Peru 6 Day Itinerary
Machu Picchu tickets sell out months in advance, the Inca Trail requires permits booked up to six months ahead, and the altitude in Cusco hits most visitors harder than they expect. Plan the logistics before you plan the days.
Before You Travel
Book Machu Picchu tickets through the official Ministry of Culture platform (tuboleto.cultura.pe) at least three to four months ahead for peak season (May to September). In 2026, adult foreign tickets for the standard circuit cost around 152 Peruvian soles (approximately USD 40). Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu Mountain have separate limited permits at around 200 soles (USD 53) and sell out fastest. No re-entry is allowed once you exit the ruins. Tickets are tied to your passport number; bring the same passport on the day.
Citizens of most Western countries, including the US, UK, EU, Canada, and Australia, do not require a visa for Peru for stays up to 90 days. Confirm current requirements with your embassy before booking.
The best time to visit is May to October (dry season). June and July are peak months; shoulder season (May or October) offers good weather with smaller crowds.
Day 1: Lima
Jorge Chávez International Airport sits just north of the city. The trip to Miraflores takes 40-60 minutes by taxi (PEN 50-80 / around USD 13-21). Uber is available and reliable. Avoid the freelance taxi drivers inside the arrivals hall.
Miraflores is the right base for a short visit: safe, walkable, coastal, and close to the best restaurants. Mid-range hotels here run USD 80-150 per night. The clifftop Parque del Amor and Parque Kennedy are 10 minutes on foot and worth the walk at any hour.
Afternoon: The Larco Museum in Pueblo Libre (30 minutes by taxi) houses one of the world’s finest collections of Pre-Columbian gold and ceramics, with a famous section of erotic pottery that most guides gloss over. Entry around USD 18. Allow two hours minimum. The museum cafe in the garden is good for a late lunch.
Dinner: Ceviche in Lima is a serious matter. La Mar in Miraflores (Avenida La Mar 770) is run by Gastón Acurio’s group and is one of the most celebrated cevicherías in the city. It serves lunch only and does not take reservations; arrive before 12:30 to avoid a long queue. If you arrive in the evening, Punto Azul (several branches in Miraflores) serves ceviche all day with excellent ceviche mixto (mixed seafood) for under USD 14. Peruvians eat ceviche at lunch: it is a freshness and cultural convention simultaneously, so plan accordingly.
Lima is also home to Central (currently ranked among the world’s top restaurants) and Maido, the best Nikkei (Japanese-Peruvian) restaurant outside Japan. If either of these matters to you, book at least two months ahead and budget USD 120-200 per person.
Day 2: Lima to Cusco
Flights between Lima and Cusco depart from Jorge Chávez multiple times per day and take approximately one hour. Book in advance; prices range from USD 60-120 one way. LATAM and Sky Airline cover most routes.
Cusco sits at 3,399 metres above sea level. Almost every traveller feels some effect from the altitude. The strategy that works: take it slowly on arrival. No hiking, no heavy meals, no alcohol for the first 24 hours. Drink water constantly. Many pharmacies in Cusco sell acetazolamide (Diamox) over the counter; if you are prone to altitude sickness, consider starting it 24 hours before arrival. Coca tea is available at every hotel and café and helps with mild headache and nausea.
Afternoon: A gentle walk through Cusco’s Plaza de Armas lets you get oriented without overexerting. The plaza is surrounded by Spanish colonial architecture built directly on Inca foundations. The Cathedral of Cusco on the north side contains looted Inca gold and a famous painting of the Last Supper with guinea pig as the centrepiece dish.
Qorikancha (Coricancha Temple) is more rewarding than the Cathedral. It was the most sacred temple in the Inca Empire, completely covered in gold sheet, before the Spanish stripped it and built a Dominican convent on the foundations. Entry is around PEN 25 (USD 7). The juxtaposition of Inca stonework and Spanish baroque is unlike anything in Central America.
Dinner: San Pedro Market near the plaza has cooked food stalls serving fresh sopa de quinoa, chicharrón, and lomo saltado (stir-fried beef with tomatoes and peppers) for under PEN 20 (USD 5). Eat light tonight.
Day 3: Sacred Valley
The Sacred Valley sits at 2,800 metres, noticeably lower than Cusco, which makes Day 3 the ideal time to visit. The valley runs between Pisac and Ollantaytambo along the Urubamba River, an hour’s drive from Cusco (about PEN 80-120 / USD 21-32 by private taxi, or join a tour for USD 30-50 per person).
