Tips for Cusco: Peru’s most beautiful city

Cusco is a wonderful city to stay a little longer and recover from all the traveling. The historic center has many characteristic streets full of nice stores, restaurants and cafes. Not only the city center is beautiful, you can also make many great day trips from Cusco Peru. Most travelers stay here for about a week. We visited Cusco twice and did almost everything there is to do. In this article, we share our tips, from great activities to where to eat in Cusco.

A little history of Cusco

From the 13th century, the Incas lived in and around the then capital city of Cusco. Later, in the 16th century, the city was taken over by the Spanish. The Spanish demolished most of the Inca temples so they could build churches in those places. Fortunately, some structures have survived in and around the city and the remnants are still visible today. The Incas had a unique way of building. They used large boulders that they stacked on top of each other without the use of cement. One particular boulder even has 12 corners and still today there is no way to tell. You can find these special boulders in the street called Hatunrumiyoc.

How to get to Cusco?

The vast majority of people travel to Cusco from Lima, Colca Canyon or Arequipa. Here’s how to travel to Cusco from these destinations.

From Colca Canyon to Cusco

From Arequipa to Cusco

From Lima to Cusco

What to do in Cusco.

Cusco is a beautiful city to explore. Read below for our tips on fun sights to see in Cusco.

Explore the Barrio San Blas

Perfect for day one in Cusco! The Barrio San Blas is a creative neighborhood near the Plaza de Armas. Here you will find all sorts of boutique stores selling art, souvenirs, handmade rugs, sweaters or scarves. Wander the narrow white alleys at your leisure. There are also many good restaurants and cafes in this neighborhood. Our two favorite joints are Qura Bowl Bar and Green Point. Qura Bowl Bar serves tasty and healthy bowls and at Green Point they have delicious vegan food. These tents are across the street from each other and are both great lunch spots. Plus point: at Green Point you sit in a cozy courtyard garden. You can find more tips for good restaurants in Cusco at the bottom of this article.

San Pedro Market

Time for a little culture! Get a taste of local life in Cusco at the San Pedro Market. You’ll feast your eyes here because they sell absolutely everything. Buy a nice fresh smoothie and wander the market.

Plaza de Armas

Plaza de Armas is the beating heart of Cusco, making it the city’s main square. This square is surrounded by a beautiful cathedral and two churches. Every moment of the day there is something going on here, so it is great to sit quietly on a bench and look around. It is also nice to have a coffee or a beer on one of the many balconies at cafes around the square.

Fun day trips from Cusco

You can take many nice day trips from Cusco. The following are definitely not to be missed.

Humantay Lake

If you don’t have Huaraz on your itinerary, be sure to take a day trip to Humantay Lake. This lake is 4200 meters above sea level and surrounded by huge snow-capped mountains. Unfortunately, we were here on a cloudy day but it was still incredibly beautiful. However, it is even more beautiful on a sunny day because the mountains are more visible and the water will be even bluer. The hike to Humantay Lake takes about 1.5 hours and it is quite a tough climb when you are still getting used to the altitude. You then also have a chance of getting bothered by the altitude making you out of breath faster. In total you climb about 350 meters up and once at the top you are rewarded by the amazing view.

Sacred Valley: Salinas de Maras & Moray

A 1.5-hour drive from Cusco, Maras and Moray are perfect to combine. These are two extraordinary structures built by the Incas. The salt terraces of Maras is one of them. There are a total of about 3,000 salt terraces here with a maze of paths in between. The Incas created these for the same purpose they are still used today: to extract salt. Consequently, you can still see people working on salt extraction here. Fun fact: one of the most expensive kinds of salt in the world comes from here.

Eight kilometers away is Moray. The circles of Moray is one of the most interesting Inca constructions around. There are several theories and speculations about Moray. Thus, no one knows exactly what these circular terraces were for. One theory is that it was an agricultural experiment. They examined the crops that grew on the terraces and saw which grew best depending on how much sun, light and wind the crops received. Moray also features an irrigation system, which was quite exceptional at the time. In addition, it is also a heart-stopping sight, those perfect circles.

Machu Picchu

We have arrived at perhaps the highlight of your trip: the magical Machu Picchu. A trip to Machu Picchu is one that will stay with you all your life. This ancient Inca city, most likely built around the year 1450, has only been inhabited for around 100 years. This is because the Spanish took the area around Machu Picchu. Fortunately, Machu Picchu was never found by the Spanish and the city is well preserved. Not only is the city itself beautiful, the nature around it is phenomenal. You can visit Machu Picchu in many different ways. Here you can find all our tours and tips for Machu Picchu Tour

Rainbow Mountain

No doubt you have seen it passing by on your timeline: the famous hike to Rainbow Mountain. Until a few years ago, Rainbow Mountain was almost always under snow or ice and you had to hike 6 days to visit this place. For a few years now, due to climate change, Rainbow Mountain is almost never under the ice and its colors are easy to admire. Not only is Rainbow Mountain itself beautiful but the hike to it is also wonderful. On one side you have big snow-capped mountain peaks and on the other side a bright red valley.

Good restaurants in Cusco

There are an awful lot of good restaurants in Cusco. We spent a total of about 2 weeks in Cusco and ate in many different restaurants. These are our favorites.

If you love avocado then you should really go for lunch at Avocado, toast & more. The best and healthiest breakfasts score at Qura Bowl Bar and Green Point is the best vegan restaurant we have ever been to. If you like to eat sushi, then you should definitely eat at Takysan Sushi Bar. This is a tiny restaurant with an extensive menu and delicious sushi. Still prefer to sample Peruvian cuisine while you’re in Peru? Delicious lomo saltado and ceviche are served at Cusco.