Cusco City Guide

Top attractions in Cusco, Peru that makes it a perfect tourist spot – Explore beautifully preserved colonial buildings as Cusco Hotels today!

A unique and charming destination that was once the capital city of the expansive Inca Empire, travelling through Cusco gives you a great introduction to the Andean culture. Amazing Museums, fascinating churches and narrow streets through the historic center of the city gives its visitors a magical experience that they will never forget. Being a popular destination in Peru, there are many interesting Cusco hotels spread all around the city. Some of the lavish 4 and 5 star hotels are actually colonial buildings that have been restored. Other accommodation options could be cozy guesthouses and cottages that mostly are old family houses converted into comfy and convenient places to live for visitors coming from different parts of the world.

Once you plan a trip for this city, it is worth to book for a few days as there will be many recipes of magical travel for you to explore around the stunning hills and ruins of the city and around. Begin your tour at the cultural epicenter of the city which is the Plaza de Armas. The square that was earlier called Huacaypata and was the place for significant rituals during the Inca Empire. This place today serves as the hybrid architectural site of the city where Modern, Colonial and Pre-Columbian histories are combined one on top of each other. There are many plazas lined up with many restaurants and bars set in a perfectly relaxing setting for people coming here.

Cusco is also home to the iconic Cusco Cathedral and Santo Domingo Church. Both of these are exceptionally well-crafted buildings. As you move around, also explore the San Blas Neighborhood, which is home to the San Blas Church and several whitewashed adobe buildings in the heart of Cusco bohemian neighborhood. Many of the local artists have their workshop stores here where visitors can enjoy viewing some exceptional work in religious sculptures, woodwork, metalwork (gold and silver), and much more.

One beautiful natural rock formation that you must see when in Cusco, is the Huaca that is modified to be a holy temple. The size and the intricacy of this place is remarkable and its carved features, natural chamber led by a tunnel, polished sides, and surfaces are definitely worth viewing. One of the interesting facts of this temple is the shaft of light that enters through a crack in its rock wall and this lights up the table there especially during nights of a full moon.

A jaw-dropping site in Cusco is the Sacsayhuaman ruins that overlooks the city and offers a huge hike space with zigzagging, terraced walls. It is said that what remains is only a fraction of the original gigantic Inca-build walls that were built 10 feet taller. Sitting around 4 miles towards the north of Cusco is another impressive archeological site, Tambomachay known as “The Bath of the Nusta (Inca Maiden)”. This site includes 4 levels of terraces built around 1500 AD into the side of a hill. An underground spring emerges from one hole that goes down through perfectly carved channels and at the last level it gets split in two streams that fall in a stone basin. It is a tranquil and peaceful spot and the constantly flowing water spring makes it altogether a beautiful place.

Cusco is home to some of the excellent museums among which the most popular ones are the Museum of Pre-Columbian Art and the Inka Museum. While you stay in one of the Cusco hotels Peru, you must see the daily life of people living here and an ideal way to observe them is to walk through the San Pedro Market. Here you will be able to see locals enjoying their lunch and local vendors selling fruits and vegetables arranged in towers. You will also find wheels of cheese, souvenirs, and alpaca knit sweaters being sold here. A tip to remember is to bargain where there is no price tag on the product and you will surely end up saving some soles.

Apart from local market, Cusco has many restaurants offering both local and international dishes. To explore the diversity of Peruvian cooking, some restaurants you can try include Chicha, Pchapapa, Cicciolina, Morena Peruvian Kitchen, and others. Cusco still carries some of the oldest Andean cultural traditions and thus the expansive Peruvian historical trends can be viewed in the form of cultural events here. No event is complete without folk music and dance performances. Some of the popular events here include Inti Raymi, Cusco Carnival, Semana Santa, Qoyllur Rit’I, Independence of Peru, Corpus Christi, and Santurantikuy Fair.

While in Cusco, walking through the city is the best way to explore the real beauty of the historic center of the city. If you plan to travel to the city during the peak summer season, make sure you plan ahead of time including flights, train tickets as well as booking of Cusco hotels. Set your foot in the city and you will truly have the most memorable time.