Best Things to Do in Cusco for First-Time Visitors
Things to Do

Best Things to Do in Cusco for First-Time Visitors

Tourism Cusco July 12, 2026 5 min read

From the cathedral bells over Plaza de Armas to the climb up to Sacsayhuamán, here’s an honest, practical guide to your first days in the old Inca capital.

Cusco doesn’t reveal itself in a hurry. The first morning you’ll feel the altitude in your chest, hear the cathedral bells over Plaza de Armas, and wonder why you booked anything strenuous for day one. Don’t. Cusco rewards a slow start, a careful walking pace, and a willingness to look up at the carved stone lintels above doorways most visitors miss entirely.

Cusco essentials

See the city’s key sights without rushing

Start with Plaza de Armas, Qorikancha, and the four ruins above Cusco in one easy half-day. It’s a sensible first look at the old Inca capital when you want the big names handled efficiently.

What follows is the route I send to friends arriving for the first time. It assumes three full days in the city before the Sacred Valley or Machu Picchu, takes the altitude seriously, and skips the tourist scrum where it can.

1. Spend your first morning around Plaza de Armas

The arcaded square is the right place to land. Order a coca tea at any of the upper-balcony cafés on Portal de Carnes and watch the city wake up. The Cathedral and the smaller Iglesia de la Compañía bracket the plaza in carved Spanish baroque, both built directly on Inca foundations. If you only enter one, choose the Cathedral for the cedar choir stalls and the local-school painting of the Last Supper with cuy on the platter.

Walk to Qorikancha next, ten minutes south. The Inca Temple of the Sun, with the colonial Santo Domingo monastery layered on top, is the clearest visible argument for what was lost and what survived. Go early, before the tour groups.

2. Climb gently to San Blas in the afternoon

San Blas is the artist quarter, a tangle of cobbled lanes climbing northeast from the centre. Take it slowly. Sit in the small Plazoleta de San Blas, visit the tiny church for its pulpit carved from a single piece of cedar, and follow Cuesta de San Blas back down with stops at woodcarver studios. The viewpoint above the neighborhood at sunset is the kind of view that makes you forget you were short of breath an hour ago.

A note on pace: walking uphill at 3,400 metres feels harder than it should for the first 48 hours. Take rests on stone benches, drink water, and don’t apologize for being slow.

3. Walk the Hatunrumiyoc Inca walls

The famous twelve-angled stone is on Hatunrumiyoc, the narrow pedestrian street running uphill from Plaza de Armas toward San Blas. There’s usually a man in costume next to it, posing for photos. Tip him a sol or two if you take one, then keep walking. The whole wall is more impressive than the single stone, and the next side street, Inca Roca, has Inca masonry just as fine without the crowd.

4. The four ruins above the city

Sacsayhuamán, Qenqo, Puka Pukara and Tambomachay sit in a line above Cusco, all covered by the boleto turístico. You can do them in a half day. My preference: take a taxi up to Tambomachay (the highest), then walk slowly back down to Sacsayhuamán, which is best in the late afternoon when the light turns the granite gold.

  • Sacsayhuamán — the great zigzag walls. Allow 90 minutes.
  • Qenqo — a small carved-rock site, 20 minutes is plenty.
  • Puka Pukara — the “red fort”, quick stop, big views.
  • Tambomachay — water channels still running. Peaceful and short.

5. Eat at San Pedro Market, properly

San Pedro is the city’s working market, not a tourist set piece. Skip the souvenir aisle near the front and walk to the back, where the juice stalls press fruit you’ve never seen and the almuerzo counters serve caldo de gallina in clay bowls for a few soles. It’s loud, it’s warm, and it’s the most honest meal in town.

Food and market day

Bring San Pedro Market into your first days

For a warm, local start in Cusco, combine the market with a cooking class and taste the city the way many people do it at lunch: simple, fresh, and satisfying.

What to order

  • Caldo de gallina at any of the soup counters
  • A maracuyá–piña mix at the juice stalls
  • Tamales for the walk back uphill

6. A field-guide note on altitude

The single best thing you can do for your trip is plan the first 48 hours gently. Light meals, no alcohol, water constantly, and no big climbs. If your hotel offers oxygen, accept it the first night. Coca tea genuinely helps. So does sleeping the first two nights in Cusco rather than rushing to the Sacred Valley — counter-intuitively, sleeping at lower altitude in the valley after acclimatizing makes the rest of the trip easier.

7. Where to wander on day three

By the third morning your lungs will have caught up. Walk to the Museo de Arte Precolombino in Plaza de las Nazarenas, then up through Choquechaka to the Convent of Santa Catalina. Lunch at a picantería in San Blas, then a quiet afternoon in the textile workshop at the Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco. Buy something woven by a person you’ve met. It will outlast every photograph you took.

Frequently asked questions

How many days do I need in Cusco itself?

Three full days before the Sacred Valley is the right number for most first-time visitors. Two is workable if you’re tight on time but you’ll feel rushed.

Is the boleto turístico worth it?

For most travellers, yes. The full ticket covers the four ruins above Cusco plus several Sacred Valley sites. If you’re only doing the city ruins, the partial ticket is fine.

What about the weather?

May to September is dry and cold at night. December to March is the rainy season, with afternoon downpours and brilliant mornings. April and October are quietly the best months — fewer visitors, decent weather either side.

Cusco trip idea

Plan an easier Cusco sightseeing day

A guided city tour can connect the headline sights without making you coordinate every transfer and stop yourself.

Cusco City Tour Four Ruins in Half-Day
★ 4.9 (604 reviews)
Top pick for this guide

Cusco City Tour Four Ruins in Half-Day

Free Cancellation

Enjoy the Ancient Inca Capital of Cusco .This Tour is half a day that includes a visit to the main square , the Temple of Sun Koricancha nearby ruins...

from$40Explore city tours
Plan ahead

Line up your Cusco days with the right pace

Begin with the city sights and market, then move into the longer day trips once the altitude feels kinder. That rhythm makes the rest of the trip easier to enjoy.

Cusco City Tour Four Ruins in Half-Day
★ 4.9 (604 reviews)
Top pick for this guide

Cusco City Tour Four Ruins in Half-Day

Free Cancellation

Enjoy the Ancient Inca Capital of Cusco .This Tour is half a day that includes a visit to the main square , the Temple of Sun Koricancha nearby ruins...

from$40View tour

Keep exploring

Cusco City Tour Four Ruins in Half-DayCusco City Tour Four Ruins in Half-DayView Machu Picchu day trip options