Peru Itinerary: 7 Days in Lima, Cusco, Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu
Peru folds a Pacific capital, a high Andean former Inca capital, and the terraced Sacred Valley into a single week. This route eases you up in altitude on purpose: two days in coastal Lima, two acclimatising in Cusco, then three working down the valley to Machu Picchu, so the biggest climb comes after your body has adjusted.
Peru had 4.4 million international arrivals (2019 pre-pandemic peak, Peru MINCETUR / UNWTO international arrivals). Last reviewed 2026-08-21.
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
🚕 Taxi hop
🏛️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
🚐 Van hop
🏛️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.
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Best time to goMay to September is the dry Andean winter, with the clearest skies over Cusco and Machu Picchu. The shoulder months of April and October are quieter and still mostly dry.
Recommended splitLima 2d · Cusco 2d · Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu 3d
Local tip: Machu Picchu runs on timed, capped entry and the Ollantaytambo train seats sell out, so lock both in weeks ahead. Spend your first Cusco day slow and hydrated to let the altitude settle before any trekking.
Lima, 2 days
Peru’s capital sits on desert cliffs above the Pacific and is the country’s culinary heart, where pre-Inca adobe pyramids, Spanish colonial cloisters, and cliff-top Miraflores promenades all share one skyline. It is the natural soft landing before the Andes.
Neighborhoods to base yourself inMiraflores. Cliff-top district with sea-facing parks and the Malecón walkway.Barranco. Bohemian quarter of murals, galleries, and the Bridge of Sighs.Centro Histórico. UNESCO colonial core around the Plaza Mayor.San Isidro. Leafy financial district with the Huaca Huallamarca ruin.
LandmarksPlaza Mayor de Lima. Founding square ringed by the cathedral and Government Palace.Huaca Pucllana. Adobe pyramid of the Lima culture rising inside Miraflores.Basilica and Convent of San Francisco. Baroque complex over bone-lined catacombs.Parque del Amor. Mosaic-tiled clifftop park above the Costa Verde.
Nature and outdoorsMalecón de Miraflores. Miles of cliff-edge parkland and paragliders above the ocean.Costa Verde. Pebble-beach coastline strung below the city cliffs.Pantanos de Villa. Coastal wetland reserve rich in migratory birdlife.Morro Solar. Chorrillos headland with wide bay-and-city views.
MuseumsLarco Museum. Pre-Columbian gold, silver, and ceramics in a colonial mansion.National Museum of Archaeology, Anthropology and History. National sweep from pre-Inca cultures onward.Museo de Arte de Lima (MALI). Four thousand years of Peruvian art in a Beaux-Arts palace.Museo Pedro de Osma. Colonial and viceregal art in a Barranco mansion.
Worth a guided tourLima ceviche and pisco tasting tour. Guided crawl through the capital’s coastal cooking.Barranco street-art walking tour. Murals, galleries, and bohemian history on foot.Pachacamac ruins day tour. Half-day trip to the coastal pilgrimage complex south of the city.
Getting around LimaRide-hailing apps and the Metropolitano bus line; walkable within Miraflores and Barranco.
Cusco, 2 days
Getting here: Flight, 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.
The Inca capital, later overbuilt by the Spanish, layers colonial churches directly onto Inca stonework you can still run a hand along. At 3,400 metres it is also your acclimatisation base, so this stop leans into the artisan San Blas hills, the temple foundations, and the ruins ringing town rather than a rushed dash for the valley.
Neighborhoods to base yourself inSan Blas. Steep artisan quarter of workshops and viewpoints above the plaza.Plaza de Armas. Arcaded main square framed by the cathedral and La Compañía.San Pedro Market area. Working market of textiles, produce, and juice stalls.Barrio de Santiago. Local hillside neighbourhood with sweeping city views.
LandmarksQorikancha. Inca Temple of the Sun fused with the Santo Domingo convent.Sacsayhuamán. Megalithic Inca fortress on the ridge above the city.Twelve-Angled Stone. Famous precision-cut block in the Hatunrumiyoc wall.Q’enqo. Carved limestone shrine and ritual channels near Sacsayhuamán.
Nature and outdoorsHumantay Lake. Turquoise glacial lake reached on a strenuous day trek.Rainbow Mountain (Vinicunca). Mineral-striped ridge high in the Andes, a long day trip.Tipón terraces. Inca agricultural terraces and water channels in the South Valley.Sacsayhuamán meadows. Open hillsides above town, easy for a first-day acclimatising walk.
MuseumsMuseo Inka. Inca artifacts and mummies in a colonial mansion.Museo de Arte Precolombino. Curated pre-Columbian art in a Plaza de las Nazarenas mansion.Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco. Living workshop preserving Andean weaving traditions.Qorikancha Site Museum. Underground gallery of Inca and colonial finds.
