Just landed in Cusco? Our Cusco City Tour (Half Day), led by an experienced local guide, offers the best introduction to the city, its culture, and its history.
Cusco, the captivating ancient capital of the Inca Empire, serves as the gateway to one of the wonders of the world, Machu Picchu. It’s the perfect place to experience the blend of two cultures and architectures (Incan and Spanish). The Cusco City Tour is a must when visiting Cusco and is often one of the first highlights for all tourists. From the bustling San Pedro Market to historic sites, Cusco has a unique look and feel that sets it apart from the rest of Peru.
This tour includes the following attractions:
At the end of the tour, we will return to the city of Cusco, where the transport will drop you off 2 to 3 blocks from Cusco’s Plaza de Armas.
(This tour offers two time slots for booking: morning and afternoon. The following itinerary is for the afternoon tour (1:00 pm to 6:00 pm).)
(In the morning, Monday to Saturday: Pickups begin at 8:00 am, with the tour starting at 9:00 am. The route follows: Qoricancha → 4 Ruins of Cusco (Sacsayhuamán, Qenqo, Puca Pucara, and Tambomachay) → Cathedral. We finish around 2:30 pm.)
(In the afternoon, Monday to Sunday: Cathedral → Qoricancha → 4 Ruins of Cusco. We finish around 6:00 pm.)
(On Sunday mornings, the tour begins at 10:00 am, starting with the 4 Ruins of Cusco, followed by a visit to Qoricancha and the Cathedral upon returning to Cusco.)
After picking you up from your hotel at the scheduled time, we will head by minibus to the Plaza de Armas, where the Cusco Cathedral is located. We will enter the city’s most important temple to marvel at its architecture and artistic wealth. Did you know that many of its decorative elements are made with Inca gold? We will spend approximately 45 minutes here.
Later, we will take an 8-minute walk to the nearby Temple of Qoricancha, also known as the Temple of the Sun. This majestic place, with an exact construction date still unknown, was one of the most important religious centers of the Inca Empire. Additionally, it represents one of the finest examples of the fusion between Inca and Spanish cultures. Once inside, you will soon discover why! We will spend around 35 minutes here.
Following our visit (around 3:30 pm), we’ll board the minibus again to head to Cusco’s four ruins: Sacsayhuamán, Qenqo, Puca Pucara, and Tambomachay. After a half-hour ride, we will reach the Sacsayhuamán fortress. Here, we’ll enjoy a guided tour to learn why it’s considered the Inca’s greatest architectural achievement. We will spend approximately 1 hour in Sacsayhuamán, where the guide will explain the site’s significance, lead you to key points, and allow time for photos.
Next, the minibus will take us to the Qenqo shrine (about a 5-minute drive), one of the most important sanctuaries of the era, and to the lookout Puca Pucara, known as the Red Fortress. Finally, we’ll visit Tambomachay, also called the Inca Bath, where the Incas held water worship ceremonies. We’ll spend 15 to 20 minutes at Qenqo.
After visiting the most essential sites in Cusco and its surroundings, we will drop you off near the Plaza de Armas after four and a half hours of exploration.
This tour requires a General Tourist Ticket or a Partial Tourist Ticket, as well as an entry ticket to the Cathedral and an entry ticket to Qoricancha. For more information on Tourist Tickets, see the ‘Recommended to Bring’ tab.
If you plan to visit most of the major tourist sites in Cusco during your stay, we recommend purchasing the General Tourist Ticket to save on entry costs and simplify your trip.
To purchase your Tourist Ticket, as well as tickets to the Cathedral and Qoricancha, you’ll need Peruvian Soles.
The Cathedral of Cusco or Basilica of the Virgin of the Assumption is one of the most popular architectural monuments in the city. It is also the first site you will visit. It is located in front of the Plaza de Armas. Its construction took almost 100 years until its completion in 1654. It was originally an Inca temple dedicated to the god Wiracocha. During the Spanish conquest the temple was looted and demolished for the construction of this historic Catholic monument. In 1983 it was declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
It was the house of Inca Wiracocha, and it still hides many mysteries. QORICANCHA is one of the most important religious centers of the Inca empire. Its stone constructions have an perfection even greater than of Machu Picchu.
The Coricancha is one of the most important religious centers of the Inca empire. Its stone constructions have an even greater perfection than Machu Picchu. It was covered in gold and plants until before the Spanish conquest who built the Convent of Santo Domingo there. It is located two blocks from the Plaza de Armas. It houses paintings made by the artists of the so-called ‘Cusco School’. Both the Coricancha and the Santo Domingo Convent coexist harmoniously as a symbol of cultural syncretism.
Is one of the most important religious centers of the Inca empire. Its stone constructions have an perfection even greater than of Machu Picchu.
Sacsayhuaman is one of the most enigmatic places of the Incas. There the tourist will be able to appreciate stones of up to nine meters of height and more than 120 tons. They all fit together with incredible precision. The Spanish believed that the enclosure was the work of the devil. There were fierce battles between Incas and Europeans. Today it is one of the most symbolic attractions of Cusco and Peru. There, every June 24, the famous ‘Fiesta del Sol’ is celebrated, also known as the Inti Raymi.
A megalithic monument of great artistic expression, a clear example of the events of Inca technology.
Qenqo is approximately 1 kilometer from Sacsayhuaman. It was an Inca ceremonial center whose buildings were dedicated to Mother Earth. There stands out a space called an amphitheater where the Incas had to place their dead in trapezoidal niches. Its biggest attraction is its underground labyrinths. Moreover, the word ‘Qenqo’ in the Quechua language (the language of the Incas) means ‘Labyrinth’.
Puka Pukara is known as the ‘Red Fortress’ due to the pigmentation of this color in some of its stones as well as the reddish hue that the place acquires at sunset. It is believed that this enclosure served as a military post and resting place for the Inca’s troops. Its main function was to take care of Tambomachay and Sacsayhuaman. There you can also see other structures such as fountains, aqueducts and other Inca constructions.
Considered a ‘huaca’ in Incan times, Puka Pukara, was a place of control of areas, it also had different administrative spaces
Tambomachay is one of the most beautiful archaeological sites. It is located approximately 400 meters from Puka Pukara. Its Inca constructions worship water with such perfection that even today, after several centuries, its canals continue to flow water. The enclosure is also formed by a set of finely carved rocks as well as waterfalls, canals and aqueducts fed by springs. The scenic beauty of the enclosure harmonizes with the buildings and the murmur of the water.
This space was sacred, here water was worshiped since this element was vital for the existence of the human being.
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