4-Day Itinerary for Peru
Last fall, my best friend and I were mulling over where to visit for the winter holidays. We’re both big on travel and hadn’t taken an international trip in ages, but deciding where to go was tricky. Europe? No, too cold. Caribbean? Zika…yeah. South East Asia? It’s way too far for our short trip. And then it hit us: Peru! It’s summertime there; surprisingly, it isn’t in the thick of their tourist season. Looking back, I’m so happy we went – it was the perfect mix of activity, culture, and leisure. I still remember our train ride through the Andes mountains to Machu Picchu, and I seriously miss the fantastic food (one word: ceviche!).
Here’s our 4-day Itinerary for Peru:
What Makes Peru Special?
We were lucky enough to visit two cities in Peru: Lima and Cusco. Each city is unique and fun in its way. Lima has a cosmopolitan vibe and feels almost European, while Cusco, nestled in the Andes, has some stunning mountain scenery and is infused with history and culture.
During our stay in Lima, we spent most of our time in the Miraflores neighborhood. I highly recommend you check it out—it has a relaxed atmosphere and is right next to the ocean. We spent an afternoon walking down the boardwalk and soaking in the sun and scenery. Oh, and the weather was perfect.
Cusco was also a great city to visit. While I’d suggest staying for only a couple of days, there is a good amount to do during that time. The main square, Plaza de Armas, is surrounded by beautiful cathedrals with some really interesting histories. The Andes are also a constant backdrop, which you can see right above the red-tiled roofs of the local houses.
Housing Accommodations
The best place to stay in Lima is hands down, Miraflores. It is a relaxed but fun and hip part of town and one of the more affluent neighborhoods. You can go shopping or walk around town. Keep a map handy, though – getting turned around is a bit easy.
We stayed at the Palacio del Inka in Cusco. I absolutely loved this hotel. If you get a chance, definitely try to book a stay there. Because Cusco is fairly small, most hotels are just a few minutes’ walk to the main square, so you can’t really go wrong location-wise.
In-Country Transportation
We pretty much caught taxis throughout the trip. I’d recommend always settling on a price beforehand—it’s hard to negotiate prices at the end of the journey. Also, try to get a feel for the prices, and don’t be afraid to bargain!
Packing List
This packing list mainly pertains to Cusco since Lima was easy to pack. Remember, though, that there is a significant weather difference between Cusco and Lima in December – Cusco can get quite chilly, whereas Lima is warm and humid.
1) Sunscreen: the sun can get pretty intense in Cusco, over 11,000 feet above sea level.
2) Scarves, gloves, and a warm jacket: The temperatures dropped quickly in Cusco, so having some warm clothing on hand was vital.
3) Ibuprofen: altitude sickness is real! I felt it the minute I got off the plane in Cusco. Make sure to bring some ibuprofen to combat the nausea. I’d also highly suggest drinking coca or mint tea as soon as you get there – these teas are a miracle for dealing with altitude sickness. I was a bit wary initially and didn’t drink any for the first day; however, my headache got so bad that I finally broke down and had some tea on my second day, and I felt a million times better.
Favorite Restaurants & Local Dishes
Lima was the winner in terms of the best restaurants and some fantastic food. While in Lima, we went to two restaurants I’d urge everyone to check out: Osaka Pardo and Aliaga and Central Restaurante.
Osaka
A Peruvian-Japanese fusion restaurant with phenomenal high-grade seafood selections (scalloped sushi, salmon sashimi, tuna poke salad…what more could you want?).
Central
It is ranked as the best restaurant in Latin America and the fourth best in the world, so needless to say, the food was phenomenal! Getting a reservation is tough, but we got lucky and nabbed a seat at the bar, where we were served dishes like sea tartar, beef short ribs, and glazed octopus. The staff was kind enough to take us on a private tour to check out their rooftop herb garden and speak with the chefs in the kitchen. Such a cool experience!
Must-Do Activities & Sights
Of course, Peru is most known internationally for Machu Picchu. I figured it would mostly be an overhyped experience….but I was totally wrong! In fact, visiting Machu Picchu was my favorite part of the trip. The entire experience felt like an adventure back in time and was not only inspiring but also somehow spiritual.
We decided to do a day trip since staying overnight in Aguas Calientes, the small town near the Urubamba River, can get expensive. Some people opt to hike to Machu Picchu along the Inca Trail, which can take anywhere from a day to several days. Personally, though, I think you can get everything you need in one day.
To prepare for the trip, we worked with our hotel staff in Cusco to get everything set up. The trip is essentially broken up into three parts:
Round-trip car ride to Poroy station: This is a 20-minute drive from Cusco. Arrange to have the driver pick you up from Poroy on your return trip,
and remember to set the price beforehand.
Round-trip train tickets from Poroy to Aguas Calientes: We caught Peru Rail, the most popular rail option, and bought Vistadome tickets, which offer a gorgeous panoramic view as you travel through the mountain ranges and past small villages. This was one of my favorite parts of the trip—we were offered snacks, had soothing music playing in the background, and got to soak in the sights for the ~ three-hour train ride.
Round-trip bus tickets from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu: This trip will take you to the MP entrance. Mid-way through the ride, you’ll have to offload and cross a bridge to another bus. Also, the ride can be a bit intense (there are some very windy roads…keep your eyes closed if you’re afraid of heights!).
It takes a little time and planning, but purchasing all these tickets before you leave Cusco is definitely worth it.
In addition, you’ll need to purchase an entrance ticket, which is necessary to get into Machu Picchu (bring your passport with you when making this purchase). The government issues entrance tickets in limited quantities to control crowd sizes – during the off-season, you don’t have to worry about tickets selling out but during the tourist season, make sure to grab your ticket ahead of time. You can purchase a ticket in Cusco or in Aguas Calientes, although I’d recommend getting yours ahead of time in Cusco.
We also decided to get our tour guide. When the bus drops you off at the entrance to Machu Picchu, there are many freelance and company tour guides to show you around the ruins for 2 to 2.5 hours. All speak English well, although I can’t vouch for the quality of their tours. We lucked out with our tour guide – Odi, and he was super knowledgeable about the history of the ruins and the meaning behind specific sites and structures. Make sure to ask around for him if you can find him!
If you prefer to do a package deal instead of doing this yourself, I found two companies offering good quality packages: Machu Travel Peru and Viator.
Other tips for traveling to Peru :
1) Flight from Lima to Cusco: Research told us that the round-trip flight from Lima to Cusco wouldn’t be too expensive. We decided to book the day before but found out that most of the “reputable” airlines charged a foreigners’ fee – essentially, if you don’t have a Peruvian passport, you are charged a couple of hundred bucks more to fly. That was very frustrating to find out. However, after digging, it turned out that not all airlines charged this fee. We flew with Peruvian Air and paid what we’d been planning to. Peruvian Air is far from a luxury airline, and we even had some air conditioning issues on our return flight, but I was okay with it since we got to save a chunk of money.
2) Make copies of your passport: We were warned that there are quite a few pickpockets, and of course, the worst thing is to be stranded in another country after your passport has been stolen. Luckily, we didn’t experience pickpocketing (I never even felt uncomfortable), but it doesn’t hurt to be safe. Leave things like your passport in the hotel lock box, and bring a fanny pack to keep an eye on the money and other valuables.
3) Do your research before spending time and money on day trips: There are a bunch of day trips in Cusco that sound amazing, but I found out from some of the locals that these are often tourist traps. Ask around to ensure that the trips you decide to take offer what you want.
I hope this Peru itinerary is helpful to you and inspires you to visit Peru! I had a great time there and loved the opportunity to learn about a country through its food, culture, and history.
