Cusco: the Inca capital and the gateway to the Sacred Valley

It’s 6:14 a.m. and I’m walking down the Calle Hatun Rumiyoc in central Cusco, the street that runs along the side of the 16th-century Archbishop’s Palace. The reason to walk this street is in the wall of the palace itself: the lower three metres are Inca stone — perfectly fitted polygonal blocks, no mortar, sometimes twelve-sided where the masons joined a piece — and the upper Spanish colonial construction sits directly on top. The most famous individual stone, the twelve-cornered stone, is here, embedded in the wall. The wall is 600 years old at the base and 450 at the top. The Spanish, when they took the city in 1533, found the Inca walls too well-made to demolish; they built on them.

Why I keep coming back

Cusco — the navel of the world in Quechua, Qosqo — was the capital of the Inca Empire, the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The Spanish conquest in 1533 led to one of history’s strangest urban outcomes: a city where the Inca foundations remained intact while a colonial Spanish city was built on top of them. The result is a UNESCO-listed central core where every other wall is half pre-Columbian, half colonial.

The city sits at 3,400 m in the Andes; the surrounding Sacred Valley contains some of the most extraordinary Inca-era sites (Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Moray, Maras), and Machu Picchu is a 4-hour train ride further down the valley.

Where to base yourself

The historic centre (around the Plaza de Armas and San Blas) for the walkable old city. Stay above the Plaza de Armas if you can — the morning views over the red-tiled roofs to the Andes are extraordinary.

The Sacred Valley (Urubamba, Pisac, Yucay) for a quieter, lower-altitude base (the valley is around 2,800 m, easier on the lungs). Many travellers spend their first nights in the Sacred Valley, climb Machu Picchu, and finish in Cusco — better for altitude adaptation.

What to actually do

Acclimatise on day one. 3,400 m is high. Drink coca tea (genuinely helpful for altitude), walk slowly, avoid alcohol on the first day, sleep early. Many travellers underestimate this; some go down with altitude sickness.

Walk the Plaza de Armas and the Cathedral. The 16th-century cathedral with its remarkable colonial art (the Cusco school of indigenous-Spanish painting); the painted Last Supper with a guinea pig on the table is a small subversive detail worth finding.

Visit Qorikancha. The Sun Temple of the Incas, now under the colonial Santo Domingo monastery. The Inca walls in the lower levels are some of the most refined surviving Inca masonry.

Walk the San Blas neighbourhood. The artisans’ quarter, on a steep slope above the Plaza de Armas; cobblestoned, smaller, with workshops still operating in many of the historic buildings.

Take a Sacred Valley day trip. The classic tour covers Pisac (the Inca terraces and ruins above a small town), Maras (the centuries-old terraced salt pans, still in active use), Moray (the concentric circular Inca agricultural terraces, possibly a microclimate experimental farm), and Ollantaytambo (the surviving Inca town and fortress).

Hike to Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca). A 5,200-m mineral-striated mountain in the Andes south of Cusco; recently ‘discovered’ by Instagram and now heavily trafficked. The hike from the trailhead is 3 hours moderate, but the altitude is serious. Don’t do this on day one.

Take the train to Machu Picchu. Either the Inca Rail or PeruRail train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes (the village below Machu Picchu); 90 minutes. From Aguas Calientes, a bus or walk up to the ruins. See the Machu Picchu article for details.

Where to eat

Peruvian cuisine in the Andean tradition: corn, potatoes (Peru has over 4,000 varieties), quinoa, alpaca, the ubiquitous cuy (guinea pig).

MAP Café — Modern Peruvian in the MAP (Pre-Columbian Art) Museum courtyard. Cicciolina (centre) — A bar/restaurant institution; modern Andean with Italian touches. Pacha Papa (San Blas) — Traditional Cusco food, including the cuy if you want to try. Chicha por Gastón Acurio — Modern Cusco from the famous Peruvian chef. Mercado San Pedro — The central market; the fresh juice counter and the bread bakery; lunch at one of the working stalls. Coca tea, anywhere — the standard altitude-adjustment beverage.

When to come

May to September is the dry season; the most reliable trekking and Machu Picchu weather. June–August are the peak crowded months.

October–November and March–April are shoulder seasons; some rain but lower crowds.

The Inti Raymi festival on June 24 is the great Inca New Year celebration; theatrical, busy, beautiful.

December–March is the rainy season; the Inca Trail trekking is closed in February for maintenance.

Practical notes

• Visa: 90 days visa-free for most Western passports.
• Money: Peruvian sol; ATMs work in the city.
• Transport: A taxi from the airport into central Cusco is around 30 sol. Within Cusco, walking. The Sacred Valley by tour van or private driver.
• Altitude: Plan for slow acclimatisation. Some travellers fly straight to a lower altitude (Cusco at 3400 m is higher than Machu Picchu at 2400 m) and overnight in the Sacred Valley first. Take it slow.
• The Inca Trail: Strict permit limits; 500 people per day on the four-day trek; book six months ahead minimum. The Salkantay, Lares, and Choquequirao alternatives are easier to permit but each has its own demands.
• The Machu Picchu permit: Now strictly timed-entry with limited daily numbers. Book online before you fly to Peru.

A final thought

Cusco is one of the great historical cities of the Americas and one of the most rewarding bases for the broader Sacred Valley experience. The Inca-Spanish layered architecture is unique. The food culture, both the high-end contemporary Peruvian and the working market food, is excellent. The altitude is the single hardest aspect; respect it.

Most visitors come for Machu Picchu and treat Cusco as a transit point. The better trip is three or four nights in Cusco before Machu Picchu (for the altitude adjustment and the city itself), the Sacred Valley over two or three days, Machu Picchu as a single intense day, and a return to Cusco for one final night. Eight to ten days total; the Andean experience this gives you is one of the most rewarding short trips in South America.