One Week Peru Itinerary - Lima, Cusco, and the Sacred Valley
The word ‘Peru’ conjures so many images – from the color of some of the finest food in Latin America in Lima’s sleek coastal suburbs to South America’s biggest attraction, the legendary ruins of Machu Picchu, in the misty Andes.
Peru is the ticket to some magical adventures, too: hikes to incredible Inca sites, rafting trips along dramatic white-water gorges, high altitude mountain biking, and stunning drives.
This itinerary covers the absolute highlights, but know that it is just a cursory introduction to Peru. This is a vast country with remote destinations and travel times can be exceedingly long. So a 7-day tour can only scratch the surface of the culture, nature, and adventure possibilities here.
So for this tour, I've focused on Lima, the cosmopolitan capital, before heading inland to the ancient Inca stronghold of Cusco, with its sublime surrounding mountain scenery. From there, you’ll move into the nearby Sacred Valley, which is blessed with an abundance of Inca ruins, natural wonders, and traditional villages, Machu Picchu chief among them.
Not bad for only 7 days.
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Table of Contents
What to know when planning your trip
How long to spend
When to visit
Where to go on a first trip
Hiking the Inca trail
How to get around
Should you visit Lima
One week Peru itinerary
Day 1: Lima – Miraflores clifftops, historic central Lima & Miraflores/Barranco nightlife
Day 2: Flight to Cusco – explore central Cusco’s sights
Day 3: Inca ruins around Cusco, onward transfer to Pisac – explore Pisac ruins
Day 4: Sacred Valley: Pisac market, Ollantaytambo ruins & Pinkullana, evening train to Aguas Calientes
Day 5: Machu Picchu – the citadel and other ruins, mountain hike, transfer on to Chinchero
Day 6: Chinchero – textile workshop, Moray, Salineras de Maras, Pachamanca ceremony, return to Cusco
Day 7: Cusco region - Upper Río Urubamba rafting or Ruta del Barrocco Andino day trip
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What to know when planning your trip
Before looking at my suggested itinerary, I want to cover some of the basic questions I imagine you have. So, I’ve given quick answers below to the main things I think you should consider as you start planning your trip. I get into the day-by-day plan for my one week itinerary after.
For more detailed information on all these topics, have a look at our Peru travel guide.
Is a week enough time for a trip to Peru?
I do need to address this obvious question. And the answer is no. While you can still plan a good trip and have a great visit, a week is not nearly enough time to see Peru.
Peru is huge (more than twice the size of France) and the cities, archaeological sites, natural areas, and major tourist attractions are spread all throughout the country. Distances between places are vast, flight connections are limited, and many destinations require time-consuming overland travel.
You cannot come close to visiting even a small sampling of Peru’s treausres in 7 days and to even attempt a countrywide trip to Peru, you would need at least a month.
That said, a week lets you see some pretty places and get a taste for the country. It’s not enough and it will leave you wanting more, but it’s still a nice introduction.
When to visit
Dry season in the Andes runs from May to November and peak tourist season in Peru coincides with this period, with the busiest time being June to August when North Americans and Europeans have summer holidays. Although technically winter in South America, temperatures don’t change much up in the Andes so the weather is good and it’s also the driest time of year.
For me, the best months to visit Peru are May, September, and October, which represent shoulder seasons. They’re less busy and less expensive than the peak months, but still with good weather and relatively little threat of rain. Days are warm and sunny while nights are refreshingly crisp and chilly.
If you want to avoid crowds and are ok with the potential for occasional rainy days, you can look at April or November. While technically part of rainy season, heavy rains don’t generally start until the end of November and have mostly cleared up by mid-April.
Keep in mind that this advice is valid for visits to Peru’s Andean regions (like Cusco and the Sacred Valley), but not necessarily accurate if you’re planning on heading to the coast or the Amazon rainforest.
For more advice, see our guide to visiting Peru in every season.
Where to go with one week
With only a week, your options are pretty limited.
