We are not afraid to say that Cusco is a place where every traveler ends up at least once during their trip to Peru, and it’s difficult to determine the appropriate length of stay.
If your main reason for visiting Cusco is to reach Machu Picchu, you should still spend at least two days here to acclimate (even though Machu Picchu is at a lower altitude than Cusco, some people still suffer from altitude sickness). During this time, you can explore the city and the Sacred Valley.
Because we wouldn’t want to miss the Sacred Valley and the ruins near Cusco in any way, we would consider a minimum of two days for the city.
However, you can spend just one day here and then travel slowly through the Sacred Valley, sleeping in smaller villages along the way; that’s also an option.
From our personal experience, we believe that the more time you can stay in Cusco, the better.
Some travelers with limited time even revolve their entire itinerary around Cusco; this only shows how rich the city is in terms of tourism, architecture, and activities.
Cusco has so many things to see and do, not only within the city limits but especially outside, that it’s not a problem to spend weeks here.
If you are flexible, sit down and write down all the day hikes and multi-day treks you would like to do from Cusco (keep reading to get an idea of the best things you can do in the historic city and its surroundings), and you should find the optimal number of days for you.
- Sacred Valley Private Tour, Full Day Tour
- Sacred Valley Tour from Urubamba 1-Day
- Super Sacred Valley Full-Day Tour
- Full-Day Tour Ancasmarca Ruins
- Ñaupa Iglesia Tour Choquequilla
- Full-Day Moonstone Tour
- Pumamarca Ruins Hike
- Pisac Ruins Hike 01-Day
- Maras Moray Hike – Sightseeing views from Snow Mountains
- Hike to Urquillos, 1-day hike in the Sacred Valley