Cusco is the ancient Inca capital in Peru, South America, famous for it’s Incan heritage and later Spanish conquest. You will find lots of fantastic archaeological sites to visit in the Sacred Valley and surrounding area. But sometimes you need a little break and just walk to the attractions, rather than taking taxi’s or tours! There are definitely plenty of places further afield, including the Colca Canyon and Lake Titicaca that can be done on a journey to and from Cusco. However, we do recommend a couple of days to slowly explore the city when you arrive to avoid altitude sickness.
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How Long To Stay In Cusco?
This really depends on whether you are staying here to visit places in the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and Aguas Calientes or if you are just exploring around Cusco. Cusco itself needs at least 3 full days to explore and more if you plan to visit Machu Picchu or the Sacred Valley from this location.
We stayed for 3 days in Cusco, 4 nights, however we had already had several days in the Sacred Valley and visited Machu Picchu previously. Just make sure you factor in extra time for taking it easy, with slower days, as it’s hard to breathe when you first arrive. It is after all over 11,000 feet above sea level!
How To Avoid Altitude Sickness in Cusco
The best way to avoid feeling ill with altitude sickness in Cusco is to stay in the Sacred Valley first. It’s a slightly lower altitude at just over 9,000 feet at Ollantaytambo. So although it’s still fairly high, you can get used to the altitude at 9,000 feet, visit Machu Picchu and then head up to Cusco.
Remedies for altitude sickness include chewing coca leaves (disgusting!), drinking coca tea (most hotels have it available), drink lots of water and eat smaller meals. Personally I find a couple of cups of coca tea in the morning really helps.
Take it easy for the first couple of days, walk slowly and don’t over exert yourself. Kids seem to cope better than adults from what we discovered!
Is Cusco Higher Then Machu Picchu?
Yes! Cusco, Peru, is over 11,000 feet and Machu Picchu is almost 8,000 feet. You will probably find it’s easier to walk around Machu Picchu than other places in the Sacred Valley or Cusco! We certainly weren’t as out of breath there as elsewhere in Peru!
Is Cusco With Kids Safe?
Yes, it’s definitely safe with kids. Of course, as with all cities, you should keep an eye on your belongings and always negotiate prices in advance. We always felt safe whilst we were in Peru and used Uber’s to get around the city without a problem. Everyone was really friendly and we had no issues.
The only thing I would note is do not drink the tap water, always have bottled water and drinks. This includes fruit juices in restaurants. We made the mistake of letting our kids order massive fruit juices in a local restaurant and later that evening they threw it all up! Not the most pleasant to clean up when on holiday! But they must mix the juice with water to make them. Whoops! Lesson learnt!
5 Best Places To Visit in Cusco With Kids
The city of Cusco, UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a great place to visit with kids. Although it was originally Incan there are Spanish influences from the Spanish conquest. We never felt unsafe walking around the city. Although we were near the centre and the tourist’y’ areas. The city is a wonderful place for a family vacation and the perfect place to visit for local events. We were lucky enough to see a religious parade with kids of all ages participating. If you have some extra time you can just take a short walk around the city center to see the outside of Cusco cathedral, the traditional textiles museum and colonial church.
There are lots of great places to visit with kids and these 5 things to do with kids in Cusco were the best thing for our whole family. I hope you enjoy these kid-friendly activities!
Sacsayhuaman Historical Site
Just 2km North of Cusco’s Plaza de Armas is Sacsayhuaman fortress, it’s a steep hill and although walkable you may want to take a cab up to the base of the site and walk from there. Then it’s easy to walk down at the end of your visit – remember plenty of water.
Sacsayhuaman is an Inca fortress, built by the Inca empire between the 14th and 15th Centuries. Some think there was an older fortress here built before the Inca’s. The Inca walls are definitely the main attraction here!
They are amazing Incan ruins with the fortress built out of huge rounded blocks, that fit perfectly into the gaps. The blocks are up to 5m high and are an amazing feat of architecture and engineering! The kids will love seeing the giant stones and imagining how it was all created. It’s fantastic to explore with great views down to Cusco too.
Cusco Planetarium
You need to book the Cusco planetarium in advance and it’s not open every night (booking was via email and WhatsApp!). But if it’s open when you are there I’d advise to book a visit if you have older kids around 8+ years old.
The evening starts off with a minibus ride from a plaza near the centre of Cusco up to the planetarium at the edge of Cusco. From here you’re taken into the planetarium and given a blanket (wrap up warm!) before listening to a talk about the stars in Inca times and why they were important. This includes the dark sky constellations!
Then it’s time to go outside and use the telescopes to see interesting planets, stars and the moon. If it’s cloudy you may not see anything!
Back in to warm up and go into the planetarium. Here you will learn about the Southern constellations in the sky and see them in the planetarium overhead.
This was a big hit with out kids who were 8 and 11 at the time. They do need to be able to sit still and listen fairly well. Definitely remember some water, snacks and wear warm clothes!
Cusco Native Arts Theatre
Otherwise known as Centro Qosco de Arte Nativo. It’s here that you will find daily shows of traditional dances and costumes from different areas of Peru. People start queuing early, so get there a good 30-40 minutes before it starts. It’s in a small theatre on Ave el Sol, next to a craft market.
The shows are beautiful with lots of fantastic dancing, music and the costumes are stunning. A lot of work has clearly gone into the costumes. My youngest does tap, modern and ballet dancing himself, so he was very interested in this!
Again, this is probably for children who are at least 5+ and enjoy watching shows of dancing and music without a story. Bring water and snacks with you! You can buy the tickets directly at the office when you arrive or if you have the Cusco Tourist ticket it is included in the ticket.
Planning a few days in Lima too? Check out this post with the best family friendly things to do in Lima!
Chocolate Museum
The Choco Museo in Cusco is the place to go for workshops around chocolate. Great for families and we had such fun at our Bean to Bar chocolate-making workshop. You get to make chocolate from the cacao beans and taste drinks that the Maya and conquistadores drank. Before making your own chocolate bars flavoured the way you like them.
As part of the workshops you take part in quizzes and seeing who can make the best cacao pulp and other things. They often give prizes for correct answers and it seems we have good general knowledge and technique as we won several prizes!
The kids favourite was decorating their chocolates with different flavours. Then we came back a couple of hours later (once it was set!) to take our chocolate away to eat. You can also buy a variety of chocolate and even the beans. We bought beans to take home and make our own cacao at home too. You can also choose to pay for private classes if you prefer.
Regional Historical Museum Cusco
There are numerous museums around Cusco and not all are worth visiting, especially with kids. However the Cusco historical museum does seem to have some interesting displays and videos that the kids will enjoy, particularly downstairs.
The older artefacts (rather than those relating to the Spanish Conquistadors) and history of the Inca’s is definitely well laid out when you arrive. However, we did skip a bit of the tedious Christian religious artwork upstairs. The museum is included in the Cusco tourist ticket and I would recommend an hour to explore the museum fully.
The Museo Inka is also meant to be a great museum with kids, however, it was closed when we visited and so I can’t review it.
Read more about our travels in Peru:
- Find the best family friendly things to do in the capital city of Lima.
- Enjoy the Sacred Valley with children with these 5 brilliant things to do in Sacred valley with kids.
- Stay in Cusco with these awesome activities in the city, all reachable by foot.
- Choose the best Amazon Lodge for your needs with our handy checklist.
- Spend a day in the South of Peru with Peru Hop, with boat trips and sandboarding.
- 10 things we wished we knew before visiting Machu Picchu.
Other Peru Posts To Read
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