Cusco and Machu Picchu itinerary, day by day

From the old Inca capital of Cusco through the Sacred Valley to the citadel of Machu Picchu: the map, what is worth booking, everything that costs nothing, and where to sleep at three budgets.

🗓️ 4 or 7 days📍 3 stops☀️ Best time: May to September (dry season)

Machu Picchu · Photo Joaquin Garduno / Pexels

Route map (numbers = order of the stops).

Cusco and Machu Picchu in 4 days

2 stops · 5 things to do · Train & bus

1Cusco

Days 1-2

The Inca capital, at 3,400 metres. Spanish churches stand on Inca walls fitted without mortar, and the first two days are for letting your body adjust to the altitude.

🎟️ Worth booking

Cusco and Sacsayhuamán, guidedHalf day · from €30
The Inca walls of the centre, the cathedral and the Qorikancha, then the fortress above town, built of blocks weighing many tonnes.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

Plaza de Armas · San Blas, the artisans' quarter on the hill · San Pedro market

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Pariwana Hostel Cusco (€25 a night) · Mid-range: Hotel Rumi Punku (€75 a night) · Luxury: Palacio Nazarenas (€520 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

KUSYKAY Peruvian Craft Food ★ 4.9 · 11903 reviews · €€
Yaku Restaurant ★ 4.9 · 6844 reviews · €€
Chull's Peruvian Cuisine & Craft Beer ★ 4.9 · 2509 reviews · €€
Casa Cusqueña Restaurante ★ 4.9 · 1281 reviews
MARE RESTAURANT ★ 4.9 · 945 reviews

Photo Adrien Daurenjou / Pexels

🚐 Bus / minivan · 1h30 · 60 km

2The Sacred Valley and Ollantaytambo

Days 3-4

The Urubamba valley below Cusco, lined with Inca terraces and market villages. Ollantaytambo, a fortress town still laid out on its Inca street plan, is where the train to Machu Picchu starts.

🎟️ Worth booking

Sacred Valley day tourFull day · from €40
The terraces and market of Pisac, then the fortress of Ollantaytambo, in a day out of Cusco.
Book on GetYourGuide →

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Picaflor Tambo (€45 a night) · Mid-range: Tunupa Lodge Hotel (€90 a night) · Luxury: Tambo del Inka, a Luxury Collection Resort (€400 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Native Peruvian Restaurant - Valle sagrado de los Incas Urubamba Cusco ★ 4.9 · 1203 reviews
Chullpi Restaurant ★ 4.9 · 534 reviews
Valle Santa ★ 4.9 · 277 reviews · €
Machu Picchu ★ 4.8 · 84425 reviews
Mapacho Craft Beer Restaurant ★ 4.8 · 8679 reviews · €€

Photo Eugenio Felix / Pexels

Cusco and Machu Picchu in 7 days

3 stops · 7 things to do · Train & bus

1Cusco

Days 1-2

The Inca capital, at 3,400 metres. Spanish churches stand on Inca walls fitted without mortar, and the first two days are for letting your body adjust to the altitude.

🎟️ Worth booking

Cusco and Sacsayhuamán, guidedHalf day · from €30
The Inca walls of the centre, the cathedral and the Qorikancha, then the fortress above town, built of blocks weighing many tonnes.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

Plaza de Armas · San Blas, the artisans' quarter on the hill · San Pedro market

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Pariwana Hostel Cusco (€25 a night) · Mid-range: Hotel Rumi Punku (€75 a night) · Luxury: Palacio Nazarenas (€520 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Adrien Daurenjou / Pexels

🚐 Bus / minivan · 1h30 · 60 km

2The Sacred Valley and Ollantaytambo

Day 3

The Urubamba valley below Cusco, lined with Inca terraces and market villages. Ollantaytambo, a fortress town still laid out on its Inca street plan, is where the train to Machu Picchu starts.

🎟️ Worth booking

Sacred Valley day tourFull day · from €40
The terraces and market of Pisac, then the fortress of Ollantaytambo, in a day out of Cusco.
Book on GetYourGuide →

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Eugenio Felix / Pexels

🚆 Scenic train · 1h30 · train

3Machu Picchu

Day 4

A fifteenth-century Inca citadel at 2,430 metres, on a ridge above the Urubamba, unknown to the outside world until 1911. It is reached by train, then by bus.

🎟️ Worth booking

Machu Picchu entry with a guideHalf day · from €70
Timed entry to the citadel on a set circuit, with a licensed guide, which is compulsory. Daily numbers are capped and tickets sell out weeks ahead in the dry season.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

Aguas Calientes, the village below the ruins

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Hotel Horizonte (€45 a night) · Mid-range: Tierra Viva Machu Picchu (€140 a night) · Luxury: Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel (€600 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Irene Constantino / Pexels

Hotel prices are per room per night, activity prices per person, checked when written. Some links are affiliate links (Booking, GetYourGuide): we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

Take this itinerary with you

The free printable Cusco and Machu Picchu guide: map, stops day by day, hotels by budget. Works offline.

📥 Get the free guide

Good to know before you go

🍽️ What to eat

Lomo saltado: beef stir-fried with onion and tomato, served with chips and rice, a Chinese-Peruvian classic.
Ají de gallina: shredded chicken in a creamy yellow chilli sauce.
Cuy: roast guinea pig, the festive dish of the Andes.
Ceviche: raw fish cured in lime juice with chilli, a coastal dish that has made it up the mountains.
Pisco sour: grape brandy shaken with lime, sugar and egg white. Go easy at altitude.

⚠️ What to avoid

Take the altitude seriously: Cusco is at 3,400 metres, so rest for the first day or two and go easy on alcohol.
Drink bottled water only, and be wary of ice.
Use official taxis or ride apps, and agree the fare before setting off.
Book Machu Picchu tickets and the train well in advance, especially from May to September.

Plan this trip

📒 The free printable Cusco and Machu Picchu guide→ 🗓️ Best time to visit Cusco and Machu Picchu, month by month→ 🎟️ What to book before you go→

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