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Best of Cusco City Tour

Cusco city - Sacsayhuaman - Llama Farm - Sun Temple - Local Market
(56)
Service Level:
Premium
Activity type:
  • Local Culture
  • Archaeology
  • Family
  • Culinary
Physical Rating:
Trip Type:
Private Tour
Trip Length
5 Hours
Starting from
$ 75
per person

Best of Cusco City Tour is the Starting Point for your Adventure in Cusco

Experience the real Cusco City Tour up close and personal on a private guided tour with a friendly Local Guide. This tour covers all the must-see attractions up-close in the historical heart of Cusco city, and the surrounding area; providing an introduction to the fascinating history, architecture, and culture of this great city.

The best of Cusco city tour combines the best historic and cultural sites in and around Cusco. This amazing city was considered the center of the world to the Incas, the heart of their empire, and a UNESCO world heritage site. Sitting up at an altitude above 11,000 feet which is a perfect location to allow your body to adjust properly before trekking in higher elevations.

In this fascinating tour of Cusco, we’ll first be walking and visiting the iconic attractions within the city, learn about local daily life at San Pedro Market, stroll through the heart of modern Cusco, the Plaza the Armas with its cathedral, learn of the finest architecture at the Incan Temple of the Sun. Then, drive to the amazing fortress-like Inca temple of Sacsayhuaman and get vantage views of Cusco city.

If your time in Cusco is limited, this tour is perfect as it will introduce you not only to the city but also to one of the biggest Inca sites just outside the city – Sacsayhuaman. Want to focus on the city itself? check out our Cusco City Walking Tour.

Why you will love this tour

  • Experience a walking tour of Cusco’s historic district and explore the traditional streets and alleys. Learn about the history and meaning behind the street names.
  • Unlike the standard bus tours, we do not waste your time by stopping at commission stores. You get to explore and experience the real Sacred Valley with a friendly local guide.
  • Avoid crowds and enjoy a private tour at your pace. Enjoy a personal experience, and go at your own pace. You will be able to talk to your guide and ask questions and be involved during the tour.
  • Compare the Incan & Colonial architecture and learn about the finest Inca architecture at the Sun Temple
  • Be amazed by the stonework in Sacsayhuaman and Qenqo and take panoramic views of Cusco from a unique lookout point.
  • Explore the vibrant local market of Cusco and indulge in a sensory experience by sampling a variety of locally grown fruits.

Trip Details

  • Tour Type: Private Tour basis
  • Departure point: Tour departs from Hotels in Cusco City center
  • Tour Meeting Time: at 8 AM (flexible)
  • Drop off point: Plaza de Armas or anywhere within the city center
  • Duration: 5 Hours approx.
  • Difficulty: EASY – MODERATE, you don’t need to be super-fit. Just mobile. Suitable for Everyone, although there is quite a lot of walking, there will be a couple of uphills (Inca steps). Altitude acclimatization is recommended but not mandatory.
  • Customizable? Yes! Private, custom and add-ons are all available. You can add this tour to any trek or tour.

ITINERARY

Cusco City's Main Square - Sun Temple - Sacsayhuaman - Llama Farm - Local Market

Meeting time at your Hotel will be 8 am (flexible). We will first drive up out of the city and visit the Unesco world heritage site of Sacsayhuaman, located on a steep outcropping overlooking Cusco, this Inca site is composed of massive boulders and was an important fortified religious and ceremonial Temple. You will have great views overlooking the city of Cusco.

Return by private transport to the City to take you to local sites not included in most other city tours. First we will visit the bustling San Pedro market, where many Locals start their day and we will take a tour of the stands that sell everything from fruits and vegetables, meats and medicinal plants.

You will then be led on a tour of the most important historical sites of Cusco including the Plaza de Armas and the Main Cathedral (Access to the interior is optional and admission ticket is NOT included)

We will also visit Qoricancha – Sun Temple, which was the most sacred Inca temple dedicated to Sun God. When the Spaniards arrived in Cusco, they demolished the temple, using the existing foundation on which to build a colonial church.

