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Cusco has some of the best hotels in South America, and most of them are inside the old city, in colonial buildings set on Inca stone. The choice comes down to a handful of places within a few blocks of each other. Here is how Palacio Nazarenas, Monasterio, Inkaterra La Casona, JW Marriott El Convento and Palacio del Inka compare, which ones help with the altitude, and how many nights to give the city.
The best hotels in Cusco cluster in two areas, and both are walkable to the main sights.
If you want quiet streets and a village feel at night, choose Nazarenas. If you want a large full-service hotel, the second group is the better fit.
Palacio Nazarenas was a private palace in the 1500s, built on Inca foundations, then a Jesuit college and later a convent. Belmond restored it and reopened it as a hotel in 2012. All 55 rooms are suites, set around courtyards and gardens where you can still see Inca stonework and colonial frescoes. The suites have oxygen-enriched air, and there is a heated outdoor pool, which is rare in Cusco. Mauka, the restaurant, is led by the Peruvian chef Pía León.
We stayed here, and it is still one of our favorite hotels anywhere. It is quiet, personal and right in the middle of everything, and coming back to it after a day of walking at altitude makes a real difference. The honest caveats: it costs more than most hotels in the city, and 55 suites go quickly in the dry season.
Monasterio is Palacio Nazarenas' older sister, across the same square. Belmond says the site became the San Antonio Abad monastery in 1595, on the foundations of an Inca palace, and it has been a hotel since 1965. It has 117 rooms and suites around stone cloisters, and an ornate Baroque chapel that is still in use. Some rooms have oxygen-enriched air, but not all of them, so ask for one when you book.
Monasterio is Cusco's classic grand hotel, with history in every corridor. It is bigger and busier than Palacio Nazarenas, and it feels more like a landmark than a private house. If Nazarenas is full or over budget, it is the natural alternative, and guests can easily walk between the two.
Inkaterra La Casona is the smallest of the five, with just 11 suites in a restored 16th-century manor house on the same square. Inkaterra opened it as a hotel in 2008, and it was the first Relais & Châteaux property in Peru. The suites have heated floors, fireplaces and large tubs, and the whole place feels more like a private home than a hotel.
It has no big spa or pool, and Inkaterra does not list oxygen-enriched rooms, so it suits travelers who have already spent a few days lower down. It pairs well with Inkaterra's hotel at Machu Picchu.
JW Marriott El Convento occupies a restored 16th-century convent. During the restoration, remains of the Killke culture, which predates the Inca in Cusco, were found on the site, and they are now on display in the hotel. It has 153 rooms and suites, and every one has supplementary oxygen. There is a spa with a heated indoor pool, sauna and steam room.
This is the one we suggest for travelers who are worried about the altitude, for families who want a pool, and for Marriott Bonvoy members. It is a polished international hotel rather than a boutique house, so expect less charm and more consistency.
Palacio del Inka is a 500-year-old mansion directly across from Qorikancha. The Spanish owners built it over part of an Inca estate, using an original Inca wall as the base of the ground floor, and you can still see that wall inside. The house was declared a Historic Monument of Peru in 1972. There is a spa with a thermal circuit, and oxygen is available on request rather than piped into rooms.
It is a good fit for travelers who like a large international brand but want a building with real age to it. Its location near Avenida El Sol is busier and feels less tucked away than the Nazarenas hotels.
Cusco sits at about 3,400 meters, and most people feel it for the first day or two, with headaches, short breath and poor sleep. Oxygen-enriched rooms help you sleep, but they do not replace a few days of adjusting. The Sacred Valley is lower, about 2,870 meters at Urubamba, so we usually fly clients from Lima to Cusco and drive straight down to the valley for the first nights, then see Machu Picchu, and only come up to Cusco at the end.
Good valley bases for those first nights include Rio Sagrado, A Belmond Hotel and Tambo del Inka, which has its own train station for Machu Picchu.
If you do have to start in Cusco, take the first afternoon very easy, drink plenty of water, go light on alcohol, and choose a hotel where oxygen is standard, such as Palacio Nazarenas or JW Marriott El Convento.
Two nights is enough for the Plaza de Armas and the cathedral, Qorikancha, the San Blas lanes and Sacsayhuamán on the hill above the city. Three gives you a slower pace, time for a cooking class or a market visit, and room to eat well, which is easy in Cusco. If you are heading on to Lake Titicaca, which is higher still, the extra night in Cusco helps.
One booking note: Inti Raymi, the festival around June 24, fills hotels and trains, so book well ahead if your dates fall that week.
For the full route, read our guide to Lima, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and Cusco, and see our Peru by Belmond itinerary, which ends with two nights at Palacio Nazarenas or Monasterio. Our Peru page covers the rest of the country.
If you would like help choosing a Cusco hotel and fitting it into a Peru trip, get in touch.
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