A romantic Cusco stay mostly comes down to three choices: which of two adjoining hotels, which quiet viewpoint, and which dinner that isn’t a group tour stop. Belmond Hotel Monasterio and Belmond Palacio Nazarenas Both are real, currently operating, adjacent luxury properties in San Blas, built into restored colonial-era buildings. Palacio Nazarenas holds the city’s only outdoor pool and made the World’s 50 Best Hotels 2025 extended list; Monasterio sits inside a former 16th-century monastery, with the quieter, more historic feel of the two.

A multi-day trip out of Cusco means one of four things: the Inca Trail, Salkantay, Ausangate, or Choquequirao, and each asks for a different permit situation and a different level of fitness. Machu Picchu, as an overnight Booking a night in Aguas Calientes rather than racing an early train back removes the timing pressure a rushed day trip carries, and it’s the responsible default for a first Machu Picchu visit. Tickets book at tuboleto.

Cusco itself, at 3,400m, is a genuinely easy family base. Rainbow Mountain, at 5,036m, is not, and the two shouldn’t be planned the same way. Low-altitude, easy days Plaza de Armas and San Pedro Market sit at Cusco’s own baseline altitude, with no extra precaution needed beyond what the whole trip already requires. Kids tend to like the square’s colorful buildings and street performers, and the market’s food stalls and produce are an easy, low-stakes way to try local snacks together, best visited in the morning before the crowds build.

Two places in Cusco share the name Qorikancha, and knowing which one a ticket actually covers saves a wasted stop at the gate. Plaza de Armas and the Cathedral Cusco’s main square is free to enter and sits at the center of everything else on this list. The Cathedral facing it is ticketed separately, not part of the Boleto Turistico, and holds the Cusco School’s version of the Last Supper, where the meal on the table is cuy, guinea pig, painted into a European scene by an Andean hand.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. There is no train from Lima to Ica, and no scheduled commercial flight lands there either; every multi-day route through this desert runs on the Panamericana Sur by coach or private van. Once that’s settled, Ica turns into an excellent hub for looping three very different landscapes into one trip.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. 7 days: the full core, a high day trip, and two valleys This is the fullest budget route: the city, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, a high-altitude day trip, and both the South Valley and a second Sacred Valley stop before you go.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. 6 days: the full core plus a high-altitude day trip This route runs the city, the Sacred Valley, and Machu Picchu across the first four days, then adds a high-altitude day trip and a quieter South Valley loop once you’re properly acclimatized.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. 4 days: the city core plus Machu Picchu, booked ahead This route adds Machu Picchu, the one real splurge in an otherwise cheap trip, onto the 3-day city-and-Sacred-Valley core. Expect roughly $40-70 a person per day on average once Machu Picchu’s ticket and train are folded in; the tables below give it in soles with a rough dollar conversion, since PEN moves and these figures are worth verifying when you book.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. 3 days: the city core plus a lower-altitude Sacred Valley day This route takes the 2-day city core and adds a full day in the Sacred Valley, both a genuinely good sight and a smart acclimatization move since Pisac and Ollantaytambo sit lower than Cusco.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. 2 days is enough for Cusco’s free sights plus one Boleto circuit This route sticks to the city itself: a slow acclimatization day around the free Plaza de Armas sights, then the ruins above town on a single Boleto Turístico circuit and a wander through San Pedro Market.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Cusco is cheap if you know which sights already cost nothing Cusco, the old Inca capital and a UNESCO World Heritage city since 1983, doesn’t need a big budget to see well: the main square, two of its best viewpoints, and a carved Inca wall are all free, and the Boleto Turístico bundles the ruins above town into one ticket instead of a dozen separate entries.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. 2 days in Cuzco, the honest budget version Two days covers the free city sights and Sacsayhuaman on the Boleto Turistico, not Machu Picchu on any real budget. This is the shortest, cheapest plan in this lineup; the 3-day itinerary is the first one with room for a proper Machu Picchu add-on, building up through the 4-day , 5-day and 6-day versions.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. 3 days in Cuzco, the first plan that fits Machu Picchu Three days is the shortest realistic window that adds Machu Picchu onto the free-sights plan: Day 1 acclimatises in Cuzco, Day 2 covers the Sacred Valley on colectivos and the Boleto Turistico, Day 3 goes to the ruins and back.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. 4 days in Cuzco, the honest budget version Four days buys real room for Machu Picchu without stretching the budget past reason: Day 1 acclimatises for free, Day 2 works the Sacred Valley on the Boleto Turistico, Day 3 is the one expensive day at Machu Picchu itself, and Day 4 spends the ticket you already own on a near-free Cuzco day.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. 5 days in Cuzco, the budget plan with room to spare Five days extends the 4-day plan by one extra day without a second expensive one: Days 1 and 2 acclimatise and cover the Sacred Valley on the Boleto Turistico, Day 3 is the one costly Machu Picchu day, and Days 4 and 5 spend that same ticket on the Southern Valley ruins, then go free entirely on a mirador day instead of a paid extra.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. 6 days in Cuzco, the budget plan with the ticket fully used Six days extends the 5-day plan by one more Boleto Turistico day rather than a second expensive one: acclimatise, cover the Sacred Valley, spend the one pricey day at Machu Picchu, add the Southern Valley, rest for free around San Blas, then use the same ticket a final time at Sacsayhuaman and Chinchero.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Cuzco’s real budget wins are free, not Machu Picchu Plaza de Armas, San Blas, and San Pedro Market cost nothing to walk through, and that’s most of a first full day in Cuzco covered for free.