Assuming this is your first trip to Peru, you should focus entirely on Lima, Cusco, and the Sacred Valley (which is what this itinerary does).
With one week, you can see Lima’s main sights and eat some great food, spend a few days enjoying Cusco, explore the main towns and stunning scenery of the Sacred Valley, and visit Machu Picchu.
If you’ve already been to Peru and seen Lima and the Cusco area, a one week trip could cover a nice swath of southern Peru including the south coast (Paracas, Nazca, and Ica), Arequipa and Colca Canyon, and Lake Titicaca.
Alternatively, you could head north from Lima and visit a few of the archaeological sites, beach towns, and cities of the northern coast.
A visit to Peru’s Amazon is also a great option.
There are too many other possibilities to list them all.
Can you do the Inca trail hike on a one week trip?
I don’t recommend hiking the Inca trail with only a week, but it is doable. Know, though, that it’s a 4-day experience so this only leaves you 3 days to do anything else during your visit. You also will have very little time to acclimatize to the high altitude before beginning the trek.
If you choose to do it, I recommend skipping Lima altogether and arriving direct to Cusco. You could then spend a day there and another day in the Sacred Valley acclimatizing before the hike. After the hike, you’d spend your final day back in Cusco.
How to get around
A first-time one week trip really only focuses on Lima and the Cusco area, so you don’t have to travel around very much.
You’ll only have two flights (Lima to Cusco and back), a couple of bus rides or private transfers, and then a train up to Machu Picchu.
To see the Sacred Valley you’ll need to either join an organized tour, hire a private driver (which is relatively affordable), or rent a car. It’s also entirely possible to visit using public transport in the form of shared combis and colectivos, but not if you only have a day or two. You could also rent your own car, but I do not recommend it, especially if it would be your first time driving in Latin America.
The journey to Machu Picchu is usually done via train from the town of Ollantaytambo, but can also be done direct from Cusco. The train is the easiest and by far best option. It is comfortable, fast, and provides wonderful views. The only downside is that it is a bit expensive. While you can do the same journey by bus, I never recommend it unless you are on a very small budget.
Is Lima worth visiting?
This question gets asked constantly and the answer is usually a definitive “no!” or an occasional “absolutely!”. A good answer is more complicated and depends on your interests and why you’re coming to Peru.
Lima is Peru’s capital, its biggest city, and one of the largest metropolises in the Americas. It’s also a cultural melting pot with residents hailing from all of Peru’s regions and ethnic groups as well as the descendants of immigrants from Japan, Italy, Spain, Croatia, and many other places. Its food is the best of anywhere in the country (and anywhere in South America in my opinion), it has a small, but grand colonial center, lovely coastal suburbs, and a few great museums.
If you want to understand Peru, love to eat, or like cities, you should visit for a day or two.
It’s also an ugly, chaotic, overcrowded, and modern city with relatively few traditional tourist sights. It does not appeal to everyone.
If the goal for your visit is to enjoy things like nature, archaeology, colonial architecture, and indigenous culture, you can skip Lima without feeling much regret.
Day 1: Lima – Miraflores, historic center, & Barranco
Walk the Miraflores clifftops, try Peru’s national dish, ceviche, delve into historic central Lima, visit renowned art museums, discover Lima’s famous food scene, go pisco tasting, and sample Barranco’s buzzing nightlife.
Morning - Miraflores & the malecón
Lima, the capital of Peru, is a dramatic metropolis. One of South America’s biggest cities, it spreads out along the Pacific Ocean clifftops in a smorgasbord of wondrous museums that showcase Peru’s pre-Columbian past, colonial architecture and sleek contemporary apartment blocks, interspersed with some of the continent’s best restaurants.
With the one day you have here, you will be able to see a surprising amount of the main attractions.
