10 Day Peru Travel Itinerary: Tips & Tricks

As you know I took a spontaneous trip with my friend Allison to Peru for 10 days. I’d like to share some tips from our trip with you!

First things first:

• Brings lots of cash, they charge an arm and leg to take money from ATMs, and it’s a better exchange rate in person. (I suggest maybe $700 for 10 days)
• Speaking of exchange rates, the best ones were in Cusco, not Lima.
• Don’t drink the water. Bottled agua ONLY!
• Bring snacks (Peruvian granola tastes like UGH).

Transportation:

• No subway/ train system in cities.
• Main form of transportation is taxi. There are a ton. Look for legit ones with a sticker on the windshield.
• Fares: from Lima airport should be about 60 soles. Getting around Lima: 20 soles. From Cusco airport should be less  than 10 soles. (Get a car that just dropped someone at the airport). Getting around Sacred Valley approx: 100 soles.

Hotel Accommodations:

We used AirBnB which worked out great, the people were able to arrange cars to pick us up from the airport which was really helpful since we didn’t have to explain to the driver where we were going.

• Lima: “Casa 260” in Miraflores (safe neighborhood) was well work the $100 a night and homemade breakfast included.
• Cusco: “El Huerto” Garden of San Blas. Splurge on the $100 a night room, the views and comfort are worth it.
• Cusco: If you’re looking for something nicer the Marriott looked great and was in a nice central location. (Stay in San Blas area.)

Our Travel Itinerary (for your reference):

DAY 1

Fly into Lima, Peru (really the only option for International flights).

DAY 2

In the morning take a taxi to explore Central Lima (the old, historic streets). Make sure to try a Pisco Sour and some fresh ceviche.

In the afternoon take a taxi to Barranco to see the Mario Testino photography exhibit. Stop at the MATE Cafe afterwards for some incredible lemon pie. Walk off the pie by strolling across their restored bridge in the center of town and down to the water. Keep walking down to Cala for drinks and dinner in a swanky restaurant.

DAY 3

The Lima Company Gourmet Food Tour: $125 for 5 hours of tasting and cooking throughout Barranco and Miraflores districts in Lima. We ate at: La Bodega Verde, San Isidro Market, Ceviche and Pisco Sour cooking class at Embarcadero 41, and food tastings near Pre-Inca ruins at la Huaca Pullanca. Worth it. (Come hungry!)

DAY 4

Fly to Cusco. We found the cheapest flights using Peruvian Airlines (via Kayak). It was cheaper to buy two 1-way flights than roundtrip.

Buy 3 Soroche pills each upon arrival. Take one immediately to acclimate to the altitude. Then one before bed and the last one when you wake up the next day.

Have dinner at our favorite Cusco Restaurant: Cicciolina!

DAY 5

Explore Cusco by foot and have lunch at Papacho’s (get the Pumpkin burger) in Plaza de Armas to rest your feet.

Take some time to shop in the streets surrounding Plaza de Armas for any souvenirs from your trip.

DAY 6

Take the train to Aguas Calientes, the town at the bottom of Macchu Picchu in the AM. Buy your tickets in advance at PeruRail.com (about $90 each way). Might be worth it to call to get seats facing forward MAKE SURE you get seats next to your traveling companions.

Explore Aguas Calientes. The food here is pretty bad, so I suggest The Treehouse or el MaPi.

YOU MUST BUY YOUR TICKET INTO MACHU PICCHU BEFORE YOU ARRIVE AND THE BUS TICKET UP THE MOUNTAIN! Do this.

DAY 7

Get up early and hit the 5:30am bus to Machu Picchu. Bring water and some snacks (even though the rules say you can’t, you can.) They do have a deli (pretty good sandwiches) and restaurant at the base of the ruins.

I suggest hiking up to the Sun Gate first to catch the sunrise (approve 1.5 hours total hiking). Then immediately head to the ancient city to get some nice photos as the clouds clear and before the place is swarming with tourists!

It will be hot. Don’t wear many clothes. Lots of sunscreen people.

In the afternoon, take the train back to Cusco.

DAY 8

Take a taxi (your accommodations can arrange this for you) to explore Sacred Valley. Our priority was Maras y Moray and Salineras (to see the salt mines- 10 soles to enter). The salt mines were worth it but I can’t say Maras y Moray was at 70 soles to look at a hole.

Other places in Sacred Valley to consider: Pisac or Urubama.

DAY 9

Fly back to Lima. Instead of this, I would suggest staying an extra day in Cusco for more Sacred Valley exploration. We thought we would want more time in Lima, but we did not.

DAY 10

Fly home out of Lima, Peru.

*We chose not to do certain activities like white water rafting because we learned the industry was unregulated and unsafe.*

Restaurants: 

It’s worth it to go to recommended restaurants in Peru as it’s significantly cheaper than the US and has some amazing culinary fusion experiences.

Lima: Danica (Italian fusion), Cala (trendy restaurant on the water- amazing seafood),

Cusco: Papacho’s (American fusion & amazing atmosphere- get the pumpkin burger), Cicciolina (my favorite of the trip!), Chica (Gaston Acurio restaurant- get the minestrone soup),

Aguas Calientes: The Treehouse, or el MaPi (also a bar and a nice hotel).

Pack: 

Lima was super hot and dry, Cusco was rainy and cold. We went at the end of February, keep in mind. So definitely check the weather when you are there. You may need to bring an umbrella.

Also, Cusco had jagged cobblestone streets so any sort of heel is out of the question.