Centro Histórico (Plaza de Armas)

A look around

What you’ll be living next to. Swipe through.

1/6

Where it sits

The circle is Centro Histórico and roughly a 10-minute walk around it.

How far is everything?

From the middle of this area to the city's headline sights — pick your own on the city page and these become your list.

• San Blas & the viewpoint5 min walk396 m
• Andean textiles & crafts5 min walk434 m
• San Pedro Market6 min walk527 m
• Cristo Blanco viewpoint10 min walk839 m
• Pisac ruins & market53 min taxi17.6 km
• Maras & Moray93 min taxi30.9 km
• Ollantaytambo126 min taxi42.1 km
• Machu Picchu218 min taxi72.8 km

On your doorstep

What you’re living next to if you stay here.

• 2.Plaza de Armas & the Cathedral — The magnificent main square, ringed by arcaded colonnades and two great churches — the Cathedral, built with stones from the Inca fortress above, holds a famous painting of the Last Supper with a roast guinea pig on the table. The beating heart of Cusco; sit under the arches with a coca tea and watch the city go by.
• 3.Sacsayhuamán — A colossal Inca fortress-temple on the hill above the city — vast zigzag walls built from precisely fitted stones weighing up to 200 tonnes, a marvel of engineering that still baffles. A short walk or taxi up, with sweeping views over Cusco's red roofs; the venue, too, for the great Inti Raymi sun festival.
• 4.Rainbow Mountain — Vinicunca — a ridge of mineral-striped rock banded in astonishing rainbow colours, high in the mountains southeast of the city. A long day tour and a tough hike at over 5,000m (altitude is no joke here), but the surreal, otherworldly landscape is a bucket-list sight. Acclimatise first, go with a tour, and take it slow.
• 6.Qorikancha (Sun Temple) — The Incas' most sacred temple, once sheathed in gold — its superb, curved stone walls survive, with a Spanish convent (Santo Domingo) built on top, a striking symbol of the collision of two worlds. The finest Inca stonework in the city; marvel at how perfectly the mortarless blocks fit, and how they outlasted earthquakes.
• 9.The Inca stone streets — Wander the old lanes where colonial buildings sit atop flawless Inca foundations — most famously Hatun Rumiyoc, home to the celebrated 'twelve-angled stone', a single block cut to fit its neighbours perfectly. A short, atmospheric stroll that captures Cusco's layered soul; find the stone, and admire the mortarless masonry.
• 12.Andean food — Peru is a culinary powerhouse, and Cusco serves the Andean canon — hearty quinoa soups, lomo saltado, alpaca steaks, and, for the brave, cuy (roast guinea pig), a festive delicacy. Eat cheap and delicious at San Pedro Market, or splurge at one of the excellent Novo-Andean restaurants around the plaza.
• 14.A pisco sour & nightlife — Peru's national cocktail — pisco grape brandy shaken with lime, syrup and egg white to a frothy tang — is the way to toast Cusco, and the plaza's bars, pubs and clubs make for a lively (if breathless, at altitude) night out. Start with a pisco sour on a plaza balcony at sunset, and see where the night leads.