Cusco, Peru
Top places to visit in Cusco
6 places worth your time in Cusco, with what each is actually like and when to go.
Last updated 2026-08-08
1. Machu Picchu
Photo: Thomas Quine · CC BY 2.0 · source
The fifteenth-century Inca estate on a ridge above the Urubamba, reached by train to Aguas Calientes or on the Inca Trail.
- Map: Open in Maps
- Best time: Dry season, May to September
- Tip: Entry is by timed circuit with a capped daily number, and permits sell out months ahead. Trail permits go even earlier.
2. Sacsayhuamán
Photo: Martin St-Amant ( S23678 ) · CC BY 3.0 · source
Cyclopean Inca walls above the city, with stones of over a hundred tonnes fitted without mortar.
3. Qorikancha
Photo: Håkan Svensson ( Xauxa ) · CC BY 2.5 · source
The Inca sun temple, once sheathed in gold, with a Dominican convent built directly on its walls.
4. San Blas
Photo: Renso Villarreal · Pexels License · source
The artisan quarter of steep lanes and workshops above the main square.
5. Sacred Valley
Photo: McKay Savage from London, UK · CC BY 2.0 · source
Pisac, Ollantaytambo and Moray at a lower altitude than Cusco — a better first stop for acclimatisation.
- Map: Open in Maps
- Tip: Sleeping in the valley on arrival is easier on the body than sleeping in Cusco.
6. Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca)
Photo: Glendora de Valo · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Striated mineral slopes at over 5,000 metres, a long day trip and a genuine altitude challenge.
- Map: Open in Maps
- Tip: Do not attempt this in your first days. Altitude sickness at this height is serious.
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