Most travelers arrive in Cusco with one thing on the calendar and discover the city deserved more. The best things to do in Cusco split into three groups: the Inca-and-colonial core you can walk, the archaeological ring on the hills above, and the day trips that fan out into the Sacred Valley. The happy accident is that your first two days here should be gentle anyway — the altitude demands it — and Cusco rewards a slow start better than anywhere in Peru. Part of our Peru travel guide.
In This Guide
What to Do in Cusco: The Short List
Ordered roughly by how most visitors should sequence them — gentle first, strenuous later, because of the elevation.
| What | Effort | Best on |
|---|---|---|
| Plaza de Armas and the Cathedral | Easy | Day 1 |
| Qorikancha, the Temple of the Sun | Easy | Day 1 |
| San Pedro market | Easy | Day 1-2 |
| San Blas quarter and viewpoints | Moderate uphill | Day 2 |
| Twelve-Angled Stone | Easy | Day 2 |
| Inka Museum | Easy | Day 2 |
| Sacsayhuaman fortress | Moderate | Day 2-3 |
| Archaeological ring: Qenqo, Puca Pucara, Tambomachay | Moderate | Day 3 |
| Cooking class or chocolate workshop | Easy | Any |
| Sacred Valley day trip | Full day | Day 3+ |
| Humantay Lake | Hard | Day 5+ |
| Rainbow Mountain | Hard | Day 6+ |
Cusco Attractions in the Historic Centre
Cusco is the rare city where two civilizations are stacked in plain sight: Spanish churches sit on Inca foundations that survived the earthquakes the churches did not. Qorikancha is the clearest example — a colonial convent wrapped around the finest Inca stonework in Peru.
The Plaza de Armas anchors everything, and the Cathedral is worth the entry for its colonial art. A short walk away, the Twelve-Angled Stone shows the masonry precision that still has no modern explanation.
San Pedro Market Cusco: Where the City Eats
The San Pedro market Cusco locals actually use sits ten minutes downhill from the plaza, and it is the best free thing to do in the city. Juice stalls, sacks of a hundred potato varieties, cheese aisles, and the cooked-food counters where a full lunch costs a few soles.
Go in the morning, keep your bag in front of you, and eat where the queue is longest. It pairs naturally with a cooking class — most start with a market tour anyway.
San Blas and the Viewpoints
San Blas is the artisan quarter: steep cobbled lanes, workshops, cafes, and the best rooftops in Cusco. The climb is short but real at 11,000 feet, so save it for your second day.
Above it, the Cristo Blanco viewpoint gives the classic panorama of terracotta roofs in their bowl of mountains. Walk up if you have acclimatized, take a taxi if you have not — the honest guidance on that is in our Cusco elevation guide.
Sacsayhuaman and the Archaeological Ring
Sacsayhuaman is the megalithic fortress above the city, built from stones so large that moving them remains an open question. It is a 30-minute walk uphill from the plaza or a short taxi.
The boleto turistico combined ticket covers it along with Qenqo, Puca Pucara and Tambomachay — four sites on one road, done comfortably in a half-day circuit. Nearly every Cusco itinerary ends up buying this ticket, so factor it into your budget from the start.
Day Trips From Cusco
The Sacred Valley is the obvious one — Pisac ruins and market, the salt terraces of Maras, the circular agricultural laboratory of Moray, and Ollantaytambo. Most visitors do it as a day trip; sleeping there instead solves acclimatization at the same time.
The two hard ones deserve respect. Humantay Lake and Rainbow Mountain both start before dawn and top out above 15,000 feet, far higher than Cusco. Neither belongs in your first three days. And Machu Picchu itself sits lower than the city — the mechanics are in how to get to Machu Picchu.
Sacred Valley Tour—8 days of Adventure
Practical Notes for Cusco
Cusco runs on tourism and is one of the safest cities in South America for visitors; pickpocketing in the market and plaza crowds is the realistic risk, covered in our Peru safety guide.
Book Machu Picchu entrance tickets before anything else — the timed slots sell out weeks ahead in high season, and everything in your Cusco week bends around that date. Current tiers are published on the official ticket portal.
Common Questions, Answered
What are the best things to do in Cusco for first-timers?
Plaza de Armas and Qorikancha on day one, San Blas and San Pedro market on day two, Sacsayhuaman and the archaeological ring on day three. Save the high-altitude day trips for later in the week.
How many days do you need in Cusco?
Three days for the city and its ring, four or five if you want the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu without rushing.
What to do in Cusco on the first day?
Almost nothing strenuous. The plaza, a slow lunch, coca tea and an early night — the altitude does the deciding for you.
Are there free things to do in Cusco?
Yes: San Pedro market, the plazas, the streets of San Blas, the Twelve-Angled Stone and the walk up to the Cristo Blanco viewpoint.
Is the boleto turistico worth buying?
If you plan to see Sacsayhuaman plus any two other sites, yes — the combined ticket costs less than the individual entries and covers most of the ring.
What is San Pedro market Cusco known for?
Fresh juice stalls, dozens of potato and corn varieties, cheese and bread aisles, and cheap cooked lunches where locals eat.
Machu Picchu and Galapagos Tour: 10, 12 & 17-Day Itineraries
The Bottom Line on Things to Do in Cusco
Treat Cusco as a destination rather than a staging post and the whole trip improves: your body acclimatizes on schedule, and you see the city that was the capital of the largest empire in the Americas. Three days is the sweet spot. Our Peru itinerary guide shows how those days sit inside 7, 10 and 14-day routes.
