Cusco Walking Tour: A Self-Guided Five-Stop Route Through Cusco's Historic Heart and History
Image Source: Bruce Tuten via Wikimedia Commons
Cusco wears its history on its sleeve. Like nowhere else in Peru, this part-Incan, part-Colonial city tangibly reveals its past and present to those who know where to look.
On this five-stop walking route through Cusco, explore some of the historic, gastronomic, and cultural wonders of this millennia-old Andean city.
Overview of the Route
Stop #1: Plaza de Armas
Image Source: Diego Delso via Wikimedia Commons
Peek behind the veil of this ancient-meets-modern Andean city by beginning your Cusco exploration in the Plaza de Armas—the central square located in the belly of Cusco’s puma-shaped form. Sit on the steps in front of La Catedral and get acquainted with the pace and atmosphere of a 3,000-year-old city.
When the Spanish conquered Cusco in 1532, the Plaza de Armas was transformed to look the way it does today. La Catedral was built atop the palace of Inca Viracocha, while the Jesuits constructed La Compañía de Jesús (the baroque church to its left) over Inca Huayna Cápac’s palace.
Tickets are required to enter La Catedral, except during mass hours. You can purchase a one-off ticket right at the entrance of the cathedral for 40 soles. If you’re interested in stepping inside more churches and cathedrals in Cusco, I’d recommend purchasing the Religious Circuit Ticket instead. It includes entrance to the Cathedral, the Temple of San Cristobal, and the Museo de Arte Religioso. This ticket is available for purchase at any of the sites included. The cost is 50 soles and its good for 30 days from purchase.
Stop #2: San Pedro Market
Image Source: Scott Ableman via Flickr
From the steps of La Catedral, walk south across the Plaza de Armas to the corner of Avenida del Sol and Calle Mantas. Follow Calle Mantas for a scenic stroll past a string of colonial churches, to include La Merced followed by La Iglesia y Convento de San Francisco, and finally the mirrored La Iglesia y Convento de Santa Clara, located just before the San Pedro Market entrance, Cusco’s largest traditional market and the beating heart of Cusco local life.
Wander the market to witness locals bartering for their evening’s dinner ingredients or scraping their plates clean in the market’s dining section. Before leaving, sit down for a made-to-order juice, and don’t forget to ask for your “yapa” (free refill). When I lived in Cusco, a fresh mango, strawberry, and orange juice from the juice vendors at San Pedro Market was a daily routine.
If you’ve got the time and the budget for it, many cooking classes in Cusco include guided tours of this market, where you’ll be led by a chef through the market to purchase the ingredients for your meal while learning about a bit of its history and the role this market plays in daily life for locals.
Here are a few highly rated cooking classes on Viator that include a tour of San Pedro Market:
Market Tour & Traditional Peruvian Cooking Class: A three-course, chef-led cooking and market tour experience that includes learning how to make an avocado and quinoa salad, the yummy huancaina sauce, a trout ceviche with mango, lomo saltado, and to drink, a pisco or passion fruit sour. Price: $53USD per person
Peruvian Cooking Class & Visit to Local Market in Cusco: In this 4-hour cooking class and market tour you’ll learn how to prepare a ceviche trio, alpaca steak with mashua cream and purple corn, stuffed chili peppers with potato cakes, and lucuma gnocci or custard apple ice cream for dessert. Price: $59USD per person
Hand’s On Peruvian Cooking Class & Guided San Pedro Market Visit: Alongside a professional chef, learn how to make a passion fruit pisco sour, a classic ceviche or tiradito nikkei, quinoa risotto or sous vide alpaca and roasted potatoes, and for dessert, a parfait of local fruit. Price: $55USD per person
Stop #3: The Qoricancha (Inca Sun Temple)
Image Source: Kirk K via Flickr
From the San Pedro Market, find Calle Nueva just beyond the market’s north exit. Follow the street left until you intersect with Avenida del Sol. Turn right and keep walking until the towering Qoricancha (Inca Sun Temple) and Santo Domingo Convent come into view. Snap a photo from its most regal side, then continue up the street to its left for a guided tour of the Inca Empire’s most important site.
The Qoricancha is not included in the Cusco Tourist Ticket, so you’ll need to purchase a ticket at the entrance. The price is 10 soles for adults, 5 soles for students with valid student ID, and free for children under 10. There are guides for hire at the entrance, too.
Stop #4: Calle Loreto
Image Source: TravelingOtter via Flickr
Continue your wanderings by making a left out of the Qoricancha, then right onto Pampa de Castillo (a street of chicharronerías, restaurants specializing in fried pork). Continue straight to arrive at Calle Loreto, a narrow, pedestrian-only street that instantly transports you back to the city’s Incan roots.
The walls that line each side are some of the oldest and best examples of Cusco’s original Inca construction. Notice the uniformly square or rectangular-shaped stones bonded together without the help of any mortar, a construction that denotes these walls once belonged to two very important Inca buildings; In this case, the sacred buildings of Acllahuasi (House of the Chosen Women) to your right and the Amaruqancha (the courtyard belonging to Inca Huayna Cápac’s palace) to your left.
Stop #5: The Twelve-Angled Stone
Image Source: David Stanley via Flickr
When you rejoin the Plaza de Armas, turn right and follow Calle Triunfo up one block to Calle Hatun Rumiyoc, the street of the Twelve-Angled Stone. If the crowds don’t give it away, this impressive feat of masonry is located about halfway down the street and is one of the best examples of the Inca’s prowess for cutting and shaping stones like jigsaw puzzle pieces—a form of masonry reserved for the palaces of Incan Emperors; In this case, the palace of the sixth Inca, Roca.
That’s your five-stop Cusco walking route finished! If you’re looking for even more commentary via a guide, here are a few guided city tour options with great reviews:
Free Walking Tour: For a quick two-hour primer of Cusco’s historic center entirely on foot, sign up for any of the free walking tours on GuruWalk. Theyre you’ll find a selection of tip-based tours daily, many of which meet in the Plaza de Armas.
Cusco Half-Day City Tour Featuring Four Ruins: This 5-hour, small group guided tour takes you to all of Cusco's most important landmarks, including the main square and the temple of Qoricancha, as well as the nearby ruins of Sacsayhuaman, Qenko, Puca Pucara, and Tambomachay. As entrance fees are not included in the ticket price, be sure to have a Cusco Tourist Ticket already in hand for the best deal. Price: $40USD
Open Bus Cusco City Tour: Affordable and comprehensive, this double-decker bus sightseeing tour will take you to various sites in the city center and its outskirts, including Sacsayhuaman (skip-the-line admission included) and Qenqo. Your guide will offer facts and storytelling along the way. Price: $15USD
Half-Day City Tour of Cusco: This 5-hour guided tour includes stops at the Qorikancha, Sacsayhuaman, the Cusco Cathedral, and Puka Pukara. The highly rated guides provide context for each site and tidbits about Peruvian and ancient Incan culture. Note that admission to each site is not included in the tour price. Price: $25USD
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