Cusco

Eat

thumb|250px|Lomo Saltado, a popular dish

The Cuzco area has some extremely good international food with tasty options for all budgets. Excellent at the end of the Av. La Cultura. Be sure to try an alpaca steak (don't forget a llama/alpaca is normally kept and used for its wool - so only old animals will be slaughtered). You can get alpaca pizza as well.

Most of the mercados listed in the "Buy" section have vendors selling prepared food. Usually this is authentic regional cuisine such as traditional Inca foods. The food is often among the lease expensive places to eat in the city.

The soups are amazing. Try sopa de zapallo, a type of pumpkin soup.

If you are looking for traditional Peruvian food try lomo saltado (beef tips stir-fried with tomatoes, onions, and spices, over a bed of French fries and rice), aji de gallina (chicken in a very good yellow pepper sauce with olives and hard-boiled eggs), or papa rellena (stuffed potato with beef, olives, hard-boiled egg, vegetables, and spices).

Cuy (guinea pig) is the absolute traditional holiday food of the region. You can buy a whole cooked cuy in many of the restaurants around Plaza de Armas. In 2018 cuy cost S/60-70 at all these places. There are also dedicated 'cuyerias' that serve much cheaper cuy.

Chifa is the Peruvian version of Chinese food. The neighborhood of Wanchaq has many Chifa restaurants.

As far as drinks, try Inca Kola, a bubble gum/tutti-frutti-flavored yellow soda. This drink outsells Coca-Cola in Peru (wh…

Drink

There are many clubs and pubs in Cuzco, and there are always people handing out flyers around the Plaza de Armas. These usually include free drinks. The clubs are almost always busy, even during the week, do not usually have cover charges, and most are open until 03:00 at the earliest and 17:00 at the latest. The hot spots change nightly; ask around and you will quickly find the crowds of travellers.

Sleep

Loads and loads of options in Cuzco to suit all budgets. Most won't need to be booked beforehand. San Blas, many new hospedajes/hostales have opened in this area 4 blocks up the hill from the Plaza de Armas.

Stay safe

Law enforcement related to drugs is very severe in Peru - that is, years in prison and no pleasure. Consider that many "long resident tourists" are part of the scene. It is already a felony that you "consider to maybe accept" an offer to buy.

Although Cuzco is, in general, relatively safe, as in any urban area, muggings and petty thefts do occur. Use common sense and you should be fine. Don't wander alone away from the Plaza de Armas late at night. Don't flaunt your valuables around. Be conscious of what is going on around you. As Peru's main tourist attraction, Cuzco is a magnet for thieves and scammers. Pickpocketing (especially by children) is a major problem. New scams are being thought of all the time. For example, be wary if you are approached by people trying to sell you stuff in the streets and try to strike up a long conversation. It's possible that they are distracting you while someone else is pickpocketing you. By night, it's not wise to venture away from the main well lit areas. The markets, bus station and other crowded areas are the epicentres for these activities. Often targets are distracted by some strange going on (e.g. fight or dispute) whilst another person performs the robbery. Only take taxis that are well marked, and if you are taking a taxi alone at night, write down the number and call a friend (or pretend to call a friend if you don't have a phone) saying, so the driver can hear, that you are coming home in taxi #... Also, try not to set yourself a…

Stay healthy

For most travellers, at 3,400 meters, Cuzco is the highest point on their trip (or any trip for that matter); altitude sickness is a big problem - you may become winded after even minor exertion (other symptoms include headache and nausea). If you've had trouble at high elevation in the past, arrive a day early to acclimate. Remember on the first day to take it slow and stay away from the bars the first night. Most hotels offer coca tea (coca leaves are the traditional native remedy for altitude sickness) and finding products made out of coca like coca candy is easy to find in Cuzco, but their effect is doubtful. If you expect to get drug tested upon your return home, however, avoid all products with coca, drink plenty of water and look into Diamox Sequels in USA or Glaucozol in Peru (drug: acetazolamide) (available at a pharmacy) to help deal with the adjustment period. Acetazolamide is a diuretic (so, you will be peeing every 2 hours, quite annoying). Another option (probably the best) is the famous Sorojchi pills (drugs: Acetylsalicylic Acid, Salofeno and Caffeine).

To avoid upset stomach doctors recommend that you drink only bottled water and avoid uncooked vegetables and fruits that you haven't peeled, even in hotels.

At this elevation and not far from the Equator, there's a risk for serious sunburns. According to a study Cuzco is the city with the highest average level of UV-radiation in the world. Protect your skin and eyes!

Go next

thumb|Ccaccaccollo weavers thumb|250px|Machu Picchu

Ccaccaccollo, Traditional fabric making from Llama shearing to weaving in this township. Pisac, Colorful marketplace, climb up to the expansive ruins to the religious site and cemetery behind. 32 km (20 mi) from Cuzco. Accessible with the boleto turistico. Ollantaytambo, Religious center that doubled as a fortress during the Spanish conquest . A great place to visit on the return from Machu Picchu or an alternative if you don't want to visit Machu Picchu. Great place to stay too. 77 km (48 mi) from Cuzco. Accessible with the boleto turistico. Lake Titicaca, PeruRail connects Cuzco to Juliaca and Puno, and the journey is one of the most spectacular rail journeys in the world, passing through amazing scenery and the middle of small towns. The journey should take 10 hr, but there are often delays. The 'scenic stop' included at La Raya is a bit of a waste of time, though it's included anyway. Prices are high, and the cheap backpacker train no longer runs this route, having been sent to the Poroy (Cuzco) - Machu Picchu line. The trip from Cuzco to Puno runs about US$220 each way now. There are several buses that travel to Lake Titicaca, which are much cheaper and take less time than the train, while passing much of the same scenery. The more expensive buses stop at 5 or 6 interesting spots along the trip, including the "Sistine Chapel of South America". Machu Picchu: the atmospheric ruin perched below the And…