Worth a guided tourCusco city and nearby Inca ruins guided tour. Qorikancha, Sacsayhuamán, and the ridge sites in one loop.Rainbow Mountain trek day tour. High-altitude day hike to Vinicunca.South Valley (Tipón and Pikillacta) tour. Terraces and pre-Inca ruins away from the crowds.
Getting around CuscoWalkable historic core; taxis and shared colectivos for the surrounding ruins.
Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu, 3 days
Getting here: Drive + train, 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.
The Urubamba valley steps down from Cusco through Inca market towns, salt terraces, and circular agricultural laboratories before the rail line delivers you to the cloud-forest citadel itself. Basing in the valley lowers the altitude, spreads the ruins across relaxed days, and puts you close to the first Machu Picchu train.
Neighborhoods to base yourself inOllantaytambo. Living Inca town and the railhead for Machu Picchu.Aguas Calientes. Machu Picchu Pueblo, the river-canyon base below the citadel.Pisac. Market town beneath a dramatic hillside ruin.Urubamba. Central valley hub among farmland and lodges.
LandmarksMachu Picchu citadel. The 15th-century Inca city on its cloud-forest ridge; entry is timed and capped, so book ahead.Ollantaytambo fortress. Terraced temple hill guarding the valley.Pisac archaeological park. Ridgeline terraces, temples, and tombs above the town.Moray. Concentric Inca terraces studied as an agricultural laboratory.
Nature and outdoorsSalineras de Maras. Thousands of terraced salt pans fed by an ancient spring.Huayna Picchu. Steep peak over the citadel, climbed on a separate timed permit.Urubamba River valley. Green river corridor threading the whole Sacred Valley.Chinchero plateau. High grassland town of weavers and colonial-Inca ruins.
MuseumsMachu Picchu Site Museum (Manuel Chávez Ballón). Finds and construction context near the citadel base.CATCCO Museum, Ollantaytambo. Local heritage and Inca history in the old town.Chinchero weaving centers. Demonstrations of natural-dye Andean textiles.
Worth a guided tourMachu Picchu guided citadel tour. Ranger-led circuit of the terraces and temples.Maras and Moray half-day tour. Salt pans and terrace laboratory in one loop.Sacred Valley full-day tour. Pisac, Ollantaytambo, and valley towns in a day.
Getting around Sacred Valley & Machu PicchuColectivos and private vans down the valley; the railway is the only way in to Machu Picchu.
The full plan as text
The same day-by-day plan, expandable day by day. Times are starting points, not homework.
Day 1: Lima: Plaza Mayor de Lima
9:00 AMPlaza Mayor de Lima
Founding square ringed by the cathedral and Government Palace.
1:30 PMLarco Museum
Pre-Columbian gold, silver, and ceramics in a colonial mansion.
6:00 PMMiraflores
Cliff-top district with sea-facing parks and the Malecón walkway.
Day 2: Lima: Huaca Pucllana
9:00 AMHuaca Pucllana
Adobe pyramid of the Lima culture rising inside Miraflores.
1:30 PMMalecón de Miraflores
Miles of cliff-edge parkland and paragliders above the ocean.
6:00 PMLima ceviche and pisco tasting tour
Guided crawl through the capital’s coastal cooking.
Day 3: Arrive in Cusco
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.
2:00 PMQorikancha
Inca Temple of the Sun fused with the Santo Domingo convent.
6:00 PMSan Blas
Steep artisan quarter of workshops and viewpoints above the plaza.
Day 4: Cusco: Sacsayhuamán
9:00 AMSacsayhuamán
Megalithic Inca fortress on the ridge above the city.
1:30 PMMuseo Inka
Inca artifacts and mummies in a colonial mansion.
6:00 PMCusco city and nearby Inca ruins guided tour
Qorikancha, Sacsayhuamán, and the ridge sites in one loop.
Day 5: Arrive in Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu
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.
2:00 PMMachu Picchu citadel
The 15th-century Inca city on its cloud-forest ridge; entry is timed and capped, so book ahead.
6:00 PMOllantaytambo
Living Inca town and the railhead for Machu Picchu.
Day 6: Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu: Ollantaytambo fortress
9:00 AMOllantaytambo fortress
Terraced temple hill guarding the valley.
1:30 PMMachu Picchu Site Museum (Manuel Chávez Ballón)
Finds and construction context near the citadel base.
6:00 PMMachu Picchu guided citadel tour
Ranger-led circuit of the terraces and temples.
Day 7: Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu: Pisac archaeological park
9:00 AMPisac archaeological park
Ridgeline terraces, temples, and tombs above the town.
1:30 PMSalineras de Maras
Thousands of terraced salt pans fed by an ancient spring.
6:00 PMAguas Calientes
Machu Picchu Pueblo, the river-canyon base below the citadel.
Make this Peru trip 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.
Start your free tripFirst trip free. No account, no credit card.