Day 18. Cuzco - Arequipa | Perfect Planet

Submitted by maria on Tue, 23/09/2025 - 14:37

Today we visited the city of Cuzco before taking a flight to Arequipa.

Cuzco

Cuzco is a very beautiful and safe city with a huge old town, where you can walk everywhere.

What to see in Cuzco

1. San Blas neighbourhood and market

If there is one neighbourhood in Cuzco that stands out, it is San Blas. Located in the heart of the historic centre, it is wonderful to lose yourself in its streets full of details. Most of the restaurants and bars are in this area.

The San Blas market is the perfect place to shop, eat or have a freshly made juice at any of its stalls.

San Blas Market

We recommend that you have a juice and an avocado sandwich (2 soles) at any of their stalls (we went to Celinda's, two juices and two sandwiches for 24 soles) and that you try the grilled alpaca meat at El Extraño stall for 35 soles.

Alpaca Grilled

2. Plaza de Armas

The Plaza de Armas in Cuzco is the nerve centre of the city. It is enormous. It is flanked by colonial-style buildings, the Cathedral and the Church of the Society of Jesus.

3. Cathedral

Located in the Plaza de Armas, in the Cathedral of Cuzco or Basilica of the Virgin of the Assumption, you can visit its black Christ located on the main altar. It dates back to the 16th century. Admission is free.

Cathedral

4. Loreto Street and the twelve-angled stone

Located in the heart of the historic centre, on Loreto Street you can see the Inca walls at the bottom of the buildings, huge stones carved and fitted together like a jigsaw puzzle.

The twelve-angled stone is located on the adjacent street, Hatun Rumiyoc. It is easy to find because there are always people taking photos there.

12-angle stone

5. San Cristóbal Viewpoint

Next to the church of the same name, it offers beautiful views of the city.

6. Cristo Blanco Viewpoint

Another must-see viewpoint next to the Sacsayhuaman archaeological complex is the Cristo Blanco viewpoint. You can walk up or take a tourist bus; the views are well worth it.

Sacsayhuaman

7. Sacsayhuaman Archaeological Complex

Construction of this archaeological complex began in the 15th century by order of Pachacutec, one of the most important Incas of the Empire. Currently, only part of the ancient city remains, where you can see the incredible walls made of large stone blocks.

Qorikancha

9. Qorikancha and Santo Domingo Convent

The remains of the ancient Inca Temple of the Sun at Qorikancha were destroyed when the Spanish colonists built the Santo Domingo Convent. Admission: 20 soles.

10. Calle 7 Borreguitos and Colonial Aqueduct

In the historic centre next to the San Blas neighbourhood, don't miss the famous Calle Borreguitos, with its stairways and flower-filled planters. Next to it, you can visit the colonial aqueduct and a park where the remains of an Inca bridge are preserved.

Cuzco

11. San Pedro Market

Much larger than the San Blas market, this is the best place in Cuzco to buy souvenirs at a good price, have a juice or simply stroll around and watch the locals doing their shopping. Cocoa butter costs around 8 soles per unit and a bag of muña costs 2 soles per unit.

Inca Museum

11. Inca Museum

Entrance fee is 20 soles per person for foreigners. The archaeological museum in Cuzco has an extensive collection of utensils, textiles and pottery from pre-Inca civilisations, the Incas and those who coexisted with them. One of the most impressive sections is the room with mummies and funeral artefacts.

Borreguitos street

Where to eat in Cuzco

Based on our experience, whether you are vegan or not, Green Point is an excellent option for enjoying cuisine made with local products that have their own identity.

If you fancy trying grilled alpaca meat, at the San Blas market, the Extraño stall serves delicious food at a good price (35 soles/plate), with set menus between 10 and 20 soles/person.

At Big Vacation, they cook delicious and inexpensive typical Peruvian dishes such as lomo saltado and chicken milanesa.

Green Point

What to see around Cusco

1. Tambomachay, Pukapukara, Qenqo. Located about 8 kilometres from Cusco, these are three Inca sites that are a must-see during your visit to Cusco. You can get there on foot or by tourist bus.

2. The Sacred Valley. The Sacred Valley of the Incas includes the archaeological sites of Ollantaytambo, Pisac, Chichero, Maras and Moray.

3. Mountain of 7 Colours. The second most visited destination in Peru is Vinicunca Mountain. Despite being located at over 5,000 metres, it is well worth a visit.

4. Humantay Lake. If you don't have time to do the Salkantay Trek, we highly recommend that you set aside a day to visit this natural wonder located 3 hours from Cuzco.

5. Machu Picchu. One of the 7 Wonders of the World, a World Heritage Site and the most visited destination in the country, a visit to Machu Picchu is a must on your trip to Peru.

Green Point

Map

Map

After visiting the city of Cuzco and eating at the San Blas market, we head to the airport to catch a flight to the white city of Arequipa, where we will spend the last few days of our trip.

The flight takes just under an hour. It's not a good time to visit Arequipa because there's a miners' convention this week and we had a hard time finding accommodation.

There is an ATM and currency exchange office at the Arequipa airport, but neither of these are available at the Cuzco airport.

Alberto, our taxi driver, is waiting for us at the airport to take us to our accommodation.

We are staying at Casa el Errante in a double room with bathroom, $19/night. It is an old colonial house converted into a hotel with a large terrace and a very nice central courtyard.

We arrive very tired. Tomorrow at 3.30 a.m. they will pick us up to go trekking in the Colca Canyon.