Cusco Walking Tour: A Self-Guided Five-Stop Route Through Cusco's Historic Heart and History
Image Source: Bruce Tuten via Wikimedia Commons
Cusco wears its history on its sleeve. Like nowhere else in Peru, this part-Incan, part-Colonial city tangibly reveals its past and present to those who know where to look.
On this five-stop walking route through Cusco, explore some of the historic, gastronomic, and cultural wonders of this millennia-old Andean city.
Stop #1: Plaza de Armas
Image Source: Diego Delso via Wikimedia Commons
Peek behind the veil of this ancient-meets-modern Andean city by beginning your Cusco exploration in the Plaza de Armas—the central square located in the belly of Cusco’s puma-shaped form. Sit on the steps in front of La Catedral and get acquainted with the pace and atmosphere of a 3,000-year-old city.
When the Spanish conquered Cusco in 1532, the Plaza de Armas was transformed to look the way it does today. La Catedral was built atop the palace of Inca Viracocha, while the Jesuits constructed La Compañía de Jesús (the baroque church to its left) over Inca Huayna Cápac’s palace.
Tickets are required to enter La Catedral, except during mass hours. You can purchase a one-off ticket right at the entrance of the cathedral for 40 soles. If you’re interested in stepping inside more churches and cathedrals in Cusco, I’d recommend purchasing the Religious Circuit Ticket instead. It includes entrance to the Cathedral, the Temple of San Cristobal, and the Museo de Arte Religioso. This ticket is available for purchase at any of the sites included. The cost is 50 soles and its good for 30 days from purchase.
Stop #2: San Pedro Market
Image Source: Scott Ableman via Flickr
From the steps of La Catedral, walk south across the Plaza de Armas to the corner of Avenida del Sol and Calle Mantas. Follow Calle Mantas for a scenic stroll past a string of colonial churches, to include La Merced followed by La Iglesia y Convento de San Francisco, and finally the mirrored La Iglesia y Convento de Santa Clara, located just before the San Pedro Market entrance, Cusco’s largest traditional market and the beating heart of Cusco local life.
Wander the market to witness locals bartering for their evening’s dinner ingredients or scraping their plates clean in the market’s dining section. Before leaving, sit down for a made-to-order juice, and don’t forget to ask for your “yapa” (free refill). When I lived in Cusco, a fresh mango, strawberry, and orange juice from the juice vendors at San Pedro Market was a daily routine.
If you’ve got the time and the budget for it, many cooking classes in Cusco include guided tours of this market, where you’ll be led by a chef through the market to purchase the ingredients for your meal while learning about a bit of its history and the role this market plays in daily life for locals.
Here are a few highly rated cooking classes on Viator that include a tour of San Pedro Market:
Market Tour & Traditional Peruvian Cooking Class: A three-course, chef-led cooking and market tour experience that includes learning how to make an avocado and quinoa salad, the yummy huancaina sauce, a trout ceviche with mango, lomo saltado, and to drink, a pisco or passion fruit sour. Price: $53USD per person
Peruvian Cooking Class & Visit to Local Market in Cusco: In this 4-hour cooking class and market tour you’ll learn how to prepare a ceviche trio, alpaca steak with mashua cream and purple corn, stuffed chili peppers with potato cakes, and lucuma gnocci or custard apple ice cream for dessert. Price: $59USD per person
Hand’s On Peruvian Cooking Class & Guided San Pedro Market Visit: Alongside a professional chef, learn how to make a passion fruit pisco sour, a classic ceviche or tiradito nikkei, quinoa risotto or sous vide alpaca and roasted potatoes, and for dessert, a parfait of local fruit. Price: $55USD per person
Stop #3: The Qoricancha (Inca Sun Temple)
Image Source: Kirk K via Flickr
From the San Pedro Market, find Calle Nueva just beyond the market’s north exit. Follow the street left until you intersect with Avenida del Sol. Turn right and keep walking until the towering Qoricancha (Inca Sun Temple) and Santo Domingo Convent come into view. Snap a photo from its most regal side, then continue up the street to its left for a guided tour of the Inca Empire’s most important site.
The Qoricancha is not included in the Cusco Tourist Ticket, so you’ll need to purchase a ticket at the entrance. The price is 10 soles for adults, 5 soles for students with valid student ID, and free for children under 10. There are guides for hire at the entrance, too.
Stop #4: Calle Loreto
Image Source: TravelingOtter via Flickr
Continue your wanderings by making a left out of the Qoricancha, then right onto Pampa de Castillo (a street of chicharronerías, restaurants specializing in fried pork). Continue straight to arrive at Calle Loreto, a narrow, pedestrian-only street that instantly transports you back to the city’s Incan roots.
