Day trip

Cusco: Half-Day Historic City Tour

4.3 / 5

10 reviews

Activity provider: MPTC GETS
Day trip

Cusco: Half-Day Historic City Tour

Activity provider: MPTC GETS

From US$ 23.50 per person

Striking and mystical, Cusco's streets, squares, and valleys are seeped in history. See fortresses, sacred spaces, and ruins while learning all about the ancient Incan Empire.

About this activity

Free cancellation
Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
Reserve now & pay later
Keep your travel plans flexible — book your spot and pay nothing today.
Covid-19 precautions
Special health and safety measures are in place. Check your activity voucher once you book for full details.
Duration 7 hours
Check availability to see starting times.
Live tour guide
English
Pickup included
Please confirm your hotel name and address upon booking. Please wait in the hotel reception at the designated pickup time. In the case the hotel is outside the city center, pick up will be arranged from the inka ahy statue in the main square.
Small group
Limited to 12 participants

Experience

Highlights
  • Discover the Cathedral of Cusco, Qoricancha Museum, and more
  • Visit the Sacsayhuaman, Qenqo, and Tambomachay sites in the comfort of an air-conditioned coach
  • Learn about the Incan history and culture in group tours of up to 20 people
  • Relax — last-minute bookings are always available
Full description
The adventure begins at 1:00 PM with pick up from your Cusco hotel. Discover the Cathedral of Cusco, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, filled with various paintings, carvings, and sculptures, before exploring the Qoricancha Museum, originally an Inca-era temple built to worship the Sun.   An air-conditioned coach will then take the group 2 km from the city center to Sacsayhuaman, a vast complex comprised of 33 archeological sites believed to have been built for military purposes. Next, stop at Qenqo, or “labyrinth”, considered to be a sacred place in which ceremonies were performed in honor of the Sun, the Moon, and the stars.   Traveling 7 km from the city center we find Puca Pucara, a complex of halls, inner plazas, aqueducts, watchtowers, and paths believed to be a military complex and a place for food storage.  After a visit to Tambomachay and its fresh water spring, the tour concludes with a visit to a craft center, where a local guide will tell the story of ancient Incan crafts and how to identify traditional garments made from vicuña wool.  At approximately 7:30 PM, the coach will return to Santa Catalina Street, close to the main square in Cusco.
Includes
  • Pick up from hotels in the city center
  • Transportation
  • Local guide
  • Cathedral entrance ticket (25 soles)
  • Qoricancha entrance ticket (15 soles)
  • Tourist ticket (70 soles)
Not suitable for
  • People with mobility impairments
  • Wheelchair users

Select participants and date

Participants

Date

Important information

What to bring

  • Passport or ID card
  • Sun hat
  • Hiking shoes
  • Sunscreen
  • Cash
  • Weather-appropriate clothing

Not allowed

  • Pets (assistance dogs allowed)

Know before you go

  • The tour will be held rain or shine
  • Entrance to the cathedral, Qoricancha Museum, and the tourist ticket are not included. They should be paid in local currency
Customer reviews

Overall rating

4.3 /5

based on 10 reviews

Review summary

  • Guide
    4.3/5
  • Transportation
    5/5
  • Value for money
    4.7/5

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Star rating:

This wasn’t great. Our guide was really repetitive and long winded. The places we stopped were worth visiting, but I’d go with a different tour. We met a tour coordinator and she was lovely and engaging, but once the tour started we wished she was taking us instead. There were multiple sales pitches, a woman who got on the bus to sell anis who was cool, and a guy who got on the bus to sell his book which wasn’t great. Check out these sites, but with someone else.

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November 27, 2022

Overall we enjoyed the tour but it did feel rushed at times. We met in the Plaza and first toured the Cathedral. Our guide did a good job of explaining the history of the area and describing the interesting details within the church. We then met with the rest of the group and traveled by small van to several ruins outside of the city. You will need to purchase a traveler's pass ($70 soles) in addition to the tour. We visited four locations and were given a brief overview of each spot before having some time to explore on our own. I wish we had a bit more time at several of the locations but the guide did do a good job of teaching us the history of each spot. We ended the tour at a textile shop where they showed us how to identify real vs fake alpaca garments. On the bus ride back, we sampled Peruvian alcohol. I would recommend this as a way to get a sampling of a lot of places in a short time frame. If you have more time, I would recommend a longer tour.

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September 17, 2022

Gostei bastante, talvez um pouco mais de tempo seja bom, mas não foi um problema, pois deu para ver tudo e ouvir todas as histórias.

September 2, 2022

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Product ID: 334071