Cusco

Peru·South America

Currency

PEN

Language

Spanish, Quechua

Timezone

Lima

Continent

South America

Our guide

Discover Cusco

Cusco was the Inca capital, and the Spanish built their city on top without demolishing the foundations: the Qurikancha, the sun temple whose mortarless fitted stone has survived every earthquake, now carries the church of Santo Domingo. The method shows everywhere, not least in the Twelve-angled-stone, a granite block cut to interlock on twelve faces. Above the city, Sacsayhuamán lines up blocks of several hundred tonnes. The Cuzco Cathedral and the Church of the Society of Jesus close the main square.

When to go

May to September, the dry season: clear skies, mild days, cold nights. From November to March the rain is daily and the Inca Trail closes in February for maintenance. June concentrates the festivals, Inti Raymi at the solstice among them, and fills the city. In any season the gap between sun and shade is considerable.

Getting around

The centre walks, but at 3,400 metres every climb is paid for: the streets are steep and breathlessness comes quickly. Taxis are cheap and agreed before you get in. Sacsayhuamán is forty minutes uphill on foot, or a taxi. Trips to the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu leave from here and are booked ahead.

Where to eat

Cuy, roast guinea pig, is the Andean festival dish and is ordered whole. Alpaca is grilled, leaner than beef. Quinoa soup and choclo, the large-kernelled corn, fill out the everyday plate. Coca leaves are chewed or infused against altitude sickness — legal and ordinary in Peru. Only two halal addresses are listed.

Good to know

Altitude is the main subject: 3,400 metres is felt as you step off the plane. Plan two effortless days on arrival, drink a lot, eat lightly, and do not go up to Machu Picchu on day one. The sol is the currency and cash is still needed. Andean sun burns in twenty minutes despite the cool air. And nights approach freezing in the dry season, with no heating in much of the accommodation.

Smart Planning