Cusco in 3 Days: a guidebook for getting the most out of your visit
Visiting Cuzco for three days is an exciting and intense tourist experience, where you can see beautiful landscapes, learn about the Inca culture and taste rich gastronomy.
Vista panoramica de Machu pichu |© Fabien Moliné
In Cuzco for three days you can live incredible adventures, full of history, while getting to know a great part of the Inca culture. During this time you will be able to visit iconic places such as the Plaza de Armas in the city centre, Sacsayhuaman and Machu Picchu.
But you will also have the opportunity to visit the Sacred Valley of the Incas and the village of Ollantaytambo, which will leave you with a pleasant impression of the beautiful scenery. The trip will also give you an insight into the daily life of the Peruvian people, as you experience immersive Peruvian art, music and gastronomy, which will lead you to some of the best things to see and do in Cuzco.
Day 1: San Pedro Market, Plaza de Armas and Sacsayhuaman Fortress
On the first day of a three-day itinerary in Cuzco you'll visit the San Pedro Market for breakfast and right after that you'll visit the Plaza de Armas, a main square in Cuzco where you'll see some of the colonial and historical architecture of the city. Afterwards, you will have lunch with modern dishes based on traditional Peruvian flavours and after finishing your lunch you can go to explore Sacsayhuaman, an Inca fortress with impressive stone walls and beautiful views of Cuzco.
Visit the San Pedro Market
To start your first day in Cuzco, you'll have to leave your hotel at around 8:00 to go straight to the San Pedro Market, which is an excellent option to have a traditional breakfast and get to know the place, which is also quite iconic in the locality.
The market offers a wide variety of gastronomic options, including fresh fruits, juices, empanadas and traditional Peruvian dishes. This market tour is sure to leave you wanting to partake in some of the best Peruvian cooking classes in Cuzco.
As the market is open from Monday to Sunday, between 6:00 and 18:00, you can stay for just over an hour and a half to two hours, while enjoying breakfast and browsing the stalls. If there's one thing you'll love about this market, it's the vibrant and colourful atmosphere, with local vendors offering their wares and tourists exploring the place.
Visit the Plaza de Armas and the Cathedral of Cuzco.
Leaving the San Pedro Market, you will go straight to the Plaza de Armas which is located in the historic centre of the city and boasts impressive colonial architecture, but is also a place that stands out for its great historical importance. To fully explore the Plaza de Armas and its surroundings, I recommend you dedicate at least two hours, so you will be finished touring the square around 12:00.
At the end of your tour of the square, it will be the ideal time to enter the Cathedral of Cuzco, also known as the Cathedral Basilica of the Virgin of the Assumption, which is located just inside the Plaza de Armas. It is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the city. You can buy tickets to visit the Cathedral at around 12:00 noon, and you can even take a guided tour inside, which will last just under an hour.
During your visit you'll see a mix of colonial and Renaissance art, including paintings from the Cuzco School, as well as an impressive collection of gold and silverwork and religious relics. In addition, your guide will tell you details about the impressive architecture of the site, its library and its internal museum, which houses religious art objects and other historical treasures.
Lunch at Chicha by Gaston Acurio
When you leave the Cuzco Cathedral around 13:00, you will definitely want to look for a place to have lunch, and the place I recommend you to visit is Chicha by Gaston Acurio. This is a restaurant famous in the locality for offering modern interpretations of traditional Peruvian dishes.
You can order especially traditional Peruvian dishes such as ceviches or even lomo saltado. All the food can be accompanied by a drink that is popular in the region. Right after the meal you can go and enjoy the other sights of Cuzco.
Exploring the Sacsayhuaman Fortress
After lunch, you can continue to explore part of the Peruvian city and for that, you will have to visit one of the most interesting attractions of the city, which is none other than the Inca Fortress of Sacsayhuaman. It is an impressive structure that has huge stone walls and offers breathtaking views of the city.
The fortress is located about 2 kilometres north of Cuzco, so you can choose whether to get there by car or walk from the city to the fortress. The Sacsayhuaman Fortress closes every day at around 17:00, and as you will be entering the fortress shortly after 14:00, you should be out by around 16:00, allowing for about two hours to explore.
During the visit, you will be able to admire the impressive stone walls and explore various sites, such as the ceremonial altar and the Lightning Temple. You will also be able to enjoy beautiful views of Cuzco from the top of the fortress, so you should consider going to the Sacsayhuaman Archaeological Park to enjoy the Inca culture and history.
Tour of Barrio San Blas and dinner at Pachapapa
Back in Cuzco you'll definitely want to eat some dinner, so there's one place I recommend you check out and that's the Pachapapa restaurant. It is a place known for serving Andean food in a cosy and pleasant atmosphere. It is located on Plazoleta street in the San Blas neighbourhood, so maybe before eating you will want to walk around the neighbourhood. There you can try different traditional dishes, from meats and stews to stuffed potatoes and chicha morada.
The restaurant is open until 21:00, so you can enter around 19:00 to enjoy your dinner before going to rest at your hotel or place of accommodation. If you want to try a more adventurous menu, I also recommend eating the trout ceviche or the guinea pig pate.
Day 2: Machu Picchu Excursion
During your second day in Cuzco you will do several interesting activities, but mainly you will hike to Machu Picchu. This day will start early, as you will have to leave for Machu Picchu. This is one of the most iconic attractions in Cuzco, which is why I recommend you dedicate the whole day to visit it.
When you get back to the city, I recommend you to have dinner and recharge your batteries in a famous restaurant in Cuzco, called Cicciolina. As well as tasting great Peruvian food, it will be the start of a fun nightlife experience in Cuzco.