Start in coastal suburb Miraflores, ground zero for Lima’s international visitors and with most of the good accommodation for travelers. Head to LarcoMar shopping center for a walk along the malecón, Lima’s clifftop walkway. The path meanders through pretty parkland with cliffs falling steeply away to the Pacific shoreline, and it’s a great place for getting a sense of the city’s size.
You can wander for several miles, stopping at sights like the brightly-decorated Parque del Amor (lovers’ park) and Lugar de la Memoria, a museum dedicated to those that lost their lives during the violence of Peru’s Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) in the 1980s and 1990s.
Continue to Parque Itzhak Rabin, two miles along the Malecón. Your next stop is six blocks inland at Fundación Museo Amano. This is one of Lima’s most impressive museums - showcasing finds from Peru’s pre-Columbian sites that cover the Nazca, Chavín, Moche and Chimú cultures.
For lunch you simply must try national dish ceviche – fish marinated in lime with red onions, coriander and served with corn and sweet potato. One of Lima’s best cebicherías (ceviche restaurants), La Mar is five blocks west of the museum.
Afternoon - Lima’s historic city center
Many of Lima’s most important sights lie in the history-rich city center, so take a taxi this afternoon to Plaza Mayor: the city’s central square and historic heart. The ground that the conquistador and city founder Francisco Pizarro allocated for the city’s church in the 16th century is still the location of Lima’s striking Baroque cathedral: here you will find Pizarro’s tomb and one of South America’s loveliest wooden choirs.
Also be sure to see the 17th-century Monasteiro de San Francisco monastery with its exquisite library and catacombs.
The city’s best art museum, MALI (Museo de Arte de Lima) is the other must-see in the center: take a taxi from Monasteiro de San Francisco to Parque de la Cultura to be absorbed in the full gamut of Peruvian art from the pre-Columbian to the present day.
Evening
Miraflores is easily the top gastronomic destination in Peru, with prestigious dining addresses such as Virgilio Martinez’s restaurant Central. Dine at a Miraflores restaurant tonight, where you might also want to try Pisco, Peru’s famous grape brandy, at a bar like Antigua Taberna Queirolo.
Round off the evening by grabbing a taxi and heading over to the hip Barranco neighborhood for a drink at one of the many good bars around the Puente de los Suspiros bridge. Barranco also has good peñas (clubs that play live traditional music), clubs, and live music bars.
Overnight in Lima
Day 2: Fly to Cusco and see the city center’s sights
Fly to Cusco, lunch on Cusco’s pretty Plaza de Armas, explore ornate Cusco cathedral, see Machu Picchu artifacts at Museo Machu Picchu, visit important Inca temple Qorikancha, discover delightful San Blas neighborhood, dine out with a view above San Blas.
Morning & afternoon - Cusco’s historic center
Take a flight from Lima to Cusco this morning, with several direct flights getting you in to Cusco, your base for tonight, well before midday.
Once checked into your accommodation, head out to explore the city that was once capital of the Inca Empire. It will be lunchtime by this time, so start with something to eat on the historic Plaza de Armas (central square) like Limo, specializing in Nikkei (Peruvian-Japanese fusion food), or Don Pancho Taberna Peruana, specializing in Andean fare. Both have lovely views of the plaza.
Spend this afternoon exploring some of Cuzco’s historic central sights. You will be able to take in quite a lot in a relatively short time, as many attractions are within a short walking distance of each other.
Any exploration should begin with the 16th and 17th-century cathedral, brightened by a standout collection of escuela cuzqueña (Cuzco school) art that melds European religious painting with indigenous Peruvian style and symbols. The highlight is The Last Supper with cuy (local delicacy, roasted guinea pig) as the Disciples’ food choice.
Another worthwhile stop is Museo Machu Picchu, which showcases many of the archaeological finds from Machu Picchu.
Also admire Qorikancha, once the Inca world’s most important temple, built into the base of the Santo Domingo convent.
Round things off with a walk up to the pretty San Blas district, centered around the charming Iglesia de San Blas church. You should have time for a look around the interesting Museo de la Coca, which puts into context the many uses of the coca leaf in Andean culture.
