To the southeast of Cusco there are more Inca and pre-Inca sites in Tipón and Pikillacta, almost as spectacular as any of these Sacred Valley tour but much less visited, not only because of the lack of local infrastructure for food and travel.

Experience any of the Cusco tours with a panoramic view by train to Puno and Lake Titicaca, the landscapes are spectacular as any in the country.

Best time to visit Peru Machu Picchu Cusco and its surroundings is during the dry season (May to September), when it is hot during the day, but the weather is relatively cold at night.

During the rainy season (October to April) it does not rain every day, but when it does, the rains are intense.

Arrival, information and urban transport.

The Velasso Astete International Airport in Cusco is 4 km south of the city center. Keep in mind that the airport is full of visits to tourists, which should be avoided.

If you come by train from Juliaca, Puno or Arequipa, you will arrive at the Wanchac train station in the southeast of the city; walk a hundred meters to Avenida Sol, from where you can take a bus or walk eight or nine blocks up a gentle slope to the Plaza de Armas in the center of the city.

To getting around Cusco up to Sacsayhuaman without the amazing experience of walking up there before it has actually been acclimated to the altitude, you can take the Cusco tours bus wooden Tranvia Cusco, which takes a scenic drive through the historic center to Sacsayhuaman and returns almost every day.

Mountain disease

Soroche, or mountain sickness, is a reality for most people who takin most Cusco tours who normally live in low lands by sea level and must be treated with respect.

It is vital to take things slowly, not eat or drink much when you arrive, even sleep a whole day just to help acclimatize (coca tea is a good local remedy).

After three days at this height, most people have adjusted enough to cope with moderate increases at similar or lower altitudes.

Anyone who is considering attacking the main mountains around Cusco will need time to adapt again to their higher base before starting any Cusco tours, even if they are in the sacred valley.

Urban transport

The center of Cusco is small enough to walk. Taxis can be dropped on any street, particularly at the Plaza de Armas, Avenida Sol and around the Plaza San Francisco market; Tours in Cusco to Sacsayhuaman and Quenko.

The city’s bus network is incredibly difficult to understand, although it’s cheap and fast enough, but it’s also largely unregulated, with minibuses storing their destinations on the front windshields. More useful are the groups that run along Avenida Sol.

Tourist Ticket Cusco (Tourist Ticket – Cusco)

The Cusco tourist ticket is a vital purchase for most visitors. It is the only way to access most of the major Cusco tours in the city and region, and has useful maps and other information, including opening hours.

It does not give entrance to the Cathedral, the Church of San Blas or the Museum of Religious Art, each of which has a separate entrance fee. The ticket is, in theory, available on all ticket sites, but in practice it is better to buy at the tourist information office on Mantas Street.

The city

Despite the apparently complex structure of the street, it does not take long to face Cusco. The city is divided into five distinct main areas around various plazas, temples and churches, with the Plaza de Armas at the heart of it all.

The area south of the Plaza to Koricancha begins along the broad Avenida Sol that goes downhill and southeast from the corner of the plaza by the university and the Compañía Church to the Inca temple in Koricancha, the station of Huanchac train and to the airport in the south.

Running uphill and to the southwest from the top of Avenida Sol, the area that encompasses Plaza San Francisco and Mercado Central follows Calle Mantas past the Plaza and the Church of Santa Clara, and then continues to the Mercado Central and the San Pedro train station.

Just one block west of the central plaza, you will find the neighboring Plaza Regocijo, smaller and more leafy, which has Inca origins and is home to some of the best mansions in the city, as well as the modest municipal palace.

From the northeast corner of the Plaza de Armas, Triunfo Street leads uphill through a classic Inca alley of stone walls before passing through cobbled streets to the artisan neighborhood of San Blas.

Included on most Cusco tours is possible to visit the small but elegant Plaza Nazarenas, northeast of downtown. Going northwest on Plateros Street, uphill from the Plaza de Armas, you will pass some really charming streets that lead to the fortress of Sacsayhua