Cusco

View of Cusco from the ruins of Sacsayhuaman

Overview

Cusco is known for many things.  Being the capital of the ancient Incan Empire and its proximity to the hallowed ruins of Machu Picchu are tops on the list of Cusco’s popularity.  The city itself is set in a gorgeous setting, surrounded by mountains, with ancient Incan stonework on almost every block.  While tourism is obviously flourishing in Cusco, and that means touts, crowded streets, hostels, and restaurants, it’s still a charming place to visit and stay for a while.  There’s plenty to see and do in and around Cusco, so do yourself a favor and hang around for a while.  Don’t just jet in and out on your way to and from Machu Picchu.

Getting There/Arriving

Airplane- Cusco’s airport is located southeast from the city center, only about a mile away (1.6 km).  There are daily flights to Lima and Arequipa.  If traveling during high season (May, July, October, and December-March), make sure to book in advance as flights fill quickly.  Taxis are pretty cheap, and just like the rest of Peru, there are no meters and you will have to settle on a price before departing.

Bus- The bus station is also close to the city center, and daily buses run to Lima, Nazca, Puno, and Copacabana and La Paz in Bolivia.  Be aware that travel to and from Cusco can be delayed by weather, especially during the rainy season, so plan accordingly.

Getting Around

The center of Cusco is pretty small and easily walkable.  Keep in mind that elevation is Cusco is nearly 11,000 feet (3310 meters), and streets and staircases can be steep, so take your time, stay hydrated, and get some rest your first few days in town.  Taxis are everywhere, cheap, and readily available.  No meters, so agree on a price before getting in.  A few mile journey should only cost you about 3 soles (about $1US).

Where to Stay

All hotels are located in and around the city center, with the Plaza de Armas serving as the central landmark.  There are hostels and hotels of all different types, styles, and prices, so you have plenty of options.

A few notes and tips about accommodations in Cusco:

• It can get pretty cold in Cusco, and many of the cheaper accommodations don’t have heat, so ask if they have any portable heaters to use
• Hot water-make sure you ask if they have hot water 24 hours a day.  Many don’t, and some don’t have hot water at all.  Not having hot water in Vietnam is not a big deal, but not having it at 11,000 feet is not so fun, especially if you don’t have heat.  Be aware that even if your hostel says they have hot water 24 hours a day, parts of the day may not.
• High season-prices skyrocket from June-August, so be prepared to pay double.  If you visit during low or shoulder season, then you have some bargaining power.   Remember that you are in South America, where nearly everything can be negotiated, so walk around and get the best price you can.
• If you’re not here during high season, then it’s not necessary to book anything in advance (unless you are arriving in the middle of the night).  I would suggest arriving and have your taxi driver drop you off at the Plaza de Armas, then start strolling around.  We walked around for hours until we found the best deal for what we were looking for.

Where we Stayed-We arrived in Cusco about 5am on an overnight bus from Arequipa.  We did not have anything booked in advance, so we just hung around the bus station for a bit until the sun came up, then took a taxi to Plaza de Armas.  We proceeded to walk around the Plaza and San Blas area, looking at at least 15-20 different places.   We finally settled on the San Blas II.  We were there during shoulder season, so we were able to bargain for our room.  We ended up in a double with private bath/shower for $25US.  It included a hot breakfast, had heat and semi-hot showers.  Check out the review of San Blas II for more in depth information.

Food and Drink

Street Food-We kept getting braver and braver the longer we were gone, and we ate more food from the street while in Cusco, including our first market meal at Mercado Santa Ana.  There are plenty of good restaurants around Cusco, but they are a bit pricier than Arequipa and even some of the little hole in the walls we found in Lima.  Cusco is a tourist town, know that coming in, and realize that most restaurants cater to tourists, not locals, particularly anywhere in the vicinity of Plaza de Armas.

If you head to the Plaza San Francisco, they always seemed to have people walking around with baskets of empanadas and tamales, usually 3 for 3 soles (about $1US), so those made for good lunchtime snacks for super cheap.  We finally braved market food at Mercado Santa Ana (just a bit further down the street from Plaza San Francisco away from Plaza de Armas), and it was fine, nothing to write home about.  Market food in South America is good for a cheap meal, but you’re not getting a top notch meal like you do in SE Asia.  We just had a fried fish lunch served with fries, rice, and salad (we steered clear of the salad though), all for about 3 soles as well, so it was a decent, cheap lunch.

Sandwich Street- Located near Plaza de Armas, on Plateros, sandwich street is the name given to this area because of the sandwich stalls that set up late night (after midnight) for patrons of the bars.  Good, cheesy, greasy, cheap, and usually topped with an egg, this is Cusco’s version of a late night, drunken, fast food run.  If you like to drink and eat terrible for you food sometimes like we do, I suggest hitting up sandwich street one night after a night out.

Restaurants- With Cusco being a tourist town, authentic restaurants where the locals eat aren’t the easiest to find.  They’re around, I’m sure, but we didn’t venture too far out of the city center, so we didn’t come across as many as we did elsewhere in Peru.  We did have some great food while in Cusco.  Check out the following for some good eats:

• 

  Signs in Nick's Sports Bar-Guinea Pig anyone?

  Sumaq Misky and Nick’s Sports Bar (one place)-One of my favorite places, which served the double alpaca bacon cheeseburger.  They also served the local delicacy, guinea pig (which we did not try) on certain days.  We also tried paltas rellenas (stuffed avocados) here and other places around town, which, if you like avocados, were spectacular.

• Jack’s Cafe- Jack’s is a tourist restaurant, plain and simple.  It doesn’t try to hide it.  They have a wide variety of food, and we ate here several times, having a yummy taco salad, burgers, and other sandwiches, each time accompanied by a delicious mint lime shake.  Jack’s is located on Choquechaca and Rumiyoc, the latter being the street that has the stone of 12 angles.  We frequented many restaurants on Choquechaca, all near each other.
• Chocolate- This little cafe served, yep, you guessed it, some scrumptious chocolate, hot chocolate, and coffee.  It’s a tiny little place with only a few tables, but if no one else is there, it’s great to chill and unwind after a day of sightseeing.  This is a few doors down from Jack’s.
• Cafe Cultural Ritual- We had some some good sandwiches from this restaurant, located near the last three places.  It’s a bit cheaper than the rest, but still pretty good, so go here if you want to save a few bucks.

Drinks- As has been mentioned, Cusco is a touristy town, so avoiding touristy restaurants and bars is not an easy thing to do.  So what better thing to do than embrace it and find some good spots?  If clubbing is your thing (it’s not ours), supposedly Cusco has a hopping nightlife with plenty of clubs for all night dancing and partying.

• Sumaq Misky and Nick’s Sports Bar- This became my go to spot while in Cusco.  They had relatively inexpensive Peruvian beers, the aforementioned good food, and then the kicker, the Sunday NFL Ticket with several football games being played on the three televisions.  I have to admit that it was nice to spend a few Sundays at the bar watching football and thinking of home, and the people who worked there were super nice as well, so it was a great place to hang out.
• Inkafe- This place served beer, wine, other alcoholic drinks, and really tasty coffee drinks, and had live, Peruvian music which was very entertaining.  It is across the street from Jack’s.
• 

  Posing after a great night at the South American Explorer's Club

  South American Explorer’s Club-If you’ve never heard of this before, you may want to check out their website and decide if you want to join.  The Cusco clubhouse was right next door to our hostel (it has since moved since we were there), which was convenient, and we were lucky enough to be there during Halloween, where they hosted a party.  It looks like they host various events throughout the year, so check them out.  We met tons of great people, had a few too many drinks, and had a great time

Things to Do

Obviously the vast majority, if not all, tourists who come through Cusco are doing so because they are heading to Machu Picchu.  There are separate pages dedicated to both the classic Inca Trail hike (a two part series) and Machu Picchu itself, so be sure to check those out, along with the post about exploring the Incan ruins surrounding Cusco.  Chances are you will have to spend some time in Cusco acclimating to the elevation, and there is plenty to do while there.

