How many days do you need in Peru?
Seven days. That is the length of the itinerary we built for Peru, across Lima, Cusco and Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu.
Here is what each day holds. Every stop below carries its time, and every gap says how to get to the next stop, with the walk or drive time wherever both stops are mapped.
Peru · 7 days Lima → Cusco → Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu
Best time: May to September is the dry Andean winter, with the clearest skies over Cusco and Machu Picchu.
Lima: Plaza Mayor de LimaDay 1
🏛️9:00 AMPlaza Mayor de Lima
Founding square ringed by the cathedral and Government Palace.
🚗 ~11 min · 3.3 mi
🖼️1:30 PMLarco Museum
Pre-Columbian gold, silver, and ceramics in a colonial mansion.
🚗 ~15 min · 4.4 mi
🌆6:00 PMMiraflores
Cliff-top district with sea-facing parks and the Malecón walkway.
Lima: Huaca PucllanaDay 2
🏛️9:00 AMHuaca Pucllana
Adobe pyramid of the Lima culture rising inside Miraflores.
🚶 ~36 min · 🚗 ~5 min · 1.3 mi
🥾1:30 PMMalecón de Miraflores
Miles of cliff-edge parkland and paragliders above the ocean.
🚕 Taxi hop
🎟️6:00 PMLima ceviche and pisco tasting tour
Guided crawl through the capital’s coastal cooking.
Arrive in CuscoDay 3
✈️8:30 AMFlight to Cusco
Nonstop from Lima Jorge Chávez (LIM) to Cusco Alejandro Velasco Astete (CUZ), the standard way to reach the Andes and skip the long mountain road.
✈️ 1h 20m · 365 mi
🏛️2:00 PMQorikancha
Inca Temple of the Sun fused with the Santo Domingo convent.
🚶 ~9 min · 🚗 ~1 min · 0.3 mi
🌆6:00 PMSan Blas
Steep artisan quarter of workshops and viewpoints above the plaza.
Cusco: SacsayhuamánDay 4
🏛️9:00 AMSacsayhuamán
Megalithic Inca fortress on the ridge above the city.
🚶 ~14 min · 🚗 ~2 min · 0.5 mi
🖼️1:30 PMMuseo Inka
Inca artifacts and mummies in a colonial mansion.
🚕 Taxi hop
🎟️6:00 PMCusco city and nearby Inca ruins guided tour
Qorikancha, Sacsayhuamán, and the ridge sites in one loop.
Arrive in Sacred Valley & Machu PicchuDay 5
🚗8:30 AMDrive + train to Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu
Drive or colectivo from Cusco down into the Sacred Valley to Ollantaytambo, then transfer to the Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes railway, the only public route to the foot of Machu Picchu. Reserve train seats and timed citadel entry well ahead.
🚗 1h 30m drive plus about 1h 45m rail
🏛️2:00 PMMachu Picchu citadel
The 15th-century Inca city on its cloud-forest ridge; entry is timed and capped, so book ahead.
🚗 ~70 min · 20 mi
🌆6:00 PMOllantaytambo
Living Inca town and the railhead for Machu Picchu.
Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu: Ollantaytambo fortressDay 6
🏛️9:00 AMOllantaytambo fortress
Terraced temple hill guarding the valley.
🚗 ~67 min · 19 mi
🖼️1:30 PMMachu Picchu Site Museum (Manuel Chávez Ballón)
Finds and construction context near the citadel base.
🚐 Van hop
🎟️6:00 PMMachu Picchu guided citadel tour
Ranger-led circuit of the terraces and temples.
Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu: Pisac archaeological parkDay 7
🏛️9:00 AMPisac archaeological park
Ridgeline terraces, temples, and tombs above the town.
🚗 ~75 min · 21 mi
🥾1:30 PMSalineras de Maras
Thousands of terraced salt pans fed by an ancient spring.
🚗 day trip · 28 mi
🌆6:00 PMAguas Calientes
Machu Picchu Pueblo, the river-canyon base below the citadel.
This is how Petrel lays out a trip. Upload your own confirmations and it builds this for your dates: flights and hotels included, with live flight status and the travel time between stops.
This is one of 126 free itineraries. Open it, change anything you want, and it becomes your trip.