Why Cusco Is More Than Just a Machu Picchu Pitstop
2025-04-17 · 7 min read
Most travelers treat Cusco as a logistical necessity — arrive, acclimate to the altitude, catch the train to Machu Picchu, leave. This is a mistake. The former capital of the Inca Empire, sitting at 3,400 meters in the Peruvian Andes, is one of South America's most compelling cities on its own terms and deserves at least three full days.
The Plaza de Armas anchors the city with a grandeur that reflects both Inca engineering and Spanish colonial ambition. The Cusco Cathedral, built atop an Inca palace using stones from the nearby Sacsayhuamán fortress, took nearly a century to complete and contains a collection of Cusqueña School paintings that blend Catholic iconography with Andean symbolism.
Sacsayhuamán, the massive Inca fortress above the city, features stones weighing over 100 tons fitted together without mortar so precisely that a knife blade cannot be inserted between them. The site is a 20-minute walk uphill from the Plaza de Armas and offers panoramic views of Cusco below. Visit early morning to avoid tour groups and appreciate the engineering in relative quiet.
The San Pedro Market is Cusco's culinary heart. Stalls serve jugo de frutas — fresh fruit smoothies made to order — alongside plates of ceviche, lomo saltado, and chicharrón for prices that rarely exceed 10 soles. The juice vendors compete fiercely for customers and will let you sample before committing. Upstairs, herbalists sell remedies and coca leaves for altitude sickness.
The neighborhood of San Blas, climbing the hill above the main plaza, is Cusco's artisan quarter. Narrow cobblestone streets lined with workshops, galleries, and small restaurants create an atmosphere that rewards aimless walking. Limbus Restobar, built into the hillside, serves pisco sours with a view that stretches across the entire valley. The sunsets from San Blas are the best in the city.
The Sacred Valley surrounding Cusco — including Ollantaytambo, Pisac, and Moray — warrants multiple days of exploration independent of Machu Picchu. The Moray agricultural terraces, circular depressions that the Incas used as a crop laboratory to test growing conditions at different altitudes, are among the most ingenious structures in pre-Columbian history.
