For couples · Cusco · Peru
Romantic things to do in Cusco
Ideas for a couples' trip, from small moments to a special day out.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: James Challco Palomino, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Cusco's candlelit colonial courtyards, starry Andean nights and Machu Picchu at dawn make it a memorable trip for couples. Couples tend to stay in San Blas.
Key facts
- Romantic ideas
- 5
- Couple-friendly sights
- 2
- Area for couples
- San Blas
- Best months
- May–September
Romantic ideas
1.Sunrise at Machu Picchu
Stay in Aguas Calientes and take an early bus up to see the ruins in the morning light.
2.Dinner in a colonial courtyard
Many hotels and restaurants in the historic centre serve dinner in candlelit patios.
3.Sunset at Cristo Blanco
Watch the sun set over the city's red roofs from the hill above San Cristóbal.
4.Sacred Valley retreat
Stay in a hacienda-style hotel in the valley with mountain views.
5.Stargazing
Learn about Inca constellations and see the Milky Way at the planetarium.
Sights couples love
Neighbourhood · San Blas
San Blas quarter
Come in the late afternoon and have coffee on a terrace looking down over the city's roofs.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- Couples
- Shopping
Viewpoint · San Cristóbal
Cristo Blanco
Visit at sunset, then walk down through San Cristóbal while it is still light.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Views
- Couples
- Photo spot
Where couples should stay
$$ · Best for couples, culture, solo travellers and food lovers
San Blas
Climbing steeply northeast of the Plaza de Armas, San Blas is Cusco's artisan quarter, with narrow cobbled lanes, workshops, galleries, cafés and the small church of San Blas with its carved cedar pulpit. Boutique guesthouses and hostels make it an atmospheric base, with views over the city's rooftops.
- Good
- Charming and quieter than the plaza; Cafés and artisan workshops; Views over the city
- Watch out
- Very steep streets at altitude; Taxis cannot reach some lanes
- Nearby
- San Blas Church, Calle Hatun Rumiyoc, Plaza de Armas
Romantic day trips
- Machu Picchu (About 3.5–4 hours each way by train and bus) — The 15th-century Inca citadel on a ridge above the Urubamba River is one of the world's most famous archaeological sites.
- Humantay Lake (About 3 hours each way by road) — A turquoise glacial lake at about 4,200 metres below the snow-capped Humantay peak, reached by a steep 1.5-hour hike from Soraypampa.
For dinner
Share local specialities such as Cuy al horno, Alpaca and Chiri uchu. Cuy is often served whole; ask for it cut into pieces if you prefer.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Cusco romantic?
Cusco's candlelit colonial courtyards, starry Andean nights and Machu Picchu at dawn make it a memorable trip for couples.
+What is the most romantic thing to do in Cusco?
Sunrise at Machu Picchu: Stay in Aguas Calientes and take an early bus up to see the ruins in the morning light.
+Where should couples stay in Cusco?
San Blas: Hillside artisans' quarter of whitewashed houses, blue doors and small cafés.