Two days in Lima on a budget: what it actually costs Two days in Lima realistically covers Miraflores, Barranco and a Centro Historico half-day, not the whole country, and definitely not Machu Picchu (a separate flight-plus-train trip to Cusco, never a Lima day trip). Peru’s currency is the sol, PEN, running roughly S/3.38 to S/3.41 per US dollar in 2026 (the old “Nuevo Sol” name was dropped back in 2015). Lima sits at sea level, so altitude is a non-issue here, unlike Cusco’s thin air.

Three days in Lima on a budget: what it actually costs Three days in Lima covers Miraflores’ free clifftop parks and Parque Kennedy’s cats, a Barranco-plus-Centro-Historico half day, and the Larco Museum paired with a real cheap-eats food day, all on the Peruvian sol. Lima sits at sea level, so there is no altitude concern here, unlike Cusco’s roughly 3,400 meters; the sol runs roughly 3.38 to 3.41 to the dollar in 2026.

Lima in 4 Days on a Budget (With Daily Costs) Four days keeps the 3-day itinerary ’s spine, Miraflores, Barranco, the Centro Historico and the Larco Museum, then adds a full day trip to the Pachacamac ruins. Lima sits at sea level, so there’s no altitude to worry about, and the trip runs comfortably on Peruvian soles. Staying longer? The 5-day itinerary adds Paracas. Book these before you go Compare rates in Miraflores or Barranco on Booking.

Five days in Lima on a budget: what it actually costs Five days in Lima keeps the 4-day itinerary ’s route whole, Miraflores, Barranco plus a Centro Historico half-day, the Larco Museum and a cheap-eats food day, then Pachacamac’s ruins, and adds the one day trip the shorter plans skip: a long run south to Paracas and the Islas Ballestas, priced here at bus-and-boat rates rather than an all-inclusive tour. Lima sits at sea level, so there’s no altitude to plan around, unlike Cusco’s roughly 3,400 meters, and the sol runs roughly S/3.

Six days in Lima on a budget: what it actually costs Six days in Lima on a budget covers the full circuit: Miraflores, Barranco, a Centro Historico half-day, the Larco Museum, Pachacamac’s ruins, a long Paracas/Ballestas day, and a closing day mixing Callao Monumental with San Isidro’s El Olivar. Peru’s currency is the sol, PEN, roughly S/3.38-3.41 per US dollar in 2026. Lima sits at sea level, so this trip carries no altitude planning, unlike Cusco.

Seven days in Lima on a budget, with daily costs Seven days is enough to see Lima properly on a budget without touching Cusco or Machu Picchu, which sit a separate flight and several more days away and don’t belong bolted onto the end of this trip. Lima sits at sea level, so there’s no altitude to worry about, only the sol (PEN), running roughly 3.38-3.41 to the US dollar in 2026.