There are some great alternative places to eat and drink up this way, so you will be able to linger here all evening.
Evening
The atmospheric Plaza San Blas is the perfect place to begin your late afternoon/early evening. Get some of the city’s best coffee at Monkey Café, with its fine selection of Peruvian java, before moving on (and up!) to somewhere like Limbus, a lively bar-restaurant with some of Cusco’s best views.
Overnight in Cusco
Day 3: Inca sites around Cusco and then head to Pisac
Explore Inca sites Saqsaywamán, Q’enko, Tambomachay and Pukapukara on the way to Pisac, where you’ll visit the dramatic Inca citadel of the Pisac ruins and take in unforgettable views as you hike back down into the town.
Tambomachay. Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Morning - Cusco-area ruins
Take a picnic with you this morning as you get a private taxi to take you out to the bustling colonial village of Pisac, your base for tonight. En route, you’ll stop off at a quartet of interesting, important, and beautiful Inca sites.
Starting around 9am, head up into the green hills flanking Cusco to the north on Rte 28G (the Pisac road) to the first and most important of these ruins, Saqsaywamán. This 15th-century Inca fort is the storied location for the biggest annual party in the Peruvian Andes, Inti Raymi the Inca festival of the sun.
Next up on the road to Pisac is Q’enqo, a ceremonial rock plastered in symbols such as the puma, condor and llama that were of importance to Inca culture.
This is followed by Tambomachay, a stone bath thought to be connected to worship of an Inca water deity and, across the road from Tambomachay, Pukapukara, likely an Inca hunting lodge.
From Tambomachay it’s a 30-minute drive to Pisac, where you should arrive by early afternoon.
Ruins at Pisac. Photo: PsamatheM, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Afternoon - Pisac
You will spend the rest of today here in the Sacred Valley’s New Age-influenced colonial village. Start with the breathtaking highlight of a visit here: the climb up to the Pisac Ruins, which will take until evening. It is a 2-hour hike up to this Inca citadel but you can also get a taxi up most of the way: advisable, as the complex closes at 6pm.
Then you can spend your energies exploring the site, and walk back down again in early evening. These steep-sided ruins are a spectacular sight. The terraces interconnected by Inca steps, pathways, stone doorways and even a rock-hewn tunnel are topped by a temple and provide some of the Sacred Valley’s most beautiful panoramas.
Evening
Conclude an active day of Inca sightseeing with a hearty meal in one of Pisac’s numerous atmospheric restaurants, like café-bistro Mamacocha with its excellent vegetarian and vegan fare.
Overnight in Pisac
Day 4: Sacred Valley - Pisac market, Ollantaytambo, Pinkulluna & on to Aguas Calientes
Browse Pisac market, transfer to the ancient Inca town of Ollantaytambo, explore Ollantaytambo and Pinkulluna archaeological sites, take train to Aguas Calientes.
Ollantaytambo. Photo: Mx._Granger, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Morning - Pisac market
No visit to Pisac would be complete without looking around the village’s market – the biggest in the Sacred Valley, and your first stop this morning. Key handicrafts to watch for are pottery and weavings made with sheep and alpaca wool. It’s a great place to pick up a souvenir from your trip.
Afterwards, continue your journey through the Sacred Valley with a 1.5-hour drive via Urubamba to Ollantaytambo, a village surrounded by two hugely impressive Inca ruins and the gateway for train trips on to Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu.
You’ll spend the rest of the day exploring here before continuing to Aguas Calientes this evening.
Afternoon - Ollantaytambo
Though the entrance is only a few minutes’ walk from central Ollantaytambo, you’ll need a few hours to climb west of the Ollantaytambo Plaza de Armas and explore the mighty Ollantaytambo Ruins, a temple and fortress complex distinguished by steeply-shelving terraces.
This thrilling complex was where Manco Inca, on the retreat after defeat at Saqsaywamán, enjoyed a notable victory over Spanish conquistadors under Hernando Pizarro in 1536.
