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Best Things To Do in Cusco, Peru

Planning a trip to Cusco Peru? Here’s everything you need to know before you go to Cusco. Read below for our tips on adjusting to the Cusco altitude, the best things to do in Cusco, the best day trips to take from Cusco, and the best Cusco hotels! Use this guide to plan the ultimate trip to Peru so you don’t miss any of the highlights!

Plaza De Armas in Cusco Peru — Best Things To Do in Cusco Peru

How many days to spend in Cusco Peru?

One full day is plenty of of time to explore Cusco itself. But you’ll definitely want to plan a few extra days for day trips from Cusco. First I’ll show you the best things to do in Cusco Peru, then the best day trips to take from Cusco Peru.

Rooftop view in Cusco Peru — Best Things To Do in Cusco Peru
Rooftop view in Cusco Peru

Best Things To Do in Cusco Peru

First, here are the best things to do in Cusco Peru:

Plaza De Armas in Cusco Peru — Best Things To Do in Cusco Peru

Plaza De Armas

The Plaza De Armas is the main square of Cusco, lined with colorful colonial buildings and views of all the houses on the hills surrounding Cusco Peru. One of the main highlights of the square is the Cusco Cathedral.

Colorful roses at San Pedro Market in Cusco Peru — Best Things To Do in Cusco Peru

San Pedro Market

The San Pedro Market is a lively covered market with exotic fruits and vegetables, spices, chocolates, handcrafted souvenirs, colorful flowers, meats, cheese, and more. I highly recommend the Cusqueño brand Maras Salted Chocolate you can buy here! They will even let you try samples of chocolate at this market!

Exotic fruit at San Pedro Market in Cusco Peru — Best Things To Do in Cusco Peru

Free Walking Tour

We stayed at the JW Marriott in Cusco and they offered a free walking tour to the market with their executive chef. What an amazing experience! He explained all the exotic fruits and vegetables on display — some I had never seen or heard of before in my entire life! We even got to try samples of the fruits.

Can you guess the fruits in the first two pictures? I’ll give you a hint… The first one is not passionfruit!

As you’re walking to the market from the Plaza de Armas, you’ll go under a big arch. Just before the arch you’ll see a little shop selling fried bread. They fry it fresh on the spot for you, then roll it in sugar. Inside is filled with warm dulce de leche. SO GOOD!! Here is the approximate {GPS Location} of the shop.

Churros in Cusco Peru — Best Things To Do in Cusco Peru

In the market there was a young boy with a giant cart of churros covered in chocolate and dulce de leche. Of course I had to try one!

Qorikancha in Cusco Peru — Best Things To Do in Cusco Peru

Qorikancha

In the middle of Cusco Peru are the ruins of a 15th-century Inca temple that once had walls and floors covered in pure gold.

{GPS Location}


Best Day Trips to Take from Cusco Peru

There are so many incredible places to see around Cusco Peru. After one full day in Cusco, you’ll also want at least 2-4 full days for day trips from Cusco. Here are the best day trips to take from Cusco:

Rainbow Mountain Peru — Day Trips from Cusco Peru

Rainbow Mountain

See this post: Rainbow Mountain Day Trip from Cusco

Humantay Lake — Day Trips from Cusco Peru

Humantay Lake

See this post: Humantay Lake Day Trip from Cusco

Sacred Valley Peru — Day Trips from Cusco Peru

Sacred Valley of Peru

If you’re going to Peru, you can’t miss the Sacred Valley. Although I recommend staying in the Sacred Valley itself and visiting from there, its definitely possible (and easy) to visit the Sacred Valley as day trips from Cusco Peru (I recommend taking two days). See the post below for a recommended itinerary.

See this post: Where to Stay and What to Do in the Sacred Valley of Peru

Machu Picchu — Day Trips from Cusco Peru

Machu Picchu

Yes, you can see Machu Picchu as a day trip from Cusco Peru! The JW Marriott in Cusco will arrange everything for you. They will book your train tickets and your entry tickets to Machu Picchu and everything else you need. Let them handle everything for you! This is definitely the easiest and fastest way to see Machu Picchu.

See this post: The Ultimate Guide to Machu Picchu


Best Restaurants in Cusco Peru

Best Restaurants in Cusco Peru — Best Things To Do in Cusco Peru

Marcelo Batata

One of my favorite places we ate has the best rooftop view of Cusco Peru!! Definitely plan to have lunch at Marcelo Batata one day. This non-alcoholic passionfruit lemonade was incredible!!

Best Restaurants in Cusco Peru — Best Things To Do in Cusco Peru

Homemade chips and avocado with Maras salt. The shrimp, mango, and avocado appetizer was also incredible!

Best Restaurants in Cusco Peru — Best Things To Do in Cusco Peru

La Rabona Peruvian Deli

If you need a spot to grab a sandwich or traditional Peruvian dessert, check out La Rabona. This chocolate dulce de leche cake was to die for! They also had soo many other things on the menu that looked so good, like hot paninis on freshly baked focaccia and so much more.

Best Restaurants in Cusco Peru — Best Things To Do in Cusco Peru

Best Restaurants in Cusco Peru — Best Things To Do in Cusco Peru

Qucharitas

This is the most popular ice cream shop in Cusco Peru! Located on a narrow, pedestrian alley, they make your ice cream fresh in front you when you order.


Hotels in Cusco Peru — Best Things To Do in Cusco Peru

Cusco Hotels

If you’re looking for the best hotels in Cusco Peru, hands down, the BEST place to stay in Cusco is the JW Marriott El Convento Cusco. It’s very well located and within walking distance to everything.

