Cusco

What It Is and Where

Cusco lies in a high valley in the southern Peruvian Andes. In the 15th century, under the Inca ruler Pachacuteq, it was rebuilt as the capital of an empire that stretched along the Andes. After the conquest in the 16th century, the Spanish kept the street plan and laid Baroque churches and convents over the Inca foundations, so you can still see fitted Inca stonework at the base of colonial buildings all over the old town.

What You Do There

• Qorikancha: the Inca Temple of the Sun, with a Dominican church and convent built over it.
• The Plaza de Armas and the cathedral, the center of the old town.
• San Blas: steep lanes of workshops, cafés and small galleries just above the center.
• Sacsayhuamán: the Inca complex of massive walls on the hill above the city.

Cusco is also a very good place to eat, and most of what you want is walkable from the hotels near the center.

Altitude and When to Go

At about 3,400 meters, most people feel the altitude here for the first day or two. Spending your first nights in the lower Sacred Valley and coming to Cusco afterward makes a real difference, and several hotels offer oxygen-enriched rooms. The dry season runs from May to September. Inti Raymi, the festival around June 24, fills hotels and trains, so book early if your dates fall that week.

Getting There and How Long to Stay

Cusco's airport is about 20 minutes from the historic center, with frequent flights from Lima. Two or three nights is right for most trips. Many travelers arrive back from Machu Picchu on the train and finish the trip here.

Where to Stay in Cusco

We keep clients in the historic center, within walking distance of the main sights.

Palacio Nazarenas, A Belmond Hotel

An all-suite former palace and convent on Inca foundations, with oxygen-enriched suites and a heated outdoor pool. Mark has stayed here, and it is one of our favorite hotels anywhere.

Monasterio, A Belmond Hotel

A 16th-century former seminary on the same square, with stone cloisters, a Baroque chapel and oxygen-enriched rooms on request.

Inkaterra La Casona

Eleven suites in a restored colonial manor on Plaza Nazarenas. Small, quiet and private.

JW Marriott El Convento Cusco

A restored convent with oxygen-enriched rooms throughout and a spa with an indoor pool.

Palacio del Inka, a Luxury Collection Hotel

A colonial mansion facing Qorikancha, with an original Inca wall still visible inside.