The best overview of the ruins is actually from the other side of Ollantaytambo town however: from the Pinkulluna Inca ruins just east of the town center. As well as the knockout views of Ollantaytambo ruins, Pinkulluna’s flights of terraces are also enjoyable to explore because of their quietude: fewer tourists go here.
Evening - train to Aguas Calientes
From Ollantaytambo station, you’ll be catching a late evening train (either at 7pm or 9pm) to the Machu Picchu gateway town of Aguas Calientes. It’s a two-hour journey, so consider getting a meal in Ollantaytambo before boarding.
Pass the time waiting for the train with drinks, snacks or dinner at the train station’s fine-dining restaurant of El Albergue or adjoining Café Mayu.
Arriving in Aguas Calientes, check into your accommodation in readiness for exploring South America’s most famous tourist attraction, Machu Picchu, tomorrow.
Overnight in Aguas Calientes
Day 5: Machu Picchu and visit to Chinchero
Transfer to Machu Picchu site entrance, explore the citadel – including the Hut of the Caretaker of the Funerary Rock viewpoint, the ceremonial baths, the Sacred Plaza and the Temple of the Condor – climb to Machu Picchu Mountain. After, return to Aguas Calientes, take the train to Ollantaytambo, and transfer on to Chinchero.
Morning/Afternoon - Machu Picchu
Purchase your ticket well in advance (at least several weeks before visiting) for your early start to Machu Picchu today. Buses start for the 25-minute run up to Machu Picchu’s entrance at 5.30am and it is worth getting there at the beginning of the day to see the Inca citadel without the crowds that arrive later in the morning.
The complex of Machu Picchu was constructed on the ridgetop here in the 15th century. Following its abandonment, it was never discovered by Spanish conquistadors, or by anyone else, until archaeologist Hiram Bingham rediscovered it in 1911.
Upon entering the site, most people climb the staircase immediately afterwards up to the Hut of the Caretaker of the Funerary Rock, a formidable site overview. Other astounding parts of the site include the Incas’ ceremonial baths, the Sacred Plaza and three temples including the Temple of the Three Windows and the Temple of the Condor with a magnificent condor head carving.
There are many other adventures to be had here too, such as tackling a hike up one of the two mountains either side of the site. The most popular climb is up more precipitous mountain of Huayna Picchu, with limits visitor numbers, but the higher mountain is Cerro Machu Picchu (Machu Picchu Mountain) and this offers even more impressive views.
To fully appreciate the ruins and take in one of the two viewpoints, allow at least five to six hours.
Afternoon/evening - Return to Aguas Calientes and transfer to Ollantaytambo, then Chinchero
Back down in Aguas Calientes in early afternoon, take a train (Peru Rail’s 13.37 Vistadrome Observatory makes for a convenient schedule, though there are other trains within the next couple of hours) for the two-hour ride back to Ollantaytambo.
In Ollantaytambo, pick up a private transfer for the trip to Chinchero, an idyllic small Andean village known to the Inca as the birthplace of the rainbow, and your base for tonight.
The journey will take you just over an hour, bringing you into Chinchero around 5pm.
Whenever you’re ready for dinner, Restaurante Antawara on the Chinchero Plaza de Armas is one of several charming local restaurants to choose from.
Overnight in Chinchero
Day 6: Chinchero, Moray, Maras, Laguna Piuray Pachamanca ceremony
Learn about local textiles at a textile workshop, visit archaeological sites Moray and Salineras de Maras, participate in a pachamanca ceremony at Laguna Piuray, return to Cusco
Chinchero
Morning - Textile workshop, Moray, Maras
Pretty Chinchero is known to tourists for its excellent textile weaving and you can see this being done at the Centro de Textiles Tradicionales in the center. There are also Inca ruins and a pretty colonial church to check out. Chinchero is also the base for visiting the two nearby archaeological sites of Moray and the Salineras de Maras.