The walls that line each side are some of the oldest and best examples of Cusco’s original Inca construction. Notice the uniformly square or rectangular-shaped stones bonded together without the help of any mortar, a construction that denotes these walls once belonged to two very important Inca buildings; In this case, the sacred buildings of Acllahuasi (House of the Chosen Women) to your right and the Amaruqancha (the courtyard belonging to Inca Huayna Cápac’s palace) to your left.
Stop #5: The Twelve-Angled Stone
Image Source: David Stanley via Flickr
When you rejoin the Plaza de Armas, turn right and follow Calle Triunfo up one block to Calle Hatun Rumiyoc, the street of the Twelve-Angled Stone. If the crowds don’t give it away, this impressive feat of masonry is located about halfway down the street and is one of the best examples of the Inca’s prowess for cutting and shaping stones like jigsaw puzzle pieces—a form of masonry reserved for the palaces of Incan Emperors; In this case, the palace of the sixth Inca, Roca.
That’s your five-stop Cusco walking route finished! If you’re looking for even more commentary via a guide, here are a few guided city tour options with great reviews:
Free Walking Tour: For a quick two-hour primer of Cusco’s historic center entirely on foot, sign up for this free walking tour. They operate tip-based tours daily at 10am, 12:30pm, and 3:30pm, meeting out front of KFC in the Plaza de Armas. Look for their red t-shirts that read “Free Walking Tour Cusco.”
Cusco Half-Day City Tour Featuring Four Ruins: This 5-hour, small group guided tour takes you to all of Cusco's most important landmarks, including the main square and the temple of Qoricancha, as well as the nearby ruins of Sacsayhuaman, Qenko, Puca Pucara, and Tambomachay. As entrance fees are not included in the ticket price, be sure to have a Cusco Tourist Ticket already in hand for the best deal. Price: $40USD
Open Bus Cusco City Tour: Affordable and comprehensive, this double-decker bus sightseeing tour will take you to various sites in the city center and its outskirts, including Sacsayhuaman (skip-the-line admission included) and Qenqo. Your guide will offer facts and storytelling along the way. Price: $15USD
Half-Day City Tour of Cusco: This 5-hour guided tour includes stops at the Qorikancha, Sacsayhuaman, the Cusco Cathedral, and Puka Pukara. The highly rated guides provide context for each site and tidbits about Peruvian and ancient Incan culture. Note that admission to each site is not included in the tour price. Price: $25USD
Travel Resources
Accommodations: When I’m not booking directly with the accommodation (which is sometimes cheaper), I often use Booking.com, Trivago, and Hostelworld.com. Agoda is also a great tool when searching for longer stay options at discounted rates that include hotels and private homes.
Tours: While I personally prefer do-it-yourself travel most of the time, sometimes it’s just better with a guide. In those cases, I typically use Viator, GetYourGuide, EatWith, and Airbnb Experiences. For self-guided audio tours, I recommend WeGoTrip.
Flights: My favorite flight aggregator tool is WayAway and my favorite tool for finding out about the best flight deals is FareDrop.
Shuttle Services: My go-to is Bookaway. They operate in more than 90 countries and work with only the top, traveler-reviewed suppliers in each country.
Rental Cars: While I more often take public transport when I travel, there have been destinations that are better explored by renting a car (like Costa Rica and Europe/UK for example). In these instances, I recommend starting your car rental search on Discover Cars. They compare car rental deals across more than 500 suppliers, including Hertz, Enterprise, Avis, and more.
Travel Insurance: If you’re a full-time nomad like me, I recommend SafetyWing. Look into their Nomad Travel Medical Insurance and Nomad Health Insurance (a full-fledged health insurance that covers your emergency and non-emergency medical needs worldwide, including in your country of residence). If you’re not a full-time traveler, I’d recommend Squaremouth. It aggregates your insurance options across more than 22 providers and offers what I’ve found to be the best rates.
Travel ATM & Credit Cards: If you travel often and like perks like airport lounge access and annual travel credit, I recommend the Capital One Venture X credit card that includes Priority Pass, a $300 annual travel credit, and covers your Global Entry or TSA Precheck fee. For a fee-free ATM card that reimburses you at the end of every month for any incurred ATM fees, I recommend opening a Schwab Bank Investor Checking Account.
VPN: I recommend Surfshark. It’s one of the best and most budget-friendly VPN services out there.
