Seven Days in Peru

A Complete Itinerary to Machu Picchu, Cusco, and Lima, Peru

Peru is a culturally-rich and exciting travel destination with 12 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. My husband and I were looking to spend our wedding anniversary in a special place that offered a bit of adventure and decided on Machu Picchu. Our itinerary was centered around that site, but incorporated some other places that made sense to include due to their proximity to Machu Picchu and flight availability.

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Our week in Peru led us first to Cusco for a day to “get right” after a long overnight flight and to adjust to the elevation. From there, we journeyed on to Machu Picchu for two days. And then back to Cusco. Finally, we spent the last couple days exploring the historical sites of Lima. Our complete itinerary was:

• Day 1: Arrive in Cusco in the morning; explore Plaza de Armas
• Day 2: Hiram Bingham train to Machu Picchu and guided tour of the ruins
• Day 3: Huayna Picchu Mountain hike and train back to Cusco
• Day 4: Cusco – Self-guided walking tour of San Blas and the San Pedro Market
• Day 5: Cusco – San Cristobel Church and the Traditional Textile Center
• Day 6: Flight to Lima; explore Miraflores, Cristo Del Pacífico, El Parque del Amor
• Day 7: Lima – Self-guided walking tour of Lima’s historical city center

Day 1: Arrive in Cusco in the morning; explore Plaza de Armas

I wouldn’t call ourselves “budget travelers,” but we are willing to scrounge around for deals in order to indulge in other luxuries. For us, that usually means that we are flying coach and renting the economy car, but staying at a swankier hotel and eating like royalty (a least a couple times over the course of our stay).

After a long overnight flight my body desperately needs a great bed and bathroom. The Belmond Monasterio was the perfect choice. The property not only offers wonderful accommodations, but is also a protected national monument with an impressive collection of 18th century colonial religious art.

Above photos: The Belmond Monasterio

Our room wasn’t quite ready when we arrived considerably before check-in. So, we dropped our luggage and took our starving bellies to Papacho’s, a little gourmet hamburger place just a couple blocks away. We were having a hard enough time dealing with lack of sleep and elevation change, so playing it safe with a hamburger for lunch seemed like a good idea. Lo and behold, our lunch exceeded our mediocre expectations and was the first of many, many culinary surprises in Peru.

A complete post of our time in Cusco and the attractions we visited can be found here.

A few quick take-aways about Cusco:

• Cusco is the before-and-after destination for most journeys to Machu Picchu for a reason. It is the closest major city offering transportation to/from Aguas Calientes, the town at the base of Machu Picchu. You won’t regret using Cusco for more than your launching pad. It is a culturally-rich and deserving place to spend a couple days on the front or back end of your excursions.
• The local artisan markets and boutique shops are full of incredible textiles and silver. Bring a packable duffle bag in your luggage for all of the extra stuff you will want to purchase and take back home with you.
• The locals walking around in traditional dress with baby alpacas earn their living from the tourists who gravitate towards the photo-op. They may furrrow their brows at you if you start clicking away without compensating them.
• Elevation sickness is real. Bring your meds and give yourself a minute (or a day) to adjust.

Above photos: Street views in Cusco, Peru

If your time in Cusco is limited, my recommendation would be to stay close to the Plaza de Armas, which is the main square in Cusco and surrounded by key points of interest, such as the Cusco Cathedral. The San Blas neighborhood is also close by.

Above photo: Plaza de Armas, Cusco

Above photos: San Blas, Cusco, Peru

Day 2: Hiram Bingham train to Machu Picchu and guided tour of the ruins

The Hiram Bingham is a luxury train ride to Machu Picchu and is considered one of the best train trips in the world. The carriage interiors, entertainment, dining, and extra services upon arrival are all top notch. When we arrived at the train station there were dancers performing in traditional dress and playing music while we were handed champagne.

