Things to do · Cusco · Peru
16 best things to do in Cusco
16 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: PoolPs, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
The essential sights in Cusco are Plaza de Armas, Cusco Cathedral and Qorikancha and Santo Domingo. Of the 16 picks below, 5 are free, 4 work on a rainy day and 1 suit children. Allow about 6 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Plaza de Armas
- Free sights
- 5
- Good on a rainy day
- Cusco Cathedral
- Time to see the highlights
- 6 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plaza de Armas | Historic Centre | 1 hour | Free |
| Cusco Cathedral | Historic Centre | 1 hour | Mid-priced |
| Qorikancha and Santo Domingo | Historic Centre | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Sacsayhuamán | San Cristóbal | 1.5–2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Ollantaytambo archaeological site | Ollantaytambo | 1.5–2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Hatun Rumiyoc and the Twelve-Angled Stone | Historic Centre | 30 minutes | Free |
| San Blas quarter | San Blas | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús | Historic Centre | 45 minutes | Low cost |
| Museo de Arte Precolombino (MAP) | Historic Centre | 1 hour | Mid-priced |
| San Pedro Market | San Pedro | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco | Historic Centre | 45 minutes | Free |
| Q'enqo, Puka Pukara and Tambomachay | Cusco hills | Half a day | Mid-priced |
| Cristo Blanco | San Cristóbal | 45 minutes | Free |
| Pisac archaeological site | Pisac | 2–3 hours | Mid-priced |
| Chinchero | Sacred Valley | 2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Planetarium Cusco | Cusco hills | 2 hours | Mid-priced |
The 16 best things to do
Landmark · Historic Centre
1.Plaza de Armas
Cusco's main square was the Inca city's ceremonial plaza, Huacaypata. 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.
Climb to a café balcony overlooking the plaza for views of the churches at night when they are lit.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- History
- After dark
- Photo spot
Religious site · Historic Centre
2.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).
Use the audio guide to find the Last Supper painting and the Señor de los Temblores, Cusco's patron crucifix.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- History
- Art
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Historic site · Historic Centre
3.Qorikancha and Santo Domingo
The Inca Empire's most important temple, dedicated to the sun god Inti, was once covered with sheets of gold. 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.
Look at the curved Inca wall from Avenida El Sol below, which survived earthquakes that toppled the Spanish church.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Historic site · San Cristóbal
4.Sacsayhuamán
This vast Inca complex above the city has three tiers of zigzagging walls made of huge, perfectly fitted stones, some weighing many tonnes. It is the stage for the Inti Raymi festival every 24 June, and its hillside gives views over Cusco.
Walk up from San Cristóbal early in the morning; the site is included in the Boleto Turístico.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- History
- Views
- Outdoors
Historic site · Ollantaytambo
5.Ollantaytambo archaeological site
Steep terraces climb to a temple complex where the Inca resisted the Spanish in the 1530s. Its Temple of the Sun has six huge pink granite monoliths, hauled from a quarry across the river.
Visit early in the morning or late afternoon, before or after the tour buses from Cusco.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Views
- Iconic
- Active
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Street · Historic Centre
6.Hatun Rumiyoc and the Twelve-Angled Stone
This narrow street between the Plaza de Armas and San Blas is lined by the wall of an Inca palace, later the Archbishop's Palace. Its most famous block, the Twelve-Angled Stone, fits so tightly with its neighbours that a knife blade cannot be slipped between them.
Walk the street early or late to avoid crowds around the stone, and continue uphill into San Blas.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Architecture
- Photo spot
Neighbourhood · San Blas
7.San Blas quarter
Cusco's artisan quarter has cobbled lanes, workshops making religious images, and the small San Blas church, which holds one of the finest carved wooden pulpits in the Americas. Its plaza has a small fountain and weekend craft stalls.
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
Religious site · Historic Centre
8.Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús
The Jesuit church on the Plaza de Armas, built on the palace of the Inca Huayna Capac, has an elaborate baroque façade designed to outshine the cathedral. Inside are gilded altarpieces and colonial paintings, and the choir loft gives a view over the plaza.
