The Inca capital sits at 3,400 meters, so ease in with a gentle first day before the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. Andean stonework underpins the colonial city, and altitude, not distance, sets the pace.
Cusco · 3 days Peru
Best time: The dry season, May to September, brings clear skies ideal for ruins and treks.
Cusco city and SacsayhuamanDay 1
⛪9:30 AM
Plaza de Armas and Cathedral
The arcaded main square centers on a 16th-century cathedral built over Inca foundations, ringed by the old center.
🚶 ~9 min · 🚗 ~1 min · 0.3 mi
🍽️12:30 PM
San Pedro Market
The city produce market piles Andean corn, cheeses, juices, and textiles under a Eiffel-designed iron roof.
🚶 ~18 min · 🚗 ~2 min · 0.7 mi
📍4:30 PM
Sacsayhuaman
A hilltop fortress of colossal interlocking limestone blocks overlooking Cusco, glowing at late-afternoon light.
Sacred Valley day tourDay 2
🍽️9:00 AM
Pisac ruins and market
Terraced Inca ruins climb the ridge above a valley town known for its sprawling artisan market below.
🚗 ~76 min · 22 mi
📍1:00 PM
Maras salt pans
Thousands of small terraced evaporation pools have been worked by hand since pre-Inca times on a bright hillside.
🚗 ~30 min · 8.7 mi
📍4:30 PM
Ollantaytambo
A living Inca town below a steep temple fortress, and the usual boarding point for the Machu Picchu train.
Machu PicchuDay 3
📍7:00 AM
Machu Picchu citadel
The 15th-century Inca city of terraces and temples sits on a saddle high above the Urubamba, best entered early.
🚶 ~4 min · 🚗 ~1 min · 0.2 mi
🌳11:00 AM
Inca Bridge trail
A short cliffside path within the site leads to a vertiginous log drawbridge on the old Inca approach road.
🚶 ~42 min · 🚗 ~5 min · 1.6 mi
📍3:00 PM
Aguas Calientes
The river town below the ruins, where the train departs for the valley, offers hot springs and a craft market.
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Best time to goThe dry season, May to September, brings clear skies ideal for ruins and treks. The wet season, November to March, is greener but rainier, and some trails close in February.
Getting aroundCentral Cusco is compact and walkable, though steep and thin on air at first. Reach the Sacred Valley by shared van or day tour, and take the train from Ollantaytambo or Poroy to Machu Picchu.
Local tip: Book Machu Picchu entry and its train well ahead, since daily capacity sells out and tickets are timed. Spend the first day slow to acclimatize, drinking water and coca tea, before any hard walking.
The full plan as text
The same day-by-day plan as text. Times are starting points, not homework.
Day 1: Cusco city and Sacsayhuaman
9:30 AM
Plaza de Armas and Cathedral
The arcaded main square centers on a 16th-century cathedral built over Inca foundations, ringed by the old center.
12:30 PM
San Pedro Market
The city produce market piles Andean corn, cheeses, juices, and textiles under a Eiffel-designed iron roof.
4:30 PM
Sacsayhuaman
A hilltop fortress of colossal interlocking limestone blocks overlooking Cusco, glowing at late-afternoon light.
Day 2: Sacred Valley day tour
9:00 AM
Pisac ruins and market
Terraced Inca ruins climb the ridge above a valley town known for its sprawling artisan market below.
1:00 PM
Maras salt pans
Thousands of small terraced evaporation pools have been worked by hand since pre-Inca times on a bright hillside.
4:30 PM
Ollantaytambo
A living Inca town below a steep temple fortress, and the usual boarding point for the Machu Picchu train.
Day 3: Machu Picchu
7:00 AM
Machu Picchu citadel
The 15th-century Inca city of terraces and temples sits on a saddle high above the Urubamba, best entered early.
11:00 AM
Inca Bridge trail
A short cliffside path within the site leads to a vertiginous log drawbridge on the old Inca approach road.
3:00 PM
Aguas Calientes
The river town below the ruins, where the train departs for the valley, offers hot springs and a craft market.
Make this Cusco plan yours
Forward your real booking confirmations to Petrel and it builds this exact day-by-day view for you: flights, hotels, reservations, live flight status, and the travel time between stops. Under a minute.