Cusco City Tour and Nearby Archaeological Sites
Description
Enjoy a guided tour of this charming city, which was the capital of the Inca Empire. The tour starts with a visit to Santo Domingo Convent, a large Renaissance-baroque complex, which was built over the Inca Coricancha temple. It was one of the most important temples dedicated to worshipping of the sun, and its foundations are still prominent at the base of the convent. Ancient chronicles say the temple was covered in gold leaf. Then, visit the Cathedral at the Main Square. Head to the hills above Cusco to visit the remains of the fortress of Sacsayhuaman, whose imposing ramparts offer a stunning panoramic view of Cusco, and the ruins of the temple and amphitheatre of Qenqo, where it is believed the Incas practised agricultural rituals. Admire Qenqo and then visit Puka Pukara (‘Red fortress’ in Quechua) an Inca military complex located on a prominent hill. Finally, visit Tambomachay. Afterwards, return to your hotel.
Tour Options
Itinerary
This place is also known as "The Temple of the Sun"(QuriKancha: golden temple). Upon the arrival of the Spanish, it became the basis for the construction of the Santo Domingo Convent.
The Cusco Cathedral has countless works from the Cusqueña school, combining the styles of European devotional painting of the 17th century, with the symbolism of indigenous artists from the Andes of Cusco
Sacsayhuamán is one of the most incredible buildings in the world. It began to be built during the Inca Pachacutec government in the XV century. Approximately more than 20 thousand men extracted the stones from the nearby quarries and transferred them 20 kilometers to the hill in the city of Cusco.
A religious archaeological compound founded on natural rock formations where it is believed that agricultural rituals were carried out. Your guide also informs you about the sacrifices and mummifications that are thought to have taken place here.
An ancient garrison that was presumably used for military purposes. Wander through its many rooms, open squares, terraces, and towers, where it sits in the jungle on high ground overlooking the Cusco valley.
Tambomachay is located 7 km from the city of Cusco. It has an amazing underground hydraulic system since the Inca civilization venerated water as a deity.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Pick-up from hotels located at Cusco Historic Center.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- It is important to inform us the name of the hotel where you are staying to coordinate your activity
- Children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Rates do not apply for Peruvians or foreign passengers whose stay exceeded 60 days in Peru because sales taxes are not included in the above total and, if applicable, will be collected by the local operator.
- To visit the 4 archaeological sites (Sacsayhuaman, Qenqo, Puka Pukara & Tambomachay) it is important that you acquire your Cusco Tourist Ticket (BTC)
Reviews(21)
Virgil went above and beyond to explain the Inka architecture and the ruins. We have very helpful and we learned so much.
It was an interesting trip where we learnt about the Inca culture. Unfortunately, my wife felt the effect of the high altitude to enjoy it more. I would have preferred less standing and listening to the tour guide. I know he liked to share with us as much as possible, however there were so many beautiful views which we missed by standing around. I would have preferred to be given time and place where we would meet and do some exploration of my own.
Dear passenger, Thank you for sharing your feedback about your recent trip with us. We're thrilled to hear that you found the journey and the exploration of Inca culture interesting. We're sorry to learn that the effects of the high altitude impacted your wife's experience. Our team is always available to provide tips to help guests acclimate more comfortably. We appreciate your comments about the tour format and will consider your suggestion for more independent exploration to improve future experiences. We hope to welcome you back on another adventure soon, and thank you again for your insights!
Martin was an amazing guide. His knowledge of Cusco and all the sites was tremendous. I would definitely recommend him for this tour.
Dear Robert, Thank you so much for your words! We’re thrilled to hear that Martin made your tour in Cusco a memorable experience. His passion for the history and culture truly shines through, and we’re glad you appreciated his expertise. We look forward to welcoming you back on another adventure soon!
This tour could be summarized to just the City Tour of Cusco, with its Cathedral and Coricancha or reduce the archaeological sites to visit as it gets very heavy and long. In addition, more important ones are also known as Moray, Chinchero, Ollantaytambo and of course Machu Picchu. Another point to improve from this tour is that we did it only 3 hours from arriving in Cusco, and does not allow time to adapt to the height. Our Guide was Juan Vargas, as on the Maras and Moray tour and of course he was excellent in his explanations and made it bearable. And as a surprise he took us to a local community to get to know his handmade fabric work and there we could feed vicuñas and alpacas. That was so much fun!
Querido pasajero, Gracias por compartir tu experiencia con nosotros. Lamentamos que el tour se haya sentido largo y que no haya sido ideal en cuanto a la adaptación a la altura. Apreciamos tus sugerencias sobre el itinerario y tomaremos en cuenta tus comentarios para mejorar la experiencia. Nos alegra saber que, a pesar de estos puntos, disfrutaste de la guía de Juan Vargas, su conocimiento y la visita a la comunidad local. Gracias por tu valioso feedback y por elegirnos. ¡Esperamos tener la oportunidad de ofrecerte una experiencia aún mejor en el futuro!
Despite booking the Cusco city tour? We weren’t quite sure what we’d see. We had a great guide. We saw mostly Inka sites and saw the impact on these by the Spanish occupation. We had time to enjoy the sites and understand what they were all for - wonderful.
Dear passenger, Thank you for sharing your experience! We’re glad you enjoyed the Cusco city tour and that our guide helped you appreciate the Inca sites and their history. We hope to see you on another adventure soon!
The coordinator forgot to pick us up at the hotel so we missed the first excursion, during Pucara's we didn't explain anything because he went for coffee, when we arrived in Puno he asked for tips for him and the driver.
This has been the best planed vacation that I have ever experienced with a travel agency. I purchased this package with Hectours from Puerto Rico and they coordinated with Lima Tours in Peru. The level of professionalism since the moment that I booked this trip, the drivers that picked us up, the guides, the WhatsApp constant follow up and attention. Everything was excellent. The hotels and the places that we visited were awesome. Even when our plane and train got delayed the drivers were constantly connecting with us and letting us know not to worry that someone would be there waiting for us was a lot of comfort. Great job! My only comment is that this was a very busy and tight schedule which requires at least a day of rest every three days and should be recommended by the travel agent. Nevertheless this vacation was great.
The trip was varied as it visited local archaeological sites as well as buildings within Cusco itself. The guide was informative and took time to explain the history and local customs. The driver was very polite. We also visited a local craft centre and were able to feed Llamas and Alpacas - it was nice to see these roaming around the grounds rather that enclosed in pens.
The attention of the LIMATOURS guides is exceptional. The only thing left is time to have lunch, have a good meal or bring food. LIMATOUR guides are outstanding. It only lacks time for lunch, get some food for the road.
Estimado pasajero, nos alegra mucho saber que disfrutó el tour conociendo la ciudad histórica del Cusco de la mano de un guía excepcional. ¡Esperamos tenerlo de vuelta pronto!
Excursion prepared by Hectours, very good experience. Extremely interesting places full of stories. Well-prepared tour guides.
