Cusco City Tour: Full Day

For this Cusco City Tour of Cusco we offer two kinds of service: pool and private. The pooled service, where agencies “pool” their clients together to form a group of around 10-15 people, begins at 1:30 pm and ends at 6:00 pm. The private version of the tour can be done at any time in accordance with the operating hours of the locations.Cusco was once the capital of the great Inca state which was the largest empire ever seen in the Americas.

Today, the historic city is a fusion of the cultural and architectural influences of both the Inca and Spanish colonial periods. Spend the day with us and see what this amazing city has to offer.

Here are the sites you will enjoy, booking this Cusco City Tour:

Cusco City Tour, Places Includes

The Cathedral:

Constructed between 1560 and 1654 upon the foundations of the Inca palace of Wiracocha. This immense building includes the chapel of Jesus, Joseph and Mary, and the church of the Triumph. While the construction lasted for over a century, the decoration went on for 300 years and today more than 400 paintings of the Cusco School can be seen amidst beautifully carved altars and a magnificent choir stand.

Qoricancha:

Meaning “cloister of gold”, is located within the monastery of Santo Domingo, where the remains of the former sun temple of the Incas are found. Inside, one can admire some astonishing, slanted Inca walls, windows and niches in trapezoidal shapes that have withstood several earthquakes due to its´ anti-seismic design, having been constructed with extremely close-fitting stones.

Saqsaywaman:

This Quechua word (the still widely spoken language of the Incas) literally translates to “decorated head of puma”. It was used as the palace from which the descendant of the sun ruled his people. The Europeans believed it to be a fortress of some kind due to the immense blocks of rock that were used in its construction. Cusco tradition claims that around 70,000 people worked here for 50 years.

Q’enqo:

This name translates to “labyrinth” and is probably called that way because of two caves which hide under an immense rock with carved platforms or “altars,” representing the so-called “sacrificial rock”. There is also an “amphitheater” with 19 niches which were probably used for giving offerings and a large rock sculpture (that is said to represent a puma, the deity of the site). Interesting zigzag channels and a great variety of carved stones are also found on top of the huge rock formation.

Puca Pucara:

Meaning “Red Fortress,” this massive construction was used for food storage and also as a control garrison for travelers that visited Cusco in Inca times.

Tambo Machay:

A beautiful ceremonial site which sits, literally, on a hillside spring, and was used as a place to worship water. Today, the permanently flowing water is still associated with long life and fertility by the people of Cusco.

Cusco City Tour Includes: