A one-week itinerary to discover Cusco and the Sacred Valley of the Incas

Right, so you’re off to Cusco, but you’ve seen there’s way too much to do and you don’t know where to start? Perfect timing! Below I’ve put together a finely tuned itinerary to discover the best of the region in one week.

It’s a mix of city exploring, the most beautiful Inca remains, exceptional landscapes and… Machu Picchu, of course! Because even though it’s touristy, the number of entries is capped, so you’re not treading on each other.

Enough chit-chat, let me show you all of it — and if you have any questions at the end of the article, don’t hesitate to ask!

DAY 0 – ARRIVAL AND SETTLING IN

And there you are! You’ve just landed in Cusco! You’ll see, it’s great. But right away, you might feel that little lack of oxygen that makes you feel like you’ve had a few too many. Welcome gift! And I hope you were on the window side to enjoy the views.

To get from the airport to the city centre, you have several options:

• Uber, around 20 soles
• a taxi — you need to negotiate in advance, and absolutely take the official ones, around 25 soles (5-7 dollars)
• you can book your driver in advance, it’s about 8€ for 3 people

I talk about it a lot more in the next article on where to stay in Cusco, but here are my picks:

• quality on a budget: the Casa Cristobal Siete Cuartones
• in the lovely San Blas neighbourhood: the ATOQ San Blas
• great value for money: the Casa Andina Premium
• if you want to treat yourself: the Palacio del Inka

Once you’re settled in, I’d advise not overdoing it and making the most of the time you have left to acclimatise. You can:

• have a pisco at the Museo del Pisco or the Republica del Pisco
• go and eat alpaca or cuy (guinea pig!)
• and enjoy the little streets and the plaza de armas

In the centre, Cusco isn’t a dangerous city, even at night. You feel good there. That said, always keep an eye on your bag and your things. There are some seriously skilled pickpockets. But as long as you’re careful, everything goes fine.

4 great places to stay in Cusco

Trouvez votre logement de rêvein Cusco!

DAY 1 – DISCOVERING THE CITY OF CUSCO AND SACSAYHUAMAN

Let’s get straight to it!

For this first day, I suggest you stay in Cusco and explore the city, for several reasons. First, to acclimatise to the altitude (because it can take 2-3 days). You’ll mostly just be out of breath on the stairs, nothing too bad.

But above all it’s to enjoy this incredibly beautiful city! The colonial architecture is magnificent, the churches are worth visiting, and you’ll get a huge kick out of wandering the little cobbled streets.

So, in the morning, I’d recommend taking a guided tour of the city. It gives you a first overview of the city, with the historic part, and you can then take more time to linger in the spots you find most interesting (careful, there are plenty). And for that there are a few options:

• a free tour of the city’s main sights. It’s a classic, handy for discovering the most important parts of Cusco! On a free tour, you pay what you want.
  • info and booking
• a 2-hour guided tour of the city’s main sights with local guides, 8€ per person
  • info and booking

Once that guided tour is over, visit the cathedral on the plaza de armas. There are official guides inside. Last time we hired one, it was interesting. I wouldn’t say it’s a must, but it’s useful.

In the afternoon, I’d recommend you head up to Sacsayhuaman, an incredibly impressive site above Cusco. It’s a fortress and religious centre whose stones are cut to perfection. Truly! The history is interesting too, so here I’d recommend hiring one of the guides on site.

I consider Sacsayhuaman a must in Cusco, while the other sites like Q’enco, Puka Pukara or Tambomachay less so. Let’s say if you have the time you can visit them all, but you can also just stick to Sacsayhuaman and take your time there.

To visit Sacsayhuaman, you have several options:

• take a taxi up there and buy your ticket and guide on site. You can also walk up from San Blas. Honestly, it’s quite the climb! And we’re at altitude.
• take a tour that includes all the ruins around Cusco as well as the sacred site of Qoricancha. It lasts 5 h, not bad if you like history!
  • info and booking
• ask a taxi to take you around the whole way. The advantage: you’re on your own, not in a group (we did it). But it’s not the cheapest option, because the full tour is really inexpensive and includes the guides.

You can walk back from Sacsayhuaman, it’s much easier downhill 😀 And you must stop at the Mirador de San Cristobal, the view over the city is superb.

You also pass through San Blas. Try to visit its little gilded church, very pretty. But late in the day you might walk in during mass. It’s still worth a look, you just have to be discreet!

And also in San Blas, there are some lovely little restaurants and bars, ideal for the evening 🙂

DAY 2 – VISITING THE SACRED VALLEY OF THE INCAS

The Sacred Valley of the Incas is incredible. The name fits it pretty well — it’s a magnificent valley, full of sacred sites built by the Incas. The “small” problem is that there’s a whole heap of sites to discover! So you have to make some choices.

Here, on this day I’d recommend heading west (since we’ll go east on another day). Among the accessible sites worth visiting, you’ll find:

• the Salinas de Maras — it’s gorgeous, photogenic, interesting, and on top of that you have to buy some salt (even if you can find it in town easily)
• the agricultural terraces of Moray — it’s surprising and interesting! You’d think you were in The X Files
• the fortress of Pisac, very beautiful, but a touch far away
• Chinchero: a village of weavers with its alpaca clothing market and some lovely ruins
• Ollantaytambo: an ultra-impressive fortress!

So here, I’m not sure you can do it all in one day. Everything except Pisac, yes, because Pisac is far away and takes time.

But to start with, here are the options with the various agencies (and you’ll see the prices are ridiculously low!):

• Moray, Maras and Chinchero, the great classic, for 13€
  • info and booking
• THE FULL MONTY: Chinchero, Maras, Moray, Ollantaytambo, Pisac. It’s packed, but you see everything! For only 24€
  • info and booking
• Chinchero, Pisac and Ollantaytambo — this one focuses on the fortresses, so you have a bit more time. If you do Maras+Moray another day, then this tour is for you! For 24€
  • info and booking

The full version is packed but interesting. If you want more flexibility, you can ask a taxi (or a taxi recommended by your hotel to avoid the traps) and there I’d advise going to Maras, Moray, Ollantaytambo. Chinchero is nice for seeing the workshops and doing a bit of shopping (for Norway I stocked up quite a bit on warm clothes here). Pisac takes quite a lot of time, so I’d have done it another day.
But the full version is a good way to discover it all on the cheap 🙂

DAY 3 – DISCOVERING THE RAINBOW MOUNTAIN OF VINICUNCA

I hope you managed to acclimatise! Because now you’re off to the Rainbow Mountain of Vinicunca (or Palcoyo, which we’ll see as an alternative), which sits at 5,000 m altitude. Yep, really.

It’s also called the rainbow mountain, the mountain of 7 colours. In short, a bunch of nicknames that are well deserved — you’ll soon see why.

The departure is early, around 3 or 4 a.m., to arrive at the mountain early. On the way you’ll pass through the pretty, typical little village of Checacupe (go take a look at the church if it’s open) before driving up to the car park.

Luckily for you, for a few years now there’s been a new, easier path, buuut… to get from the car park to the mountain, you have to walk for about an hour. The elevation gain is gentle for 3/4 of the way, so it’s done relatively easily. However, the last 300/400 metres will feel like an eternity 😀 it climbs like crazy.

But it’s worth it! Because the view from up there is fantastic! No, the colours aren’t as flashy as in the Instagram photos — it looks like the photos below, which I tried to make as realistic as possible.

The good news: if you don’t feel up to making the trip on foot, you can do it on horseback. Except for the steepest climbing part 😀

To get there, you have several options:

• the most common, the simplest and the cheapest is to go through an agency. It costs between 20 and 30€ depending on the service offered and the promotions. For example you have the most renowned, Inka Altitude, or also Day Trips Peru, which has a good reputation. Careful in the centre — when it looks too good to be true, there’s a catch.
• take a taxi — it has a huge advantage: you leave when you want. We left later to avoid the groups and had the mountain all to ourselves (ok, fine, we were there during covid, that also helped with being alone 😀 ). Leaving 2 hours later lets you have some peace, but careful, because the weather is milder in the morning. The taxi for the day cost us 250/300 soles if I remember right. Much more expensive than an agency.

Alternative to the Rainbow Mountain of Vinicunca

So I was telling you about an alternative: Palcoyo. It’s another lovely rainbow mountain, on the other side of the massif where Vinicunca is. The two are different, each with their pros and cons.

• Palcoyo is less touristy, a touch lower in altitude (but 100 m more or less, honestly you suffer just the same). In terms of landscapes, it’s redder, blood red, it’s impressive! But maybe a touch less so than Vinicunca.
• Vinicunca is more touristy, easier to reach with the tours, cheaper, and I’d say more impressive — especially if you also do the red valley right next to it

Both are worth it, and take the same amount of time to visit.

• If you want to visit Palcoyo, check out the agency Inka Altitude — it’s a good thirty euros (not bad!)

DAY 4 – EXPLORING THE CITY AND MORE

After the thrills of the day before, it’s back to Cusco and a quieter day but… no lazing about!

I suggest you start the day in one of the most colourful places in Cusco: the San Pedro market. Did you know there were so many species of potato or corn in Peru? And all in different colours? (yes, black corn, purple potato for example). I loooove this place, I love the markets in Peru. It’s “real life”, the everyday life of the locals — you can eat there for next to nothing, find souvenirs. But above all learn more about the local produce. You can spend quite a bit of time there, but not too much because there are still things to do!

You can (like me) spend a monstrous amount of time in this market, but you can also get a guided tour about Peruvian food and a cooking class!

Next, let’s carry on with the little Peruvian pleasures with… chocolate! Peru is one of the best cocoa-producing countries in the world, and in the Cusco region you’ll find lots of small producers. And honestly, it’s true that it’s top-notch!

So I suggest a chocolate-making class! For 2 hours, you’ll learn all the steps from the cocoa bean and the “what do I do with this” to having a real piece of chocolate made by your own hands. In particular there are the ChocoMuseo classes, a great classic with a very good reputation. I’d say it’s much better than simply visiting the museum (which isn’t amazing).

And finally, keep enjoying the city because the next few days are going to be a bit more sporty. Normally you have time to visit a museum:

• either the Qoricancha site, an Inca temple on which the conquistadors built one of their palaces
• the Museo de Arte Precolombino Larco, essential for understanding Peru and the Inca and pre-Inca civilisations
• the regional museum of Cusco, also interesting, more so than the Museo Inca, which lacks explanations

DAY 5 – THE RUTA DEL BARROCO ANDINO

For this 5th day in Cusco (it goes fast!), I suggest something different, where the tours don’t go. The Ruta del Barroco Andino. 3 incredible little churches, very richly decorated, south of Cusco, including the famous Andahuaylillas, which is nicknamed the Sistine Chapel of the Americas. So, on the programme of this tour:

• Capilla Virgen Purificada de Canincunca — you plunge several centuries into the past
• San Juan Bautista de Huaro, with its many rather breathtaking paintings of the devil
• and finally the masterpiece, the chapel of San Pedro Apóstol de Andahuaylillas
• on the way back to Cusco, which is also part of the Ruta del Barroco Andino, you must visit the Templo La Compañía De Jesús church in Cusco, which is really worth it!

Now, careful — few people do the tour. The website is a bit neglected, but you can try to contact them here.

I found ONE tour that does this circuit of the 4 churches from Cusco. Not cheap, but it’s worth it!

Otherwise, the tours generally do the church of Andahuaylillas plus the site of Tipon (nice) and the site of Pikillacta (surprising!)

• info and booking for this tour

Finally, one last option is to go through a taxi driver who knows the area. That’s what we were lucky enough to do. But sorry, I no longer have his contact details. He took us to the churches, managed to get the sites opened, and it was simply incredible. At a pinch you can ask your hotel if they know a driver/guide with these skills. It’ll cost a small hundred euros if I remember correctly.

Alternative

If you don’t want to do the round of the little chapels, then I suggest something more sporty: the laguna Humantay. You leave Cusco fairly early for about 3 hours’ drive into the mountains. Then comes a 2-hour hike through crazy landscapes, with the Salkantay mountains towering over you.

The hike isn’t necessarily easy — well, it climbs and it’s at altitude, so you need to be a bit fit.

• And once again I’ll suggest you go through Inka Altitude, a benchmark agency and on top of that it’s cheap! (around 20€)

DAY 6 – TRAIN TO MACHU PICCHU

It’s the big day!

Because you’re heading to Machu Picchu, which is the most iconic place in Peru and whose reputation is absolutely not undeserved. But also, you’re going there by train. And the train journey is just insane. Really. It’s 3 hours that you spend glued to the window, because a big part of the journey runs through a valley surrounded by mountains. It’s ultra-impressive.

To get to Machu Picchu, it’s necessarily by train. Check out all the options on Perurail, including the Vistadome or the Observatory for an even better view!

If you want to visit Machu Picchu in one day from Cusco

In the following article I show you how to do the round trip in a single day from Cusco, but if you don’t want to bother with the reservations, there are agencies offering you an all-inclusive package — it’s super handy and, honestly, not much more expensive. But it’s really very convenient if you don’t have much time and you want everything to be done properly.

• To be taken care of entirely (panoramic train tickets, bus, entry and guided tour), it’s around 270€. And it’s a popular option!
  • info and booking for the day trip

If you want to visit Machu Picchu over 2 days:

• take the train ticket to leave late morning — that gets you to Aguas Calientes in the afternoon
• you have time to enjoy Aguas Calientes, even if honestly it’s nothing amazing, it’s still nice
• and once you’ve dropped your bags at the hotel, absolutely go and pick up your bus ticket (we talk about it in the next section), that’s why you need to arrive early

there are plenty of lovely options to sleep in Aguas Calientes without it being too expensive. Off the top of my head, here’s what I suggest:

• Oasis Inka Machu Picchu for the budget prices
• the Tierra Viva hotel to treat yourself a little
• the Inkaterra Machu Picchu to treat yourself a lot
• and the Belmond Sanctuary Lodge to sleep at Machu Picchu!

4 recommended places to stay in Aguas Calientes

DAY 7 – VISITING MACHU PICCHU AND HEADING BACK

So you’re in Aguas Calientes, you slept like a baby, it’s time to tackle the visit of Machu Picchu!

But first, don’t forget that you must have made the reservation several weeks or even several months in advance (if it’s high season). In the following article I show you the steps to book your ticket for Machu Picchu. But to keep it simple, take the visit as early as possible to avoid the crowds:

• on the government website
• on Getyourguide for a ticket with a guided tour
• and the all-inclusive trip from Cusco

And you must have chosen the right route (2B is considered the best, and that’s not wrong!)

You’ve also bought your bus ticket the day before. It’s important to get it the day before because you can’t arrive late at Machu Picchu. So make sure you get to your bus well in advance (the bus that takes you up to the citadel, otherwise it’s a touch long and tiring on foot).

Once up there, the magic happens! The visit easily takes 2 hours, probably more if, like me, you love to linger over every little stone, every view, every shot. Because everything is spectacular!

Then, head back to Aguas Calientes. Depending on the time of your train (I’d advise taking one around 4 p.m.) and the time your visit ends, you might have time to visit the butterfly reserve, very nice.

And it’s time to head back — leaving at 4 p.m. gives you a little time, but above all lets you enjoy the landscapes during the journey!

You arrive in Cusco around 8 p.m., which gives you time to go drop your things at the hotel and head out for a relaxed dinner before leaving the next day.

• recommended hotel in Cusco: the Casa Andina with a spa for some well-deserved rest!

In conclusion

There you go, you know everything! So yes, it’s only a suggestion — there are so many things to see in Cusco that for a first trip I tried to show you the essentials, while not overloading the mule too much either. That said, Cusco would deserve you spending more time there, so you can drop an activity to enjoy the city and its atmosphere more, which is unique.

In the same way, I suggested you take 2 days to do the round trip to Machu Picchu, but you can perfectly well do it in one day, as we saw.

So this itinerary is perfectly adaptable! More nature? More ruins? There’s everything you need for you to have a unique stay in Cusco!

⭐️ Click here to enlarge the map of Cusco! ⭐️

Useful links for Cusco and Peru

• Plan your trip to Cusco: discover all the essential information and the most beautiful places
• What to see in the Sacred Valley of the Incas: an incredible valley with crazy landscapes and impressive remains
• Where to stay in Cusco and the Sacred Valley: a selection of the best and most convenient places to stay
• Everything you need to know to visit Machu Picchu – the essential info, simple as that!
• The 15 most beautiful places in Peru – hard to make a selection, but you’re going to get an eyeful
• The must-sees in Lima – a more surprising city than it looks!
• Visiting Arequipa – discover this superb city and its surroundings
• Everything you need to know about Lake Titicaca – the places to see, the activities to do, the Uros Islands in particular
• Sleeping on Lake Titicaca – discover some great rooms to wake up in paradise!
• Discovering Chachapoyas – the people of the clouds and their remains have an enormous amount to offer you!