a country resort for Inca Tupac Yupanqui.
There are many terraces and aqueducts that were built for farming and these are still used today.
A church was built by the Spanish in 1607 over the top of the Inca palace, though you can still see the stone walls that go down the hill from the church.
Pikillaqta
Pikillaqta is located 20km from Cusco and is from the Wari culture dating from 550AD.
It was a village for the Wari, occupied from 550AD to 1100AD and was mainly used for ceremonies.
Besides the village they have found canals, reservoirs, aqueducts, terraces and found that maize was an important crop grown here.
Raqchi
Raqchi is located 110 km from Cusco and is 3,480 metres above sea level. It is located on the road from Cusco to Puno with many visitors breaking up the journey there.
It was used a control point on the road from Cusco. It was enclosed within a 4km wall with a lodging house located outside.
It is speculated that some of the buildings were used as military barracks or maybe just administration and religious buildings.
Outside of the wall near the terraces were around 220 round buildings thought to have been storehouses which you can also explore.
The most impressive part of the ruins to see is the big adobe wall that was part of the Temple of Wiracocha.
Rainbow Mountain
Rainbow Mountain is located a 3 hour drive from Cusco along a narrow mountain road.
It was only “discovered” in 2015 and since then has become a major tourist attraction in Peru.
The mountain has the different colours from the sedimentary mineral layers that were exposed by erosion.
The hike starts at an altitude of 4,300m and takes around 2 hours to get to the summit at 5,200 metres.
It is a difficult hike, mainly because of the altitude but it is possible to hire a horse to take you most of the way if you need it.
Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu is the most famous of all the Inca ruins and the attraction of most tourists to Peru. It is located 80km from Cusco.
It is the place where you get the train to Machu Picchu and where the train returns you.
It stands at 2,430 metres above sea level along the Urubamba river. It was built around 1450 and abandoned in 1572 after the Spanish invaded Peru.
It is believed that it was a royal estate for the elite Inca’s with a palace and temples for worshipping. It is believed that around 750 people lived there, though most of these people were staff.
It was never found by the Spanish conquistadors and remained hidden to the outside world until 1911 when Hiram Bingham was led to it by a local child from the area.
Many people come to Peru to hike the Inca Trail and the Machu Picchu hike. it is best to buy tickets in advance as these can sell up quite far in the future depending on the month.
Choquequirao
Choquequirao is an Inca ruin located 3,000 metres above sea level.
Unlike Machu Picchu it is visited by very few tourists each year due to it’s remoteness.
It was built in 1536 and abandoned in 1572. Only about 30-40% of it has been excavated and you can visit some of the agricultural terraces and the main plaza.
It is believed to be one of the entrances to the Vilcabamba region and an administration centre, due to the types of mansions and houses on the site.
If you are planning on seeing more of Peru then read my guides on Best places to visit in Peru, Best Hikes in Huaraz & Kuelap Ruins.
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