Classic Trip to Lima, Cuzco, Machu Picchu

Upon arrival in Lima, meet your local travel guide at the airport and transfer to your centrally-located hotel in Miraflores. Your guide will introduce you to Peru's capital, give you your travel documents, and answer any questions you may have about your trip. Enjoy sightseeing on your own in the modern neighborhood of the city. You may want to dine in a restaurant in Larcomar overlooking the ocean, or go shopping in the open-air markets where locals sell traditional Peruvian handicrafts.

After breakfast at the hotel, your driver will pick you up and take you to the airport for the short flight to Cuzco. Once in Cuzco, another local guide will greet you and show you to your hotel, located only a few blocks from the Plaza de Armas. Make sure to rest and allow yourself time to acclimatize to the altitude; Cuzco is at 11,200 feet (3400 meters) elevation.

In the afternoon, your guide will take you on a Cuzco city tour, to see the important buildings and ruins in and around Cuzco. Start in the Plaza de Armas, where the Cathedral, La Compañia de Jesus Church, and other important Spanish colonial buildings stand. Also visit the Church of Santo Domingo, which was built ontop of Korikancha, the Inca Temple of the Sun. Many Inca ruins remain in Cuzco, although the Spanish conquistadores destroyed much of the city and built on top of them. Today, you can still see Inca walls, streets, and the ruins of Sacsayhuaman, Tambomachay and Qenqo in the outskirts of the city. Visit these ruins in the late afternoon, and enjoy panoramic views of Cuzco.

Early in the morning, you'll transfer to the station for your excursion to magnificent citadel built by the Incas, Machu Picchu. Take the 3 hour scenic train journey to the town of Aguas Calientes, where you will take a shuttle bus up to the entrance of the ruins. From here, you'll enjoy a guided visit of the entire site of Machu Picchu, often known as the "Lost City of the Incas" because the Spanish overlooked it in their conquest of the Inca Empire. Marvel at the well-preserved Inca stonework and the massive scale of this stone city, built on tall terraces in the cloud forest of central Peru. After free time for lunch, return by shuttle bus to Aguas Calientes. Rest, relax, or shop in town before returning to Cuzco by train in the afternoon. At the Cuzco train station, you'll be transferred to your hotel to rest for the night.

After breakfast in your hotel, head out to the Cuzco airport for your return flight to Lima. Upon arrival to Lima, transfer to the city for a half-day Lima City Tour. In the historic district, you will see the Main Square, surrounded by the Cathedral and the Government Palace, and the Monastery of San Francisco. The tour continues through the residential areas of Lima and ends in the modern district of Miraflores on the Pacific coast where you can enjoy a final sunset dinner before heading home. Transfer to the Lima airport to take your international flight or travel on another of our many South America tours.

If you have an additional day to spare, we highly recommend that you spend another day in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, located between Cuzco and Machu Picchu. This will allow you to see more Inca ruins, experience Peruvian culture at the Pisac Market, and arrive at Machu Picchu earlier in the morning the next day. Talk with your travel consultants about how to customize this Lost City of the Incas Peru Tour.