Above photos: Hiram Bingham Train

The train travels at a slower rate of speed than I expected. But, it allows you to really take in the scenery and walk from carriage-to-carriage without spilling your pisco sour:) Funny story tho…after we were maybe 30 minutes into our journey our locomotive broke down. We ended up waiting on the tracks for A WHILE while a replacement locomotive was brought out to us. The delay caused us to miss tea time at the Sanctuary Lodge, but PeruRail graciously made up for it by offering a compensatory gesture. All was well that ended in our arrival at the Citadel of Machu Picchu.

Above photos: Machu Picchu, Peru

Day 3: Huayna Picchu Mountain hike and train back to Cusco

Huayna Picchu, also known as Waynupicchu Mountain, is the main mountain seen in the background in most Machu Picchu photos. It looks daunting, but is a very do-able hike (tip: book your tickets well in advance). There are some challenging sections of it, but mostly you’ll just be climbing A LOT of stairs. We were cheated out of the view at the top due to the foggy weather, but there was a certain feeling of accomplishment nonetheless.

Above photos: Huayna Picchu, Peru

A complete post of our visit to Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu can be found here.

A few quick take-aways about Machu Picchu:

• Pack insect repellant and sunscreen.
• The bus ride from the base of Aguas Calientes up to the Citadel is legit scary. There are no guard rails as the bus serpentines up the hill. I literally Googled “bus falling off cliff Machu Picchu” to check if there had been any accidents. Surprisingly, they have a pretty good track record.
• Buy your tickets in advance. Buy your tickets in advance. Buy your tickets in advance.
• The weather is unpredictable and you may or may not get a clear view. We got lucky on day #1, but got pea soup on day #2. Que sera sera.
• If you have time, I definitely recommend adding a hike or another activity to your itinerary. There are many different trails and archaeology tours available to enrich the time you spend at this iconic site.

Day 4 and 5: Cusco – Self-guided walking tour of San Blas, San Pedro Market, and other Sites

Following our two days at Machu Picchu, we took the regular train service back to Cusco and enjoyed a couple additional days exploring the neighborhoods, museums, markets, and historical buildings.

For Cusco round two, we wanted to experience another hotel that we had found with a super interesting history, the JW Marriott El Convento Cusco. This boutique hotel is housed in a restored 16th-century convent. The property includes two exhibition halls with ancient Peruvian artifacts, as well as beautiful guest rooms and close proximity to the sites we wanted to see.

After a good sleep, we basically just picked up where we had left off and continued down our list of “must see’s” while in Cusco.

A complete post of our time in Cusco and the attractions we visited can be found here.

Above photos: Cusco, Peru

Day 6 and 7: Flight to Lima; explore Miraflores, Cristo Del Pacífico, El Parque del Amor, and Historical City Center

For the last part of our trip to Peru, we headed to the airport to catch our early morning flight to Lima. Our driver who picked us up from the airport gave us a mini driving tour on the way (er, a little out of the way) to our hotel in the Miraflores district. It was a great way to get the lay of the land and see a few things that we probably wouldn’t have had time to see otherwise.

We stayed at Belmond Miraflores Park. This hotel overlooks the sea and has amazing views up the coast. The lobby was just beautiful and so chic. Quite a difference experience from Cusco, but appropriately more metropolitan.

A complete post of our time in Lima and the attractions we visited can be found here.

We really focused on the Miraflores area and the Historical City Center. However, with more time, I would have loved to explore the Barranco district and visit the street art and murals the area is known for.

A few quick take-aways about Lima:

• 100% try the ceviche at La Mar while in Miraflores
• Take a walk through one of Lima’s many green spaces. We really enjoyed Parque Antonio Raimondi.
• Download the Uber app before you arrive and skip the taxis due to both safety concerns and unregulated fares.

We loved the SoCo surfer vibe in Lima and had a great time exploring the buildings surrounding Plaza de Armas de Lima. The museums and exhibits within the historical buildings were exquisite. By the time we had to leave for the airport, we felt we had left things a bit unfinished. There is so much to see that we simply did not have time for giving us plenty of reason to return again someday.

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