At the end of the tour, we will walk you back to your hotel.

Included

  • Personal greet and meet at your hotel
  • Bilingual Local Friend Tour Guide
  • Private Transportation to the Ruins outside the City

Not Included

  • Entrance Tickets to sites we visit (Tourist day pass to the Ruins + Sun Temple)
  • Gratuities

Book this Experience

We require a minimum of 2 participants to book this tour
More than 2 people? Group discounts here.

What to Expect

Walk by typical alleyways learning their Quechua names and stories behind them. Learn about Colonial and Incan architecture as you make your way to the San Pedro Market. Sample local fruits at the San Pedro market as well as witness the daily life of locals at this market. Get some great snaps with llamas at a farm with; Friendly English-speaking fun tour guide; Your journey is your way!

Why Travel with us

Local Knowledge & Expertise

It's great to travel with professional experts from the same destination you are going, that's how you get first-hand information. With deep in-country knowledge, We know the ins and outs of all the logistics, we will ensure you can make the most of your time away.

Personalized Experiences

Your time is precious - we know that. Your experience is our top priority. No big bus groups, No flags to follow! Traveling with a private guide and driver you’ll do what you want, when you want with the freedom to change your plans on the fly.

Friendly Local Guides

Great sights don’t make an amazing tour. Great guides do! Our guides don’t read from a script, we give them the freedom to make each tour their own, and your experience unique. We love what we do and it shows. From the moment you arrive, you'll feel the buzz and excitement that Cusco Local Friend to offer.

Exclusive Itineraries

It’s not all about the destination, it’s also about the journey. We offer only the best itineraries and tours. As local experts, we know first-hand what tours or experiences are the ones that most travelers enjoy and request. Escape the crowds! Never waste any minute, never miss any highlight!

Trip Reviews

Cusco Local Friend has been awarded the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence due to the most consistent 5-star reviews in Cusco, the Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu for exceptional levels of service and care.

