Navel of the Inca world. Here is when to go, what a day costs on site and what to see, then Okela composes your itinerary hour by hour.

Compose my trip to CuscoSee Cusco in Okela

When to visit Cusco

Best months: May, June, July, August and September.

What to see in Cusco

1. Machu Picchu
   This Inca citadel sits on a ridge between two peaks, above a canyon wrapped in cloud, and feels like a place set apart from the rest of the world.
2. Plaza de Armas de Cusco
   This is the heart of Cusco, once an Inca ceremonial square and now a colonial plaza framed by stone arcades and two great churches.
3. Sacsayhuamán
   High above Cusco, the Incas stacked stone blocks so massive that people still wonder how they were moved and fitted.
4. Qorikancha
   The Qorikancha was the most sacred site of the Inca empire, and the Spanish built the Santo Domingo convent directly on top of its walls.
5. San Blas
   Perched above the Plaza de Armas, this is Cusco's quietest and most craft-minded neighborhood.
6. Vallée sacrée (Pisac, Ollantaytambo)
   This fertile valley north of Cusco was a prime territory for the Incas, who shaped it with farming terraces, fortresses and villages.
7. Mercado San Pedro
   This is the big covered market where people in Cusco do their everyday shopping, not a showcase made for visitors.
8. Montagne arc-en-ciel (Vinicunca)
   This Andean ridge, at over 5,000 meters above sea level, is striped in red, ochre, yellow and turquoise bands that come from the minerals in the rock.

A sample itinerary for Cusco, three days

Composed by Okela from the places in its database, with times. Yours takes your dates, pace and group into account.

Budget

Expect about €69 per person per day on site (accommodation, meals, transport and visits), depending on the comfort you choose. Okela shows the price of every step of your itinerary.

My Cusco itinerary, hour by hour

Road trips through Cusco

More destinations: Peru

Photo: tomscoffin, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons.