Explore the Imperial City on foot
Cusco was the capital of the Inca empire and is buzzing with culture and history. When you visit, you’ll want to make the most of your time here and visit the most significant sites in the city. You’ll surely be visiting Machu Picchu and many other archaeological sites and museums, but what about the modern-day culture in this city?
Our Cusco walking tour is the best way to see what the city offers behind the scenes and takes you to some of the busiest parts of the Inca capital. On this tour, you'll start at the vibrant traditional San Pedro market. You'll then walk through Cusco's streets while learning about its history and culture.
Walking Tour Cusco Half Day Map
- Itinerary
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- Before You Go
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Our walking tour of Cusco is perfect for those who want to get to know the city on a more personal level and see the locals in their daily lives. You can join us at any point on your half-day tour, whether you are alone, as a couple or in a larger group.
Cusco is the oldest and most constantly inhabited city in the Americas. It is also the flourishing capital of the Inca Empire built deep in the mountains and considered one of the most beautiful places in the world.
The most impressive and historically rich Peruvian city is appreciated by locals and tourists alike for its history and architecture. It also boasts the breathtaking beauty of its mountain scenery and the warmth of its friendly inhabitants. On this tour, you will visit markets, historic sites, unique neighborhoods, and a colonial-era aqueduct.
As you walk through the streets, you will discover colonial buildings built over Inca temples and palaces, reminding us of the city's incredible past. The walking tour is perfect for those who wish to visit Cusco and gain a broader view of Peru's history and culture.
Highlights
- Get to know the most important historical and cultural sites of the city of Cusco.
- Watch the locals going about their daily lives outside the main square.
- Enter one of the oldest markets in the city and enjoy its colors and sounds.
- Visit a handicraft market that offers every kind of souvenir you can imagine.
- Discover parts of the city and learn things about it that you might not consider exploring on your own.
- Explore the Sapantiana aqueduct, which was part of the palace of the first ruler Manco Inca.
- Stroll down one of the streets that aims to be considered the most beautiful in the world, Borreguitos Street.
Detailed Itinerary
Cusco | Traditional San Pedro Market - Craft Market - Qoricancha - San Blas - Colonial Aqueduct of Sapantiana - 7 Borreguitos Street
Highlight of the day: Walking through Cusco and visiting its most significant places.
Incredible Walking City Tour in the Andes of Peru
We will arrange a meeting time and place to start our tour and head to the San Pedro Market, one of the oldest and most famous markets in the city. You will observe all the fascinating and colorful stalls before continuing to the Handicrafts Market, where you will have the opportunity to buy gifts to take home to your friends and family.
Afterwards, we will head to Qoricancha and the Santo Domingo Convent. Here, you will enjoy an interesting history lesson and see some incredible Inca structures that are well preserved. From there, we will head to the traditional neighborhood of San Blas to stroll through its small cobblestone streets and see many works of art displayed in museums, stores, and sidewalks. Then, we will visit the old colonial aqueduct of Sapantiana, an important vestige of impressive hydraulic architecture. Finally, we will pass by the famous 7 Borreguitos street to appreciate its traditional beauty and take amazing pictures.
Before the tour begins, we will agree on a meeting point and start time. Once we are all together and ready to start, it will be time to set off on our exciting tour of Cusco.
This historical tour will take us to the San Pedro Market, a traditional place located at 3,400 meters above sea level. It is one of the oldest in the whole city and probably the most famous. It was designed by the French architect Gustave Eiffel and inaugurated in 1925. You will be impressed by how crowded it is as you stroll through the rows of bright fruits, colorful garments, handcrafted pieces, and food stalls. Your guide will tell you about the history and current workings of the market. Also, you will have the opportunity to interact with the local merchants at their stalls, so be prepared to practice your Spanish and Quechua skills.
The next stop is at the Mercado de Artesanía or 'Handicraft Market' located on Avenida el Sol, the main road to Cusco's city center. This place is a shopper's paradise because they offer all kinds of items that you can purchase as souvenirs of your trip or as gifts. Here, you will find beautiful alpaca garments, paintings, jewelry of all kinds, and traditional pottery. Remember to bring some cash (Peruvian soles) as they do not accept credit cards in this kind of places.
Next, it will be time to head to Qoricancha. This site means Temple of the Sun in Spanish, so it was and is the most important Inca construction in the city of Cusco. Inside you will find very well-preserved pieces of Inca architecture that are truly amazing, especially when you see how well the stones fit together. The main function of Qoricancha was for astronomical and religious reasons. When the Spaniards entered this building, the first thing they did was to loot all the gold and precious jewels they found.
Then, in the religious aspect, they formed one of the main churches built by the first religious order that they brought. Here, the main church and the convent of the Dominican order is formed to impose the Catholic religion to the inhabitants of the city of Cusco. After having explored Qoricancha, you will visit its convent.
Later, we will take a walking tour of the San Blas neighborhood. This is a very traditional part of the city where the nobles lived during the Inca Empire. Nowadays, it is a very artistic neighborhood. You can find many museums or exhibitions, you will also see people selling their handmade crafts. If you go a little bit up from San Blas square, you will see the whole city and how it extends into the deep valley in the middle of the mountains. In this neighborhood, you will find some traditional 'chicherías' where you can taste what the locals call 'Inca beer.'
Next, we will visit the Sapantiana Aqueduct, also called Huaca Sapantiana, a site that could not be missed in this excursion. It is a hydraulic architecture of the colonial era that had the function of carrying water from one top to another. Here, you will be able to appreciate the water fall through the steps that descend from its arches while you enjoy the tranquility of the place. Finally, we will pass by 7 Borreguitos street, a picturesque road where you can take beautiful pictures.
Once the tour is over, you will have the rest of the day to enjoy as you wish or to return to some of the commercial sites and buy souvenirs.
Why Travel with us
At Salkantay Trekking, we specify the included and non-included services under all the tour itineraries listed on our website. We take care of all the logistics, but please pay attention to the details to avoid missing anything. Some items may be different for specific programs, so please read carefully before booking with us.
What Is Included?
High Quality Service
Experienced Tour Guide - All our guides have professionalism, experience, responsibility, seriousness and passion, which will make your trip safe and comfortable.
English and spanish speaking official tour guide. All our guides are graduates of the professional career of Tourism of the National University San Antonio Abad of Cusco. We choose them for their professionalism, experience, responsibility, seriousness, unbridled passion for exploring, and sincere desire to proudly share in our culture and history. He or she will keep you safe, sound, and comfortable on your trek so that you can enjoy your time worry-free!
Medical Kit or First AID Kit - Our guides are trained to deal with basic emergencies.
All Salkantay Trekking guides have received specialized training in first aid. We hold mandatory training sessions with our guides every February. Your guide will always carry a first aid kit to face basic emergencies (altitude sickness, travelers' diarrhea, cuts, scrapes, etc.) as well as oxygen. If necessary, we’ll evacuate you from the path as quickly as possible and ensure that you arrive at a clinic for treatment.
24/7 Customer Service - We have 24 hours a day telephone service.
We have telephone service available 24 hours/day for ease of communication with Salkantay Trekking leading up to your trek.
What Is Not Included?
Qoricancha Entrance Ticket
- Adult: PEN 15.00 (US$ 5.00)
- Students and Children (11-17): PEN 8.00 (US$ 3.00)
- Children (under 10): Free
Travel Insurance
Tips for our staff
Tipping is the norm on any excursion in Peru. Although we pay good salaries to our entire team, something extra is always welcome.
Additional costs or delays beyond our control
Landslides, bad weather conditions, itinerary modifications due to a safety concern, illness, pandemia, government policy changes, political instability, strikes, act of God, etc.
We want to make your trip to Peru as memorable and as carefree as possible. In this section, you’ll find the answers to all the questions you have about traveling with Salkantay Trekking in one place. Please read the following information carefully – it will help you with any questions about our services.
Can I store my luggage at your office?
Of course! During the trip, your main luggage can be stored at our office (you can organize it with us on the briefing day or by email) or at your hotel, both free of charge.
Any equipment that you won’t need on the trek can be stored safely in your hotel. Nearly every hotel will provide this service. Don’t leave items of value with your bags; put them in the hotel safe and obtain an itemized receipt (in the unlikely case of theft, many insurance companies require that you have a copy of the receipt itemizing everything). It’s best to put items such as credit cards inside a sealed, signed envelope for extra peace of mind.
Group Tours
Group tours are made up of different types of people, then physical conditions and ages can vary. By agreeing to be part of a group tour, you also accept that some people may be faster or slower than you. Therefore, each person can go at their own pace on the route.
It may be the case that a group wishes to modify the tour; however, the guide will be the one who decides, after consulting with all the participants, if such modifications are possible.
Strikes and demonstrations
Strikes and demonstrations are common in Peru, and this may interrupt some of our tours. Roads can be blocked, and train tracks can be taken over. However, we will try to keep your trip as originally planned, even if it means leaving the night before the scheduled date.
Under these circumstances, tours may also be canceled. In case of changes or cancellations, everything will be coordinated with you by our operations department. Your safety is our highest priority, and our decisions will be made to protect it.
Lost objects
Please pay attention to where you leave your things and remember to take everything once you leave every place we'll visit. You’re the only one responsible for your objects during the tour.
WHAT SHOULD YOU BRING?
ESSENTIAL
CLOTHING
EQUIPMENT
RECOMMENDED
The "Cusco Walking Tour" can leave any day of the week, the whole year.
2024 Land Cost
Group Price: US$ 20.00 per person
This small-group journey is guaranteed to operate with just two guests.
Notice that PayPal charges a fee of 5%, which we ask the client to cover since it's due to the use of its service. This tax is just for online deposits.
Extensions & Offers
There are several extensions you can include to your Peru Adventure.
- Rainbow Mountain: US$ 100.00 US$ 80.00
- Sacred Valley: US$ 100.00 US$ 80.00
- City Tour: US$ 50.00 US$ 40.00
Price Guarantee
Once your booking has been confirmed, we guarantee the price won’t increase, whatever the circumstances. So please, before booking, ensure you’ve read all our important tour information.
Thank you for your interest in having an adventure travel experience in Peru curated by Salkantay Trekking. Please take a moment to complete our short form, so one our friendly Adventure Consultants could provide you all the information for your trip of a lifetime in Peru.
Our Pledge | Your privacy is respected and protected. The Salkantay Trekking Company will never share, sell, or make public any of your personal contact information to third parties.
Remember | One of our Travel Experts will contact you soon to confirm the availability of the trip you chose, give you more information, and/or provide you alternative options. Once availability is established, we will ask for a deposit and a completed online registration to confirm your spot on the trek. Please call us at (+51) 958 191 179 with any questions or to confirm availability over the phone.
Note | Due to the rainy season and trail maintenance, we don't offer this trek during the whole month of february. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you, we are working to provide you a better service!
Feel free to reach us via email at info@salkantaytrekking.com or by calling us directly at (+51) 958 191 179
Every Day: 9:00 am to 7:00 pm
Triunfo Street 346 - Main Square of Cusco, Peru