Pisac in the morning: the Pisac ruins sit above the town on a ridge and are among the most impressive Inca agricultural terracing complexes in Peru. Entry is included in the Cusco Tourist Ticket (Boleto Turístico) which costs PEN 130 (around USD 34) and covers 16 sites including Qorikancha, Sacsayhuaman, and multiple Sacred Valley sites. Buy it at the site or in Cusco. The Pisac market in the town below sells textiles and pottery; quality ranges from machine-made tourist goods to genuinely handmade alpaca items. Ask whether something is alpaca or acrylic before buying.
Urubamba for lunch: several restaurants along the main road serve set lunches (menú del día) for PEN 25-40 (USD 7-11) with soup, main course, and a drink.
Ollantaytambo afternoon: the temple fortress here is the only Inca site where the Spanish were defeated in battle (1536). The stonework, including six enormous pink granite monoliths transported from a quarry across the valley, is extraordinary. Entry with the Boleto Turístico.
Sleep in Aguas Calientes (also called Machu Picchu Pueblo), reached by train from Ollantaytambo (30-45 minutes, USD 15-40 depending on service). Book PeruRail or Inca Rail tickets in advance. Aguas Calientes sits at 2,040 metres; the lower altitude and hot springs make it one of the most comfortable nights in the itinerary.
Day 4: Machu Picchu
Buses from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu begin at 05:30 and run continuously (USD 24 round trip). Entry to the ruins requires your timed slot ticket; morning slots (06:00-12:00) give you the best light and the most time before afternoon cloud cover settles in.
A licensed guide hired at the entrance costs around USD 20-30 for a two-hour tour and is worth paying for. The site is large and the context of what you are looking at (agricultural terraces, water channels, residential compounds, ritual spaces) becomes far more legible with explanation. Without a guide, most visitors walk around and then walk around again.
Huayna Picchu (the steep mountain visible in every photograph of the ruins) takes about 90 minutes round trip and requires a separate permit. The views are outstanding but the trail is genuinely steep with exposed sections. Machu Picchu Mountain, on the opposite side of the ruins, is lower key and slightly easier with equally wide views.
The hot springs in Aguas Calientes are the right way to spend your evening. Entry is around USD 5, and the mineral pools are not glamorous but genuinely soothing after a full day of walking at altitude.
Day 5: Return to Cusco and City Sites
Train and bus back to Cusco arrives mid-morning. Spend the afternoon on the remaining Inca sites. Sacsayhuaman (pronounced roughly “sexy woman” which every guide will mention, every time) is the enormous fortress complex above the city. The main walls use stones weighing up to 125 tonnes fitted with no mortar; how the Inca moved and positioned them remains genuinely contested. Entry with the Boleto Turístico.
Qenqo, Pucapucara, and Tambomachay are smaller sites along the road north from Sacsayhuaman. A taxi for the afternoon loop through all three costs around PEN 60-80 (USD 16-21).
Dinner in Cusco: MAP Café inside the Precolumbian Art Museum is Cusco’s best restaurant. The building is a glass box inside a colonial courtyard; the food is contemporary Andean with serious technique. Main courses run PEN 80-140 (USD 21-37). If that is too much, Chicha (also by Gastón Acurio) on Plaza Regocijo does excellent lomo saltado and causa rellena at more modest prices.
Day 6: Cusco to Lima and Departure
Morning flight back to Lima. Jorge Chávez departure terminal handles international flights. Allow three hours before departure. If you have a few hours in Lima before an evening flight, the Barranco neighbourhood (30 minutes south of Miraflores by taxi) is the best place to spend them: a 19th-century suburb of painted wooden houses, art galleries, the Puente de los Suspiros (Bridge of Sighs), and a concentration of the city’s best cocktail bars. Manos Morenas restaurant in Barranco does outstanding afro-peruvian cooking (fried cassava, tacu tacu, arroz con leche) at very fair prices.
Currency note: Peru uses the sol (PEN). Credit cards are accepted in most Miraflores and Cusco restaurants, but rural markets, small guesthouses, and site entry points often require cash. Withdraw soles at ATMs in Lima or Cusco rather than exchanging at the airport; airport rates are uniformly poor.