Leaving Chinchero in mid morning by private transfer, allow an hour to get to Moray, a fabulous series of concentric Inca depresses shelving up from a depression in the ground. This site is believed to have been an agricultural testing ground, where the Incas experimented with growing crops under different environments. Allow around 1.5 hours to explore the site.
Continue on for the half-hour drive to another of the Sacred Valley’s most impressive ancient sites, the Salineras de Maras. Salineras are salt pans, and at this site above Urubamba a thermal spring at the valley top feeds 3000-odd salt pans or wells, scattered down the valley, from which salt has been extracted since at least Inca times.
It’s a bizarre-looking pre-Columbian site that is very different from the region’s myriad other Inca ruins. After an hour exploring the site, return to Chinchero.
The Salineras de Maras
Afternoon - pachamanca ceremony around Laguna Piuray
This afternoon, take part in one of the pachamanca ceremonies that happen by Laguna Piuray near Chinchero. This is an Andean culinary tradition in which food - meat and potatoes -, is cooked in an earthen pit of heated volcanic stones and then shared.
But there is more to the event than just eating: it is also about celebrating Andean heritage, community, fertility and the harvest, and on bringing people together through food. You’ll also be able to help prepare the pachamanca.
Evening - Return to Cusco
After the pachamanca ceremony, it’s time to return to Cusco, where you’ll be staying again tonight. This will be your second night here and you may already be familiar with the parts of the city you like best.
For dinner, two of the best options are Cicciolina, a delightful mansion in which innovative Andean-international dishes are served, and Chicha, owned by restaurateur Gastón Acurio, offering many interesting takes on typical Andean fare. You might want to save your biggest night out in Cuzco for tomorrow, however: the end of your epic tour around Peru!
Day 7: Upper Río Urubamba rafting or Ruta del Barrocco Andino day tour
Tackle the white water of the Río Urubamba on a rafting trip or travel out to some of the Cusco region’s most beautiful churches before enjoying the end of your trip with some Cusco nightlife.
For the final day of your trip, it’s time to sample one of the several fantastic day trips Cuzco offers away from the Sacred Valley sights. One of the two fabulous options below will keep you entertained until evening, and can be booked with many Cusco tour agencies:
Urubamba rafting:
A thrilling day trip from Cusco is to some stretches of rapids on the upper Río Urubamba river, to the south of the city. The Chuquicahuana section is the toughest with Class III to V rapids, while closest to Cuzco is the lovely Pampa to Huambutio section, a great introduction to family rafting.
Whichever section you choose, you’ll see quiet, idyllic Andean countryside as you go. Rafting the Chuquicahuana section, recommended for adventurous paddlers, is a full day excursion.
Ruta del Barrocco Andino
You could also explore a different part of the Cusco region by touring Ruta del Barroco Andino, combining several compelling religious sights southeast of Cuzco, and travel in-between.
These include the magnificent churches in Huaro, Canincunca and in Andahuaylillas – the latter known as the ‘Sistine Chapel of South America.’ All three occupy beautiful settings, especially the pretty lakeside chapel in Canincunca.
Whichever of the two you choose, you’ll be back in Cusco by early evening: get ready for the grand finale of your fabulous week-long adventure!
Evening
For your last night out in Cusco, you could try modern Peruvian-international food at the central Museo del Pisco, where you can also sample myriad versions of Peru’s famous grape brandy.
But perhaps the best option for the last night out of your trip is to return to Limbus, located high above Plaza San Blas, for great drinks and beautiful panoramas of Cusco. Round things off with some live rock or salsa music at Ukuku’s, near the Plaza de Armas.
Be sure to toast your trip: you’ve covered many of Peru’s best bits – and in just one week!
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Nicholas Cino
Peru Expert based in Lima
¡Hola y buenos días! 👋
I'm Nicho, and I've been a travel consultant here in Peru for the last 20 years. If you're looking for some local advice on your trip, I'd love to help!
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