• Date: November 15, 2011
• Author: Ellen Small Billard
• 3 Comments

Because there is so much to do and see in Cusco, it is tempting to plan a very full itinerary. Be careful, though, not to pack your schedule too full as the altitude will definitely slow you down if you have not allowed ample time to acclimatize (we recommend at least three days). Although many people report nausea, headaches, and fatigue as symptoms of altitude sickness, the only symptom we encountered was significant shortness of breath during even the most moderate of physical activity.

You may also want to consider making your first stop the Oficina Ejecutiva del Comite (Av El Sol 103) to purchase Cusco’s Boleto Turistico, the official tourism ticket that will get you passage into 16 of the area’s main attractions, including the ruins at Saqsayhuaman and Ollantaytambo. If you plan to visit more than one of these sites, it’s definitely a good value. Be prepared to pay for your ticket in cash.

Although the Boleto Turistico will get you admittance into many of the ruin sites, it will not get you into any ofCusco’s religious sites. For that, you need another ticket, specific to these sites. If you plan to visit more than one of the cathedrals or the Museo de Arte Religioso, it’s worth buying the ticket. If not, just purchase a ticket for that individual site. You can purchase the full religious ticket at La Catedral, the city’s main cathedral on the Plaza de Armas. Note: the full religious ticket does not include admittance to every religious site in Cusco, such as some of the monasteries.

Here are just a few sites we recommend visiting while in Cusco:

Plaza de Armas: The city’s beautiful main square, surrounded by several cathedrals, famed restaurants, tourist shops, and remnants of Inca walls. Visitors and locals can stroll the Plaza’s park, rest on its benches, and watch children and pigeons play in the center fountain. Tourists, beware – you will be approached by street vendors selling a variety of crafts, ranging from paintings to crocheted llama finger puppets.

Cusco's Plaza de Armas

Plaza San Francisco and Catedral de San Francisco: This church is of the Franciscan order, and contains a variety of paintings, including many depicting the life of St. Francis of Assisi. The church lies at the Plaza San Francisco, about three blocks from the Plaza de Armas and is a great place for locals to socialize and relax.

Locals gather to watch a street performer in Cusco's Plaza de San Francisco

La Compañia: This church was built by the Jesuits to be the grandest church in Cusco, but the bishop insisted it should not surpass La Catedral. Like many other colonial religious structures, it was built on top of an Inca temple, thetemple of Huayna Capac. It has an ornate baroque façade that rivals any in the city.

Convento and Bascilica de la Merced: This is known as Cusco’s third most important church and lies about two blocks from the Plaza de Armas. It was rebuilt after the 1650 earthquake. The church contains the remains of Gonzalo Pizarro, the half-brother of Francisco.

La Catedral: The main cathedral in Cusco. It was built by the Spanish on the Inca palace of Viraconcha Inca. It is divided into three different cathedrals or chapels: Iglesia del Triunfo on the right, the main cathedral in the center, and Iglesia de jesus Maria to the left. The cathedral could also pose as an art gallery as it houses over 300 paintings from the famed Cusco school. Much of the artwork and décor inside the cathedral was created by Quechuas who integrated elements of Andean beliefs into the images depicting Christian theology. An example of this is Quechuan artist Marcos Zapata’s The Last Supper, a painting that depicts Jesus with his disciples feasting on Chica, an Andean fermented corn beer, and Cuy, the Peruvian delicacy of guinea pig. For a small fee, you can hire a private tour guide as you enter the cathedral.

Cusco's La Catedral at the Plaza de Armas

Inca walls: Lining many narrow pedestrian streets, including the alley of Loreto, these Inca walls form the foundations of modern buildings. You can stroll down the alley, sliding your hand along these stones chiseled by Inca laborers.

12-sided stone: This stone makes up part of the exterior to the Museo de Arte Religioso, which was once an Inca fortress. The stone is fascinating, but is always crowded with local children and youth who are eager to point out the stone and explain its history to you, for a small tip, of course.

Monasterio and Iglesia de Santo Domingo: This church and monastery were built upon the 15^th Century Inca temple of Qorikancha, a revered and ornate Inca holy-site that was literally lined in gold. When the conquistadors arrived, they soon confiscated and melted down all of the gold at this revered temple. All that remains of the Inca temple today is some of its stonework, combined with the colonial structures, proving yet another example of the blending of these two cultures and the ever-present reminder ofCusco’s tumultuous past. Today it belongs to the Dominicans. Portions of the church, including its doorway, are in Moorish style, a recurring theme in Spanish colonial architecture, resulting from centuries of Moorish rule in Spain.

Monesterio de Santo Domingo

Plaza San Blas: Just a brief uphill walk from the 12-sided stone lies the barrio, or neighborhood, of San Blas. The small Plaza boasts a cathedral and a nice fountain with some benches to relax. To the right of the plaza, you can find small artisan shops selling local handicrafts. We recommend this place as best for purchasing the popular Peruvian carved guards that are popular with both artisans and tourists.

Plaza San Blas

Museo Inka: This museum boasting Inca artifacts including jewelry, pottery, textiles, and even mummies, lies a block northeast of the Plaza de Armas Like many buildings in the area, it was built on an Inca-constructed building. This place was billed as a don’t-miss, but, unfortunately we missed it! Judging from the glowing reviews it received throughout the rest of our trip, foregoing a visit to this museum was an unfortunate omission.

Walk to the ruins of Saqsayhuaman: If you’re up for a short walk, these ruins are about a half an hour uphill from the center of Cusco. We’ll detail these ruins further in a later post focusing solely on Inca ruins. But, these ruins, if they still remained as their full size, would likely rival Machu Picchu in fame and grandeur. The ruins once served an important role as both a religious and military site.Cusco was designed to be in the shape of a puma, and Saqsayhuaman represents the head of the puma. You can catch some great views of all of Cusco from the top.

Saqsayhuaman

Paddy’s Pub: After a long day of sight-seeing, relax over a beer at Paddy’s, the highest Irish pub in the world. We made friends with an Irish couple there, Maureen and Shamus, who were looking for a taste of home. The ambiance makes it easy to forget you’re inSouth America — not that you’ll want to!

Paddy's Pub, around the corner from Cusco's Plaza de Armas

Finally, be sure to take some time just to enjoy Cusco. No, by that I do not mean checking off each of the places listed above. Rather, I mean take some time to just sit in a local cafe overlooking the Plaza de Armas and watch the cars and people pass by. Make friends with locals and others visiting the area. Take time to let Cusco soak in.

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