Museums-As you probably know by now, museums aren’t my favorite of activities, but there are some pretty cool ones around Cusco.

• Museo de Arte Precolombino- ($6US/person) The building and courtyard of the museum is quite impressive along with the artifacts.  Pottery, gold and silver metalwork, and wood carvings and shells from various local indigenous cultures are all on display here.  All exhibits had both Spanish and English explanations, which was not always the case, so it was much appreciated.
• Museo Inka- ($2.50US/person) Housed in the Palacio del Almirante located north of Plaza de Armas, this museum is a great place to visit before your trip to Machu Picchu.  It traces the culture from pre-Incan times through present day, with various items like ceramic, textiles, metalwork, jewelry, and architecture.

Churches- Four churches surround the Plaza de Armas, and like most cities in South America, large, ornate churches dot the surrounding streets.  Many of the churches that stand today are built on sacred Incan sites.

• Cathedral- The massive Cathedral on the northeast end of the plaza is built on the site of the Palace of Inca Wiracocha.  Tourists are allowed in on Monday-Wednesday and Friday-Saturday (10-11:30am; 2-5:30pm) and Thursday and Sunday (2-5:30pm).  The exterior is impressive, but the inside has plenty of highlights, like the solid silver altar and the oldest known painting of Cusco, depicting the 1650 earthquake.
• Jesus Maria- Travelers must enter the Cathedral through this church, which is to the left when facing it
• El Triunfo-This church sits to the right of the Cathedral and is the first Christian church that was built in the city and sits on the site of the Inca Roundhouse.
• La Compania de Jesus- The exterior of this church is simply beautiful, and the color contrasts well with the green in the Plaza and the bright blue skies with puffy white clouds that Cusco gets because of the altitude.  This was built on the site of the Palace of the Serpents.

Squares- Squares, squares, and more squares are located in Cusco, and I love them all.  I really wish we had common areas like these in the United States.  While I enjoy and love all the green space and parks we have, a few massive open squares would be much appreciated as well.  They’re just great places to watch the world go by.

• Plaza de Armas- You already know that Plaza de Armas is the heart of Cusco, and the surrounding churches and architecture are stunning.  The massive fountain in the middle is also a nice touch.  While Cusco is overrun with touts and people vying for your business, most are pretty nice and go away with a firm “No” and shake of the head.  Don’t be surprised to be approached by locals just wanting to chat and practice their English with you.  This is a great time to practice your Spanish with them.
• Plaza de San Francisco-  I mentioned this square in the food section under street food.  It’s much smaller than Plaza de Armas, but it’s quite nice.  There is a school nearby as well, so it’s a pretty cool place to be in the afternoon when all the little ones are running around after school.  Tasty treats are usually available from various food vendors, and a nice market is located right up the road.

Ruins Outside Cusco- ($47US-total-entrance and guide at Sacsayhuaman) The ruins at Machu Picchu and the immediate surroundings aren’t the only ones to see.  In fact, there are many in and around Cusco, from Incan stonework all over the city to Sacsayhuaman just a short walk out of town.

• Sacsayhuaman to Pisac- A road goes from Sacsayhuaman to Pisac, with ruins at Qenqo, Puka Pukara, and Tambo Machay along the way.  A day trip is possible from Cusco, and all can be done on foot if you get an early enough start.  We saw all four ruins and turned around to hike back after seeing Tambo Machay.  All were a great a precursor for the big one, so if you have the time, be sure to check them out.  It’s a great way to spend the day, and it really gets you fired up for Machu Picchu.