Going on an excursion to Machu Picchu
The trip will start early in the morning, when you will embark on a hike to Machu Picchu from Cuzco. You can do this trip in two ways, one of which is by travelling aboard the train, from where you can enjoy the incredible views of the Andean landscapes as you approach this wonder of the world. On some of these excursions you will have the opportunity to have breakfast on board the train.
Another way to get to Machu Picchu is by private car or private bus that will take you to this wonder of the world. Once you arrive at Machu Picchu, you can explore the citadel on your own or with the help of an expert guide who will give you all the information about the history and culture of the place. You will also be able to see the Sun Gate, the Temple of the Sun, the Temple of the Three Windows, among other iconic places of the citadel.
The best thing about doing this type of guided tours is that in some of them you will have access to certain restricted areas, such as the iconic Huayna Picchu or the Machu Picchu Mountain, from where you can enjoy and take pictures of breathtaking views of the citadel and the surrounding Andean landscapes. This experience usually takes just over five hours.
Spend the afternoon and evening exploring the centre of Cuzco
On your return to Cuzco, there are plenty of other things you can do in the city to explore further. I recommend signing up for a tour of Cuzco where you can go sightseeing in the rest of the afternoon, and even take advantage of the sunset to enjoy the city from a different point of view. If you want something more relaxing, I recommend visiting some of the spas and wellness centres that are quite popular in the city.
Dinner in the centre of Cuzco
For dinner I recommend you to visit Cicciolina, which is a popular restaurant in Cuzco thanks to its delicious Peruvian food and cosy atmosphere. The best thing about this place is that you can go with the whole family, or with friends, taking into account that it offers both options of dishes to share and individual dishes.
To enjoy this place you will have to go between 12:30 and 15:30, although if you want to have dinner you will have the opportunity to go between 18:00 and 22:30. You have to know that you will have to pay around 20 dollars per person to enjoy a main dish and a drink.
Day 3: Maras and Moray, Sacred Valley of the Incas and Ollantaytambo
On your third and last day in Cuzco you will spend some time visiting places like Maras and Moray, the town of Ollantaytambo and the Sacred Valley of the Incas. In Maras and Moray, you will see the impressive Inca agricultural terraces and learn about the importance of agriculture in the Andean culture.
In Ollantaytambo you will see well-preserved buildings and fortresses. And of course, throughout the day, you will have the opportunity to enjoy delicious traditional Peruvian dishes with the influence of other cuisines, to complete an excellent last day in this city. But to enjoy the whole itinerary, you will have to leave your hotel no later than 8:00.
Visit to Maras and Moray
As you know, you will start your day visiting Maras and Moray, two Inca sites located in the Sacred Valley, very close to the city, which have a huge historical and archaeological importance for the culture of Cuzco. Maras is known for its impressive Inca agricultural terraces, while Moray offers a unique insight into Inca agriculture and salt mining.
To travel between Cuzco and Maras and Moray I recommend you sign up for an organised tour or a private taxi. During the trip you will have the opportunity to visit these two places along with other tourist attractions in the Sacred Valley of the Incas.
I recommend that to visit Maras and Moray, you spend at least a couple of hours or a little more. In fact, if you want to do a guided tour, you would have to spend a little more than half a day, but as it is a short itinerary, it could take you little more than two hours to get to know the place.
Sacred Valley of the Incas
Along with the excursion to Maras and Moray, I recommend a guided tour of the Sacred Valley of the Incas, where you can explore the ruins and archaeological sites of the region. Among the must-see sites here is Pisac, which shows you its ruins and vibrant market inside the town of the same name.
To visit the Sacred Valley of the Incas I recommend you also spend about two hours visiting the town of Pisac and its famous Inca ruins, as well as exploring the local market, to buy handicrafts and local products and keep them as souvenirs. Even during this tour you will have the opportunity to visit Urubamba, which is a good place to sample the local gastronomy, or you can stop in Chinchero to learn more about the Andean textile culture.
As this is such a touristic area, I recommend you to take a quad tour around Cuzco and its surroundings, which will take you to see interesting places like these. Without a doubt, this is an experience you can't miss on your tour of the city.
Ollantaytambo
During the same tour, and if you take a guided excursion, you will have the opportunity to continue your way to Ollantaytambo, a picturesque village located about 30 kilometres from Pisac. Here, you can explore the impressive Inca fortress and temple, two archaeological sites that are well preserved and steeped in history.
Once in Ollantaytambo, you will need approximately 2 to 3 hours to explore the main archaeological sites and enjoy the sights and culture of this place. This means that you will enter the town around 15:00, to stay until a little later than 17:00.
At that time, it will be time to return to the city of Cuzco, to enjoy the rest of the afternoon, have dinner and rest at your hotel or accommodation.
Dinner in Kion
When you arrive in Cuzco, your watch will surely be ticking just after 18:00, so it's time to find somewhere to have dinner. That's why I recommend you to visit Kion, where you can enjoy the fusion of Asian cuisine with Peruvian ingredients in a cosy atmosphere. It is a well-known place where you can enjoy delicious dishes and a varied schedule that adapts to different needs.
As for the opening hours of Kion, you should know that you can visit it until 22:00, taking into account that its closing time is around 23:00 every day of the week.
After you have enjoyed a good dinner at this place, or any other place you choose if you want to try a different type of cuisine, it's time to go to your hotel or place of accommodation, to rest and sleep for an early start back home. You also have the option of going to see a bit more of the nightlife of the Peruvian city, but this will be your decision.
With this last activity of your choice, the three-day itinerary through the city of Cuzco in Peru is over, so you can go back home with the certainty that you have enjoyed and known many of the most interesting places of the city; but at the same time, you will be much more eager to come back.