2 days in Cusco

Day by day

1. Day 1: Plaza de Armas and Cusco Cathedral

   Plaza de Armas, Cusco Cathedral, Qorikancha and Santo Domingo and Hatun Rumiyoc and the Twelve-Angled Stone, then Planetarium Cusco in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Plaza de Armas

      Today it is framed by the Cathedral, the Jesuit church of La Compañía and arcades with balconies, with the hills around the city as a backdrop. Locals and visitors gather on the benches and steps.

   2. Late morning

      Cusco Cathedral

      Built from the 16th century on the site of an Inca palace using stones from Sacsayhuamán, the cathedral holds hundreds of colonial paintings of the Cusco School, including a Last Supper by Marcos Zapata in which Christ and the apostles eat roasted cuy (guinea pig).

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Cuy al horno

      Traditional restaurants (picanterías) in Cusco and towns such as Lucre and Tipón known for it.

   4. Afternoon

      Qorikancha and Santo Domingo

      The Spanish built the Convent of Santo Domingo on top, and its cloister now reveals the temple's inner chambers with some of the finest Inca stonework anywhere.

   5. Late afternoon

      Hatun Rumiyoc and the Twelve-Angled Stone

      Its most famous block, the Twelve-Angled Stone, fits so tightly with its neighbours that a knife blade cannot be slipped between them.

   6. Evening

      Planetarium Cusco

      Book a spot for the evening session and dress warmly; nights are very cold.

2. Day 2: Sacsayhuamán and Cristo Blanco

   Sacsayhuamán, Cristo Blanco, Ollantaytambo archaeological site and San Blas quarter, then Plaza de Armas in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Sacsayhuamán

      It is the stage for the Inti Raymi festival every 24 June, and its hillside gives views over Cusco.

   2. Late morning

      Cristo Blanco

      The lookout gives one of the widest views over Cusco's red-tile roofs.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Alpaca

      Restaurants across the historic centre.

   4. Afternoon

      Ollantaytambo archaeological site

      Its Temple of the Sun has six huge pink granite monoliths, hauled from a quarry across the river.

   5. Late afternoon

      San Blas quarter

      Its plaza has a small fountain and weekend craft stalls.

   6. Evening

      Plaza de Armas

      Clubs and pubs around the plaza and on Calle Plateros and Calle Tecsecocha, busy late into the night.

Before you go

If it rains

• Swap in Museo de Arte Precolombino (MAP) (Historic Centre): A compact, high-quality museum for an hour on a rainy afternoon; the courtyard restaurant is a calm place for lunch.
• Swap in Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco (Historic Centre): Visit before shopping for textiles elsewhere; you will know how to judge quality.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 10–12 hours of visiting over 2 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 11.3 hours in June to 12.9 hours in December.

Getting between stops: Walking. The centre, San Blas and San Cristóbal are walkable, but the altitude and steep streets make walking tiring at first; take it slowly.

More or fewer days

• One day in Cusco
• 3 days in Cusco
• 5 days in Cusco

Questions travellers ask