Cusco Highlights
A curated tour of Cusco — the ancient capital of the Inca Empire — blending extraordinary Inca stonework, Spanish colonial grandeur, vibrant Andean markets, and breathtaking mountain viewpoints at 3,400 metres above sea level.
Trip Stops
- 1
The magnificent central square of Cusco and the historic heart of both the Inca Empire and the Spanish colonial city — flanked by the Cathedral, the Church of La Compañía, and stone arcades that have stood for centuries. During Inca times it was called Huacaypata ('Place of Weeping') and used for grand imperial ceremonies. Fun fact: The square is where Tupac Amaru II, the last great indigenous rebel leader, was publicly executed by the Spanish in 1781 — after refusing to recant, his tongue was cut out and he was drawn and quartered in front of the crowd, sparking outrage that helped ignite South American independence movements.
📍 Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru
- 2
A towering Renaissance and Baroque masterpiece built between 1560 and 1654 directly on the foundations of the Inca palace of Viracocha — using stones quarried from the Sacsayhuamán fortress. It houses one of the finest collections of colonial religious art in the Americas, including the famous 'Last Supper of Cusco' painting depicting Jesus and his apostles eating guinea pig and drinking chicha. Fun fact: The Cathedral contains a painting of the 1650 Cusco earthquake, believed to be the oldest depiction of an earthquake in the Americas. When a 1950 earthquake badly damaged the city, the Cathedral's twin towers were among the few structures left standing.
📍 Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru
- 3
The most sacred site in the entire Inca Empire — a temple dedicated to Inti, the Sun God, whose walls were once lined with 700 solid gold sheets and filled with life-sized golden statues of plants, animals, and people. The Spanish built the Convent of Santo Domingo directly on top of it. Fun fact: When the Spanish arrived, they found the temple so dazzling that they initially refused to believe it was real. The Incas used the gold not as currency but as a divine material — they called it 'the sweat of the sun.' After the conquest, the Spanish melted down the gold to pay their soldiers' ransoms.
📍 Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru
- 4
A single massive limestone block on Hatunrumiyoc Street that fits seamlessly into a wall with 11 surrounding stones — each joint cut so precisely that not even a piece of paper can be slipped between them. A testament to the Incas' extraordinary masonry without mortar. Fun fact: The twelve-angled stone is not the most complex stone in the wall — there are reportedly blocks with up to 32 angles nearby. The Incas achieved this precision not with iron tools (they had none) but by patiently grinding stones together using abrasion, a process that could take months per block.
📍 Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru
- 5
Cusco's most charming and bohemian barrio, a hillside district of whitewashed walls, cobblestone alleys, artisan workshops, and rooftop cafés with views of terracotta rooftops and the Andes beyond. Home to the famous Iglesia de San Blas, which contains one of the finest Baroque wooden pulpits in the Americas. Fun fact: The pulpit of San Blas church is carved from a single cedar tree trunk and is so intricate that scholars still debate who made it. Local legend holds it was carved by a man miraculously cured of an illness — and that a human skull is hidden at its base, believed to be that of its creator.
📍 Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru
- 6
Cusco's vibrant central market — a sprawling covered hall overflowing with Andean produce, freshly squeezed juices, roasted guinea pig, alpaca wool textiles, medicinal herbs, and local handicrafts. The authentic heart of everyday Cusqueño life. Fun fact: The market building was designed by Gustave Eiffel — yes, the same engineer who built the Eiffel Tower in Paris — and its iron framework was shipped from Europe to Peru in pieces and assembled on-site in the late 19th century.
📍 Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru
- 7
A colossal Inca citadel of enormous zigzag stone walls looming on the hillside above Cusco, built from limestone blocks weighing up to 300 tonnes — some transported from quarries 32 km away. The largest stone is estimated at 8.5 metres tall and 125 tonnes. Fun fact: The Spanish mistook Sacsayhuamán for a fortress, but historians now believe it was primarily a ceremonial complex and royal estate. The Quechua name is notoriously difficult for Spanish speakers to pronounce — the cheeky local nickname among English-speaking tourists is 'Sexy Woman.'
📍 Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru
- 8
A striking 8-metre white plaster statue of Christ overlooking Cusco from the hillside just above Sacsayhuamán, gifted to the city by Palestinian refugees in 1945. It offers some of the finest panoramic views of Cusco's terracotta rooftops, the Andean valley, and surrounding mountains. Fun fact: Cristo Blanco was modelled on the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro — but unlike Rio's famous landmark (28 metres), Cusco's version stands at a modest 8 metres, which locals say keeps Christ 'closer to the people' at this altitude.
📍 Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru
- 9
A fascinating and eerie Inca ceremonial site carved directly into a natural limestone outcrop just outside Cusco — featuring an underground cave with an altar, a carved rock throne, a sacrificial table, and mysterious channels that may have been used to flow chicha or llama blood during rituals. Fun fact: The name Q'enqo means 'zigzag' in Quechua, referring to the carved channels in the rock. Archaeologists believe the site was used for mummification rituals and the worship of huacas (sacred natural features). The underground cave is only accessible by crawling through a narrow tunnel.
📍 Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru
- 10
Known as 'the Baths of the Inca,' this elegant Inca site features a series of perfectly constructed stone aqueducts, niches, and cascading water channels that still flow with fresh spring water today — nearly 600 years after they were built. Water was sacred to the Incas and this site was likely reserved for Inca royalty. Fun fact: Despite centuries of earthquakes, looting, and neglect, Tambomachay's hydraulic system still functions perfectly — water flows continuously through the same stone channels the Incas engineered, a testament to their extraordinary understanding of hydrology.
📍 Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru
Trips Made by AI, Explored by You
Follow real AI-crafted travel guides. Download Guyde and start exploring.