Climb to the choir loft or bell tower for a view straight over the Plaza de Armas.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Architecture
- History
- Art
Museum · Historic Centre
1.Museo de Arte Precolombino (MAP)
In a colonial mansion on the Plazoleta de las Nazarenas, this museum displays a selection of pre-Columbian ceramics, gold, silver and woodwork from the Larco Museum's collections, shown as art in well-lit rooms.
A compact, high-quality museum for an hour on a rainy afternoon; the courtyard restaurant is a calm place for lunch.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
Market · San Pedro
2.San Pedro Market
Cusco's central market, in a large covered hall near San Pedro station, sells potatoes, maize, fruit, bread, cheese and herbs, with fresh juice stalls and lunch counters serving soups and stews.
Grab a fruit juice blended to order at the juice stalls, and keep your bag in front of you.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Food
- Photo spot
- Shopping
Museum · Historic Centre
3.Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco
This non-profit centre on Avenida El Sol works with weaving communities around Cusco. Its small museum explains Andean weaving techniques and symbols, and weavers demonstrate their craft; the shop sells textiles with fair prices going to the communities.
Visit before shopping for textiles elsewhere; you will know how to judge quality.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- Shopping
- Rainy day
Historic site · Cusco hills
4.Q'enqo, Puka Pukara and Tambomachay
A string of smaller Inca sites in the hills above Cusco: Q'enqo, a carved limestone shrine with a cave altar; Puka Pukara, a reddish stone outpost; and Tambomachay, where Inca water channels still feed fountains. All are on the Boleto Turístico.
Take a taxi to Tambomachay, the highest, and walk downhill past the others back to Sacsayhuamán and Cusco.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Outdoors
- Active
Viewpoint · San Cristóbal
5.Cristo Blanco
A white statue of Christ, donated by Palestinian Christians who settled in Cusco, stands on a hill next to Sacsayhuamán with open arms over the city. The lookout gives one of the widest views over Cusco's red-tile roofs.
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
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Historic site · Pisac
6.Pisac archaeological site
High above the town of Pisac, a sweep of agricultural terraces climbs the mountainside to Inca temples, baths and residential quarters, with one of the largest known Inca cemeteries carved into the cliffs opposite.
Take a taxi to the upper entrance and walk down through the terraces to the town, about 1.5–2 hours.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Views
- Active
- Outdoors
Historic site · Sacred Valley
7.Chinchero
A high village at about 3,750 metres on the road between Cusco and Urubamba, with Inca terraces, a colonial adobe church built on Inca foundations and weaving cooperatives where women demonstrate natural dyeing and weaving.
Visit on a Sunday morning, when the village market is at its busiest.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Art
- Shopping
Experience · Cusco hills
8.Planetarium Cusco
A small family-run planetarium in the hills above the city explains how the Inca read the stars and dark constellations of the Milky Way, followed by stargazing through telescopes when the sky is clear.
Book a spot for the evening session and dress warmly; nights are very cold.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- After dark
- History
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Cusco Cathedral, San Blas quarter, Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús and Museo de Arte Precolombino (MAP) |
| History | Plaza de Armas, Cusco Cathedral, Qorikancha and Santo Domingo and Sacsayhuamán |
| Views | Sacsayhuamán, Cristo Blanco, Pisac archaeological site and Ollantaytambo archaeological site |
| Outdoors and nature | Sacsayhuamán, Q'enqo, Puka Pukara and Tambomachay and Pisac archaeological site |
| Food and markets | San Pedro Market |
| After dark | Plaza de Armas and Planetarium Cusco |
| With children | Planetarium Cusco |
| On a rainy day | Cusco Cathedral, Qorikancha and Santo Domingo, Museo de Arte Precolombino (MAP) and Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco |
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Cusco?
Plaza de Armas. Cusco's main square was the Inca city's ceremonial plaza, Huacaypata.
+What can you do for free in Cusco?
Plaza de Armas, Hatun Rumiyoc and the Twelve-Angled Stone, San Blas quarter, Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco and Cristo Blanco. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Cusco when it rains?
Head indoors to Cusco Cathedral, Qorikancha and Santo Domingo, Museo de Arte Precolombino (MAP) and Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco.
+What is there to do in Cusco at night?
Plaza de Armas and Planetarium Cusco are best after dark.