← CUSCO TRAVEL GUIDE🏔️
SOUTH AMERICA · PERU
5-Day Cusco Itinerary
Inca capital, Sacred Valley, and the lost city
Cusco is the gateway to the Inca world — a beautiful colonial-on-Inca city, the terraced Sacred Valley, and Machu Picchu itself, the lost citadel high in the cloud forest.
BEST TIME
May–September (dry season)
BALLPARK
$800–$1,700 per person
Your 5-day Cusco itinerary
Day 1 · Arrive & settle in
Land, drop your bags, and ease into Cusco with something low-key nearby. Spend two days in Cusco first to acclimatize to 11,000 ft before Machu Picchu.
Day 2 · Machu Picchu
Spend the morning on the highlight, then in the afternoon or evening: cusco’s san blas and plaza de armas.
Day 3 · Sacred Valley (Pisac, Ollantaytambo)
Spend the morning on the highlight, then in the afternoon or evening: rainbow mountain trek.
Day 4 · Sacsayhuamán ruins
Spend the morning on the highlight, then in the afternoon or evening: peruvian food and pisco sours.
Day 5 · Last morning & departure
Squeeze in one more before you go — machu picchu if you have time — then head to the airport.
Top things to do in Cusco
- Machu Picchu
- Cusco’s San Blas and Plaza de Armas
- Sacred Valley (Pisac, Ollantaytambo)
- Rainbow Mountain trek
- Sacsayhuamán ruins
- Peruvian food and pisco sours
More detail: the best things to do in Cusco →
LOCAL TIP
Spend two days in Cusco first to acclimatize to 11,000 ft before Machu Picchu.
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