Ammar B
Ammar B
September 4, 2023.
Tour with Abraham! People of Peru :) Highly recommend Abraham! Was one of the highlights for our trip for sure and we enjoyed it thoroughly, definitely book and request him. He was so funny and we got to joke a lot throughout the whole trip. Peru is known for the people and Abraham is one of them for sure!
Romil B
Romil B
September 2, 2023.
Amazing Experience - Highly recommended We booked full day sacred valley tour with Cusco Local Friend and our experience was amazing. Let me start by mentioning the ease of booking the tour by chatting with Percy via Watsapp. Percy provided us complete guide on the tour in details and booking was done with in minutes. On the day the tour, we met our guide Juan Pablo. He was awesome. Throughout the whole tour from Pisac Ruins, Salt Mines, Moray to Tempe del sol - Juan Pablo provided us intricate details of the history of Peru and kept us engaged. Since we are vegetarians, Juan Pablo took extra precautions of finding a nice restaurant which catered to our dietary restrictions. I would highly recommend Cusco Local Friend for Sacred Valley Tours !!!
Getaway40980607404
Getaway40980607404
August 30, 2023.
Perfect Experience! Cusco Local Friend put together the perfect vacation package for my mother (77) and I. It included Ollantaytambo, The Sacred Valley, and Machu Picchu. Our entire experience with the company was an absolute pleasure. Abraham, our guide had a passion for sharing his knowledge of Inkan culture, and was a joy to be around. Each of our drivers (Romulo and Edgar) were skillful and made us feel safe and in good hands. Percy and Hugo were both available at any time to answer questions via instant message, and made sure that we knew what to expect on each leg of the journey, and made sure we have any necessary documents well in advance. I would book through Cusco Local Friend again in an instant.
Diana T
Diana T
August 29, 2023.
Interesting tour of Sacred Valley sites This tour was so informative and interesting! Our guide, Pablo, knew so much about the history of the sites we visited, we learned so much. He and the driver were friendly and nice. The sites we visited were some of our favorites on the trip. Would definitely recommend!
Shilesh J
Shilesh J
August 9, 2023.
Great Tours and Team My family of 3 found Cusco Local Friends (CLF) during online research. We were going to Peru for a wedding in Arequipa and decided to make an extended vacation out of the trip. Our private trip with CLF included a full day in Sacred Valley, late afternoon followed by early morning entrances to Machu Picchu, horse-back ride up to Humantay Lake, followed by Rainbow Mountain. The team I worked with these arrangements was Hugo primarily and Percy in the background paperwork. I worked extensively with Hugo via WhatsApp, email, and on the phone to plan the tour. Hugo gave great advice on the sequence to make sure we were properly acclimatized to high altitude prior to Humantay and Rainbow portions of the tour. Our guide was Ferdinand, and the driver was Edgar. Everyone in this team was just fantastic. I have the highest recommendation for CLF as tour operator. We were met at CUZ airport by Hugo and driver Edgar. The minivan was spacious, clean, and comfortable. During the drive into town, Hugo spent a lot of time explaining everything to us, went over the plans, and most importantly gave us great advice on what to eat, what to avoid, and how best to gradually acclimatize. He helped us change USD to PEN at a great rate, provided us with bottles of water before exiting the van as he left us in the capable hands of Edgar to drive us to Ollantaytambo. Hugo had advised us to visit a free site in Ollantaytambo adjacent to the actual ruins. We did that in the later afternoon. Our tour started the next day when we were met by Edgar and guide Ferdinand. Ferdinand spoke perfect English and was a pleasure company for entirety of our tours. He is knowledgeable of the history of all the sites we visited. He had the foresight of bringing us walking sticks for our downhill walks from Humantay Lake, which was a challenging walk for us. He helped in every possible way during the tours. The team even planned our trip schedule to Humantay to account for a road closure, to make sure we had the least amount of waiting time for the road to reopen. I cannot emphasize enough how this was slick planning. Peru is a great country to visit, the people are very friendly and there is so much more to explore. We barely covered a small portion in capable hands of CLF team. My family thanks Hugo, Ferdinand, Edgar, and Percy for a great, safe, informative introduction to a small portion of Peru. I recommend CLF without any reservations. PS: I forgot to add that Hugo gave a complimentary ride from hotel to CUZ airport day after our final trip. See my review in google for pictures
MFerraro
MFerraro
August 4, 2023.
Absolutely perfect & wonderful friends Hugo, Abraham & their team were beyond incredible. They became friends from the moment we met them. It was such a pleasure having them w our group throughout our stay as they made everything effortless on our end. They have every piece of information you need and/or want & were incredibly knowledgeable & passionate about sharing their knowledge w us. They were able to answer every question we had about the history of Peru & all the wonderful sights we saw on our adventure together. Thank you Hugo for your incredible team. Can’t wait to come back & see you again.
Francesca B
Francesca B
August 3, 2023.
Good views, great experiences, excellent staff! This tour was worth every dollar spent! Our group was able to see so much of the Sacred Valley while traveling comfortably and having lots of fun. Our tour guides Hugo and Abraham were very kind, knowledgeable, efficient and had a trip packed full of adventures for us. We experienced Machupicchu while our guides passionately explained the history. They truly thought of everything and we hardly waited in any lines since they knew the most efficient times to visit. I would absolutely do this tour again if I ever visit Peru again! Will recommend to anyone visiting the Sacred Valley.
Lily Z
Lily Z
August 3, 2023.
Amazing experience These guys are pros! They have a wealth of history knowledge and were so attentive to our groups needs. They made our trip more full filling and they treated us like family!
Katie S
Katie S
August 3, 2023.
Amazing experience and awesome guides! Hugo and Abraham were excellent guides. They were knowledgeable, caring, and friendly. Couldn’t have asked for a better experience in Cusco! Highly recommend!!
Marissa L
Marissa L
August 2, 2023.
Amazing experience with the best guides! Hugo and Abraham are the best guides ever! They welcomed and guided us through Cusco for a week with Kula Adventures. We had the best experiences and quickly became family by the end of the trip. Hugo and Abraham are so warm, welcoming, and passionate which made our trip so memorable and powerful!

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