You may have heard that Cusco and Machu Picchu are at a high altitude and you need to give yourself plenty of time to acclimate. It’s true. Symptoms of altitude sickness are headaches and nausea. But what the JW Marriott does is truly amazing.

Cusco altitude — 11,152 feet

The JW Marriott in Cusco pumps oxygen into the rooms so you acclimate to the altitude faster. Even the locals recommend staying at the Marriott your first night to help you acclimate. It makes you feel like you’re 3,000 feet lower than you actually are, which can make a HUGE different in how you feel! There are so many awesome things to see and do around Cusco, you don’t have time to be sick. Stay at the JW Marriott so you can feel your best and not miss anything in Peru!

Hotels in Cusco Peru — Best Things To Do in Cusco Peru

How gorgeous is this bathroom?? I loved all the luxury amenities here. The shampoo and conditioner were SO good! I wish I knew what they were so I could buy them and use them at home!! My hair was SO clean and soft! I also hoarded all the mini bottles of lavender lotion so I could take some home with me. It smelled SO good! There was also a full-size Colgate toothbrush and a travel size bottle of toothpaste. If all hotels had amenities like this I could pack a lot less when I traveled, lol!

Inca Location in Cusco Peru — Best Things To Do in Cusco Peru

Built on an Original Inca Foundation

The JW Marriot in Cusco was actually built on an original Inca foundation. When they were excavating for the hotel, they found ancient ruins with Inca and even pre-Inca colonies. They found over 2,000 artifacts which were sent to museums. The JW Marriott preserved these ruins and you can still see them inside the hotel today. They even offer a daily tour with a monk to explain the history of the site. Some of the rooms even have views of the ancient Inca walls!

Pisco Sour in Cusco Peru — Best Things To Do in Cusco Peru

Try Pisco Sour in Cusco Peru

The JW Marriott in Cusco is seriously one of the most fun hotels I’ve ever been to! They offer so many complimentary activities, like a Pisco Sour class every evening at the bar. You’ll learn about the history of the Pisco Sour, how to make one, and even get a free Pisco Sour to drink during the class!

Hotel breakfast in Cusco Peru — Best Things To Do in Cusco Peru

Breakfast at the JW Marriott in Cusco Peru is AMAZING. Oh my gosh, where do I start?? I’ll mention some of my favorites: the omelet station, the create-your-own pancakes and waffles with with Nutella, whipped cream, chocolate, and peanut butter, the lemon poundcake, the chocolate chip cookies, double fudge chocolate chip cookies, the fruit infused juice which changed daily, and SO much more.

Hotel breakfast in Cusco Peru — Best Things To Do in Cusco Peru

How cute are these fruit cups in a jar??

Hotel breakfast in Cusco Peru — Best Things To Do in Cusco Peru

You guys. I was DYING over this “almond croissant”!! That was the name, but honestly it tasted to me like honey butter croissant! Whatever you call it, it was SO good!!

Hotel spa in Cusco Peru — Best Things To Do in Cusco Peru

Oh my gosh, this was probably my favorite room in the entire hotel!! The spa at the JW Marriott in Cusco Peru has a pool, hot tub, and sauna available for all guests. I seriously could not think of a more perfect way to relax after hiking all day!!

Cuddle a baby llama in Cusco Peru!

And possibly the most amazing thing about the JW Marriott in Cusco… They have a daily meet and greet with a baby llama every morning in the courtyard. That’s right. You can cuddle your very own baby llama!! This little girl was SO precious!! I want to hug her every day!!!!

On Saturday nights they have a bonfire in the courtyard with complimentary s’mores. On Friday afternoons they have a dessert cart with doughnuts, pies, and cakes. There’s complimentary tea all day every day. On Wednesdays they offer complimentary cooking classes with the executive chef. They also offer complimentary yoga classes 3 times a week.

The staff was so friendly and helpful. I’d like to mention Brian and Jesus by name. They went above and beyond to make sure we had everything we needed. I highly, highly recommend staying at the JW Marriott for an amazing experience in Cusco Peru!

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9 Responses
  1. Eileen Shegelman

    Your blog is amazing. Love love all your pictures! My daughter and I are going to Cusco June 2022.

    We are wanting to do 3 day trips Rainbow Mountain, Salt Mines, and Lake. Would you be able to send me the name of your driver. Thank you so much
    eileen

  2. Claudia Franco

    Hello Amanda,
    Your blog is amazing, I love your tips! Can you please share with me the name and contact of the driver you had? I would love to do the Rainbow mountain and the lake on my own after reading your info. Thank you!

  3. Diana

    Thanks to your blog we will be staying at JW Marriott when we visit in April. What tour company do you reco to take us to MP & Sacred Valley and what is the contact number to your driver. Thanks so much for such an informative blog. We are following your itinerary. 

    1. Amanda

      I will you email our driver’s info. He can take you to Sacred Valley. If you want to book a tour for MP, the Marriott can arrange that for you. Have a great trip! :)

  4. lindsey helbling

    Hi Amanda,

    Your guides have been so helpful as we are planning our trip for early June.

    We are staying at the JW Marriott in Cusco and were trying to locate the free walking tour to the market you mentioned above.
    How did you sign up for this?
    Many thanks!

    1. Amanda

      Hi Lindsey! You can just ask about it when you get to the hotel. They offer it on certain days. Have a great trip!!

  5. Michele

    Wow I’ve never wanted to stay at hotel so bad after reading a blog post! What an amazing sounding hotel! Thanks for sharing!

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Meet Kevin & Amanda

Kevin and Amanda

We love to travel and to eat! Here we share our favorite quick and easy recipes, plus travel tips and guides for our favorite places around the world. If you have any questions about what camera I use or how I edit my photos, check out my photography tutorials.

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