“The undisputed archaeological capital of the Americas, Cuzco is the continent’s oldest continuously inhabited city and the gateway to Machu Picchu. Cosmopolitan Cuzco (also Cusco, or Qosq’o in Quechua) thrives with a measure of contradiction. Ornate cathedrals squat over Inca temples, massage hawkers ply the narrow cobblestone passages, a rural Andean woman feeds bottled water to her pet llama while the finest boutiques sell pricey alpaca knits.” – Lonely Planet
Cusco
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Coming
How to Get Here: Planes, Trains and Buses
Hop on Hop off Bus: PeruHop – This is what I took and was pleased with both the service and the experience. If you have the time these other places in Peru are well worth it!
Cusco Specialties: 4 Dishes Not To Be Missed
5 Authentic restaurants where you can eat like a local
Green point – Hands down the best restaurant in Cusco. Do not let the theme (vegan) deter you. It is one of my favorite restaurants in the whole world. And you will leave absolutely stuffed. Lunch buffet has a crowd so get there early! It has both Peruvian food as well as other options. I took plenty of meat eaters here and they absolutely loved it.
Eating
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Sleeping
Both guides give options for various areas of town and for all budgets:
Where to Stay in Cusco: The Ultimate Guide
I would also note that Wild Rover is a ton of fun if you’re looking to party.
Doing
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Staying
Man, ideally you’d have 2-3 weeks to explore the city and its surrounding areas but one week you could see a lot of the highlights.
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Most commonly people head back to Lima, to Bolivia via Puno or to Arequipa. The Peruvian Amazon is also right “nearby”.
Visit my Peru travel page for more general information on traveling Peru such as visas, money, Covid updates and more.
Going
