Cusco Historic Center Small-Group Walking Tour

Your Experience

Explore Cusco's historic center on a guided walking tour featuring iconic exteriors, Andean stonework, and a complimentary pisco sour.

Getting started

Meet your expert local guide by the fountain in the center of Plaza de Armas to begin your walking tour of Cusco's historic center. After a short introduction to the route and the group, which includes approximately 10 participants, you set off on foot through the city streets. All visits to monuments and temples are exterior only, so there is no need to purchase admission tickets.

What to expect

Plaza de Armas, Cathedral, and Church of the Society of Jesus

Cusco's Plaza de Armas is your starting point for exploring the city's colonial and Inca heritage. From here, you view the exterior of the Cathedral and the Church of the Society of Jesus while your guide explains their place in Cusco's history.

Features

• From Plaza de Armas, you pause to admire the Cathedral and the Church of the Society of Jesus from the outside, observing their facades while your guide shares context about their importance in the historic center.
• With a professional, expert guide leading the way, you follow a structured walking tour of the Cusco historic center, benefiting from commentary that connects Inca and colonial layers throughout this first stop.

Qorikancha exterior

You continue through the center to Qorikancha, once one of the most significant temples of the Inca world, now visible as a blend of Inca foundations and later construction.

Features

• At Qorikancha, you view the exterior of the site and can notice the contrast between Inca stonework and later additions as your guide points out key architectural features.
• Entry to monuments is not included on this tour, so your time at Qorikancha focuses on exterior observation and explanations rather than going inside.

Twelve- and thirteen-angled stones and Andean trilogy

The route then leads into streets where Inca masonry remains visible, including the famous 12- and 13-angled stones set into original walls.

Features

• You stop at the 12- and 13-angled stones, taking time to look closely at how each block fits precisely with the next while your guide explains techniques used in Inca stonework.
• Here, your guide also introduces the Andean trilogy, using these stones as a visual reference to explain its symbolism and how it connects to the broader Inca worldview.

San Blas neighborhood and handicraft center

From the historic center, you walk uphill into the San Blas neighborhood, known for its artisans and quieter streets, and visit a local handicraft center.

Features

• In San Blas, you walk through narrow streets and see how this neighborhood differs from the main square, with your guide highlighting local life and traditional workshops along the way.
• During the visit to a local handicraft center, you can observe artisans' work and browse crafts, with your guide available to explain techniques and materials used in the pieces on display.

Siete Borreguitos Street

The tour route includes a walk along Siete Borreguitos Street, noted for its photogenic setting and visual details.

Features

• As you walk along Siete Borreguitos Street, there is time to capture colorful photos of this area while your guide indicates viewpoints and small details that characterize the street.
• This section of the walk links San Blas back toward other parts of the historic center, keeping the route continuous while still focusing on specific streets mentioned in the tour inclusions.

Temple dedicated to Manco Cápac (exterior)

Near the end of the tour, you reach the exterior of a temple dedicated to Manco Cápac, an important figure in Inca tradition.

Features

• At the temple dedicated to Manco Cápac, you remain outside while your guide explains who Manco Cápac was and why a temple here is associated with him, keeping the focus on exterior architecture.
• As with the other sacred sites on this itinerary, visits are exterior only and admission tickets to monuments and temples are not part of the tour.

Complimentary pisco sour

Your walking route concludes with a final stop that includes a drink typical of Peru.

Features

• The experience ends with a complimentary pisco sour, giving you a chance to pause after the walk and reflect on what you have seen in Cusco's historic center.
• This final stop also offers an opportunity to ask any remaining questions to your professional guide before the group disperses.

Highlights

• Discover Cusco with a local guide as you trace rich Inca stories through the city, ending your walk with views of plazas and city streets.
• Meet your guide by the fountain in Plaza de Armas, join about 10 travelers, then start your walk through the streets of Cusco together.
• See the Cathedral, the Church of the Society of Jesus, Qorikancha, and the temple dedicated to Manco Cápac from the outside, then study the 12- and 13-angled stones and the Andean trilogy.
• Continue into San Blas to browse a handicraft center, wander Siete Borreguitos Street for photos, then toast your walk with a pisco sour.