Cusco City Tour Half Day
Description
The city of Cusco is full of history and impressive Inca monuments. On the Cusco city tour, your guide will take you on a step by step journey through the finest landmarks the city has to offer. The tour includes the prominent historical sites of Sacsayhuamán, an astounding Inca fortress whos stonework is so impeccable. Q’enqo, a sacred Inca pilgrimage site, that once served as an astronomical observatory and mummification house, the Temple of the Sun or Qoricancha, which was the religious, geographical, and political center of Cusco during the period of the Incas. Tambomachay Also known by the name "Bath of the Inca", it was apparently a place for worship water and rest the monarch of the empire and the inka fortress of Pukapukara located on the high area of Cusco. The Cathedral of Cusco, It is the main temple of the city of Cusco, decorated with fine carved wood works and impressive altars and beautiful paintings. The tour will culminate at the famous Plaza de Armas of Cusco.
Tour Options
Itinerary
The convent was built on the spectacular Qorikancha place of gold, the most important dedicated to the worship of the sun, whose walls were covered with sheets of gold. The convent stands on a foundation of polished stone structures, the most finely crafted in Cusco, the Inca Empire. Its gate is an excellent example of Renaissance and its unique tower, baroque, prominent on the tiled roofs of the city. Like all churches, it has an important collection of paintings of the Cusquenian School.
Imposing example of Inca military architecture, this fortress was built using large slabs of granite and dedicated to the safeguard of the city of Cusco from attacks by invaders from the east or Antis. Sacsayhuaman (in Quechua "satisfied falcon") is made up of three large terraces which overlap in a "zigzag" and flanked by enormous stone ramparts of up to 300 mt of length. Due to its proximity and elevation with respect to Cusco and the dimensions of the stones of up to 5 mt. High and 350 tons, this served as a quarry for certain structures in the colonial city of Cusco.
Pukapukara is a spiritual center built on a sole outcrop of limestone, with underground galleries and a semicircular amphitheater ritual center. Puca Pucara (in Quechua "Red Fortress") is a military construction composed of stairways, terraces and large walls, which are part of the defense system of the imperial capital. Both are adjacent parts to the archaeological circuit of Cusco.
Also known by the name "Bath of the Inca", it was apparently a place for worship water and rest the monarch of the empire. They excel in it, a system of aqueducts, canals and cascades carved in stone, designed to channel water flowing from a nearby spring. According to specialists, Tambomachay was also a real garden, full of ornamental profuse vegetation, the same that was maintained by an intricate system of canals.
Located 4 kilometres northeast of the city of Cusco, Q’enqo was a spiritual center of the Inca’s built on a singular outcrop of limestone. Its underground galleys and semicircular amphitheatre fulfilled a purely religious function, hosting ceremonies in honor of their major gods such as the sun, the moon, the mountains and the earth. Q’enqo is also home to the Intihuatana, an astronomical observatory used to calculate the position of the sun and to predict changes in the seasons.
The Main Plaza oc Cusco city
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
This tour includes roundtrip transfer from any hotel, apartment or your house located around the Cusco city.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Passport name, number, expiry and country is required at time of booking and travel for all participants
- A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
- Use sneakers or light/tennis shoes
- Raincoat (long poncho) during the rainy season
- Sunscreen, brimmed hat for sunny days
- Camera or camcorder and films.
- Have on hand checks in small denominations and coins in soles or dollars.
Reviews(3)
Our trip was supposed to start at 9am, we waited until 10am and called the # provided. The answer was “ you are booked for the morning tour but we forgot to check the list this morning as you booked last night. It was tiresome and time wasted. So we went on the afternoon trip. Trip was very good otherwise. Jamil Tareen
Thank you for your feedback, Jamil. We sincerely apologize for the delay and the inconvenience caused that morning. This was our mistake, and we will review our booking process to make sure it does not happen again. We’re glad to know that you enjoyed the tour despite this issue, and we truly appreciate your understanding.
We booked our trip with Machu Picchu Viajes Peru and it was a great decision! Fredy was fantastic from the beginning — he was very flexible while we were figuring out our priorities, and he designed an itinerary that fit perfectly with our available time. For the City Tour in Cusco, our group guide was Lenin, who was incredibly knowledgeable and friendly. He shared so much interesting history and answered every question with patience. The organization was flawless: every evening Fredy would send us a WhatsApp message with the plan for the next day, and they were always on time for pick-ups at our hotel. This first day set the tone for an amazing experience. Highly recommended!
