Peru

Peru, in a few days

From Lima to Lake Titicaca by way of Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu: the map, the experiences worth booking, everything that costs nothing, and where to sleep at three budgets.

Day by day

1

Lima

Days 1-2

A coastal capital founded by Pizarro in 1535. The colonial centre is UNESCO-listed, and the kitchens are the best on the continent.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Food tour: ceviche and pisco3h · from €55
  Three hours of eating across Lima, from the raw fish counters to the anticucho grills and a pisco sour at the end.
• Historic centre and the Larco MuseumHalf day · from €30
  The colonial core on foot, then a museum whose pre-Columbian gold and ceramics run to tens of thousands of pieces.

✦ Free to visit

• Miraflores, on the cliff above the Pacific
• Parque del Amor and the clifftop promenade
• Barranco, street art and galleries
• Plaza de Armas

📲 Book things to do in Lima on GetYourGuide

2

Cusco and the Sacred Valley

Days 3-5 · ✈️ Domestic flight 1h20

The Inca capital, at 3,400 m. Inca stonework still carries the colonial squares, and the road into the Sacred Valley starts here.

🎟️ Worth booking

• City tour and the Sacred ValleyFull day · from €45
  Cusco in the morning, then Pisac and Ollantaytambo, where the Inca terraces are still farmed.
• Rainbow MountainFull day · from €50
  A hard day hike to Vinicunca at 5,200 m, where mineral layers stripe the ridge. Go only once you have acclimatised.

✦ Free to visit

• Plaza de Armas
• The San Blas artists' quarter
• Sacsayhuamán, from outside
• San Pedro market

📲 Book things to do in Cusco and the Sacred Valley on GetYourGuide

3

Machu Picchu

Days 6-7 · 🚆 Train PeruRail 3h30

A fifteenth-century Inca city at 2,430 m, unknown to the outside world until 1911. Cloud fills the valley below it most mornings.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Machu Picchu entry with a guideHalf day · from €70
  Timed entry to the citadel with someone who can read the stonework. Tickets are capped daily and sell out.
• The Vistadome panoramic train3h30 · from €120
  Three and a half hours through the Urubamba gorge, in a carriage with windows in the roof.

✦ Free to visit

• The village of Aguas Calientes
• The hot springs
• Viewpoints over the citadel

📲 Book things to do in Machu Picchu on GetYourGuide

4

Lake Titicaca · Puno

Days 8-10 · 🚌 Scenic bus 7h

The highest navigable lake on earth, at 3,812 m. The Uros build their islands out of reeds, and Quechua villages ring the shore.

🎟️ Worth booking

• The Uros floating islands and TaquileFull day · from €40
  A boat day on Titicaca: the reed islands first, then Taquile, where the men knit and the women weave.

✦ Free to visit

• Lake Titicaca
• Puno harbour
• The Sillustani tombs, from outside

📲 Book things to do in Lake Titicaca · Puno on GetYourGuide

Worth sorting before you go

Flights, then the train to Machu Picchu · Fly Lima to Cusco rather than drive it, then take the PeruRail train up the valley to the citadel.

📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly

🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta

🚗 Car hire
Compare the agencies before you land.
Compare · Booking

💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut

🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer

Some links are partner links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

Flavours & local habits

🍽️ Worth tasting

• Ceviche: raw fish cured in lime juice and chilli, eaten at lunch and rarely after.
• Lomo saltado: beef stir-fried with chips and rice, a Chinese inheritance.
• Ají de gallina: shredded chicken in a creamy yellow chilli sauce.
• Cuy: roast guinea pig, the Andean dish to try once.
• Pisco sour: the national cocktail, sharp under a head of foam.

⚠️ Best avoided

• Gain altitude slowly: Cusco stands at 3,400 m and the first day is the hard one.
• Bottled water only, and be wary of ice.
• Take licensed taxis or use an app, and agree the fare before you get in.
• Book Machu Picchu and the train months ahead: entry is capped every day.

Words that help

English ↔ Spanish

✈️ Flight delayed by 3 hours or more, or cancelled? You may be owed up to €600. Check your flight on AirHelp.

The practical page

Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/peru

Packing checklist

Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.