After completing our Inca Trail hike to Machu Picchu and returning to Ollantaytambo by train, we hopped into a van arranged by Amazonas Explorer for the 50-mile drive to Cusco, where we would be spending the next two nights.
Designated a World Heritage Site in 1983, Cusco was the capital of the Incan Empire until the Spanish conquest in the 16th century.
As we neared the outskirts of Cusco, I saw the terracotta-tiled roofs spilling up the hillsides. Although Cusco’s population is smaller than San Francisco’s, it sprawls across nearly twice as much land.
I hadn’t done much planning for our time in Cusco. As a World Heritage Site, it felt like a place we ought to see, but beyond that, the main goal was simple: recover from our Inca Trail hike. We decided to let our whims shape the days ahead—and in the end, there were two things I particularly loved about the city:
- People-watching around the Plaza de Armas and browsing the colorful shops that surrounded it
- Hiking (yes, I thought we were done) to Saqsaywaman, a sprawling Inca-era fortress overlooking the city
Our van wound its way through the narrow cobblestone streets, where buildings leaned close together like old friends. For a moment, it felt as if we had been transported to a small European town. I kept glancing ahead, half-certain we were about to get stuck. Two hours after we left Ollantaytambo, we were finally dropped off in front of Casa Antigua.
At first glance, I thought we must be in the wrong place—the modest facade looked more like the front of a private home than a hotel. But the moment we stepped inside, we were transported: a large central courtyard opened before us, ringed by the balconies of a lovingly restored 18th-century Spanish casona. A few guests lounged by the fire pits, books and glasses of wine in hand, their laughter drifting into the late afternoon air.
I felt a wave of excitement and couldn’t wait to settle in. After checking in, we were shown to our room on the second floor, overlooking the courtyard below.
Since it was already late afternoon, we spent the rest of the day cleaning up, then enjoyed a light dinner in the cozy restaurant downstairs—followed by a quiet nightcap beneath the stars in the courtyard.
Plaza de Armas and Shopping
In the morning, I opened our hand-carved wooden shutters to reveal a view across the terracotta rooftops of the San Blas neighborhood to the foothills beyond. Sunlight poured into the room, and for the first time in days, it felt like we had truly rejoined the world.
We spent our first morning in Cusco easing back into city life. I savored my first real cup of coffee in a week, lingering over a breakfast of eggs, fresh fruit, and bread. Later, Chris found a barbershop and treated himself to a proper shave, while I wandered the streets with him in search of a seamstress to repair the tear in his down booties. After so many days of isolation on the trail, it felt strange to be surrounded once again by the hum of everyday life— cars and trucks rumbling past, people rushing from one place to another with purpose.
For lunch, we scored a table on the balcony of Jonas Cocina Fusión , overlooking the Plaza de Armas in the heart of the historic center.
From our perch, we sipped drinks and shared a half-roasted chicken platter and a bowl of hearty soup, watching the rhythms of the street unfold below: vendors setting up stalls, children chasing each other across the square, tourists craning for photos.
Afterward, we wandered to the Museo Histórico Regional, just a couple of blocks away. Housed in the former home of Inca Garcilaso de la Vega Chimpu Ocllo—one of the great chroniclers of Incan history and culture—it wasn’t necessarily the kind of museum I would normally pay extra to see, but it was included in our boleto turistico, so we decided to make the most of it.
We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the streets and shops around the plaza. I loved the ornate wooden balconies that gave the city a distinctly European feel. I also couldn’t resist browsing the shops filled with colorful Peruvian textiles, lingering over scarves, sweaters, and jackets woven from alpaca wool.
That evening, we met up with Georgina, a fellow Inca Trail hiker who happened to be in Cusco as well. We grabbed dinner at Museo del Pisco—a cocktail bar more than a restaurant—where we had fun sampling creative pisco concoctions, both mixed and straight.
A quick word about the boleto turistico, or tourist ticket: it’s absolutely worth it. The 10-day pass isn’t much more expensive than the one-day version, and a single day wouldn’t be nearly enough time to see the Sacred Valley’s major sites. We used ours earlier in Urubamba to visit the archaeological sites of Pisac, Chinchero, and Moray, and it also covers the ruins at Ollantaytambo, which we, unfortunately, missed. In Cusco, it grants access to several museums and the impressive ruins of Saqsaywaman, which we’d be heading to the next day.
Saqsaywaman
After another delicious breakfast, we headed into the hills behind our hotel to visit Saqsaywaman (pronounced like “sexy woman”). I was glad we had spent several days acclimating to the altitude—at 12,139 feet, slightly higher than Cusco itself, I could feel my heart working harder to keep the oxygen flowing.
We walked fifteen minutes through narrow cobblestoned streets before reaching a wider path paved with flat stones. As we climbed higher, the grassy hillside gave way to a massive stone wall, its boulders fit together with jigsaw-like precision—another testament to Incan stonemasonry. We followed the path to a ticket booth, flashed our boleto turistico, and were waved through without a wait.
I hadn’t done much research beforehand, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. You might think that after seeing the grandeur of Machu Picchu, nothing else could impress—but Saqsaywaman held its own.
Built primarily as a fortress and ceremonial site, Saqsaywaman covers a smaller footprint than Machu Picchu, but it evokes just as much awe. Towering walls of enormous stone—some twice the height of an average person, border one side of a wide grassy field. Their sheer size and the seamlessness of their construction were mesmerizing.
We spent about an hour wandering the complex: tracing the long defensive walls, viewing the remains of ancient watchtowers and circling the perimeter to admire sweeping views of Cusco sprawled out below. If Machu Picchu had felt uncrowded, Saqsaywaman was nearly deserted.
On the walk back to the hotel, we stopped at Xapiri Ground, an NGO that works with artists from the Peruvian Amazon. Inside the airy two-story space, we browsed exhibits and contemporary indigenous artwork. and I couldn’t resist buying a hand-printed textile created by an artist from the Iskonawa tribe. We lingered for a coffee break on the balcony, soaking in the warm morning air.
For lunch, we found, Inkazuela, a mom-and-pop restaurant specializing in cazuelas— traditional clay pot stews. From our table by the open window overlooking a small plaza, we shared two cazuelas, one filled with tender chicken, the other a rich pumpkin stew.
For lunch, we found, Inkazuela, a mom-and-pop restaurant specializing in cazuelas— traditional clay pot stews. From our table by the open window overlooking a small plaza, we shared two cazuelas, one filled with tender chicken, the other a rich pumpkin stew.
As we ate, we watched women in colorful Quechuan dress walk past, each cradling a baby alpaca. One woman, in particular, made us laugh as struggled to wrangle a disobedient
alpaca before finally scooping it into her arms. I wasn’t sure if the little boy was with her, but he didn’t look too happy. He was probably wondering why the alpaca got to be carried instead of him!
Having had our fill of walking and shopping, we spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing at the hotel, enjoying its cozy vibes. We were heading to Lima the next day to continue our Peruvian adventure—and still had plenty of packing ahead of us.
Our time in Cusco was one part of our overall Peru experience. Read about the rest of our Peru trip here.