Getting to and Around Peru

Nearly every trip to Peru starts in Lima. Its airport takes the vast majority of international flights and is the domestic hub, so getting around Peru usually means a night in Lima, a short flight up to Cusco, then trains, roads or more flights, depending on where you are headed. People ask whether they can skip Lima and fly straight into Cusco. From North America or Europe, not without a connection. The better question is how to set up your first two days.

Flying to Peru: Lima Is the Gateway

If you have flown into Lima’s Jorge Chávez International Airport (LIM) before, the building is new: a passenger terminal about three times the size of the old one opened on June 1, 2025.

From the United States there is non-stop service from Miami, Houston, Atlanta, New York (JFK, and Newark until March 2027) and Los Angeles, as of October 2026. Miami is about 5 h 45 m, Houston about 6 h 30 m, Atlanta about 6 h 45 m, New York about 8 h and Los Angeles about 8 h 30 m. Most daytime departures from Miami, Houston and Atlanta land in Lima between 8 and 11 pm; overnight flights, such as those from JFK and Los Angeles, arrive early in the morning.

From Canada, Toronto and Montreal have non-stops of about 8 h to 8 h 30 m with Air Transat and, in the northern winter, Air Canada. From Europe, Iberia, Air Europa and Plus Ultra fly non-stop from Madrid, Air France from Paris and KLM from Amsterdam, in about 12 h to 12 h 30 m. There is no non-stop from London; connect in Madrid, Paris or Amsterdam. Copa connects through Panama City and Avianca through Bogotá.

Farther away, you connect: from the Middle East through Europe, from Asia through North America or Europe, from South Africa through São Paulo (South African Airways and LATAM fly non-stop from Johannesburg), and from Australia and New Zealand through Santiago de Chile (LATAM, and Qantas from Sydney), which also has non-stops to Cusco.

Fly Into Lima or Cusco?

Cusco (also spelled Cuzco, airport code CUZ) has only a handful of international flights: Avianca from Bogotá and La Paz, and LATAM from Santiago de Chile. The first flights up from Lima leave around 6 am.

The real issue is altitude, not airports. The CDC lists Cusco at about 11,000 ft (3,350 m) and notes that travelers can sleep lower than Cusco’s airport for the first night or two. Several of our itineraries head from the airport straight to the Sacred Valley, which lies lower than the city. Read staying healthy in Peru and see a travel clinic before you go.

So fly into Lima and do not fight it. Our itineraries usually begin with a night there and a morning flight to Cusco, as on the Classic Trip to Lima, Cuzco and Machu Picchu.

Getting Around Peru: Domestic Flights and the Legs We Use

Lima is the hub, and Cusco is its busiest domestic route: more than 1.1 million passengers flew there from Lima in the first seven months of 2025, according to Peru’s Ministry of Transport (MTC).

These are the main legs, most from our itineraries, with typical non-stop times as of October 2026. Schedules change.

The Legs You Don’t Fly

Machu Picchu has no airport. PeruRail’s train from Ollantaytambo, in the Sacred Valley, takes about 1 h 30 m, and from Poroy, near Cusco, about 3 h 30 m (May to December only), to Aguas Calientes below the ruins. The rest is on our getting to Machu Picchu page.

Lake Titicaca we rarely fly either. With no Cusco–Juliaca flights, our itineraries go overland to Puno: by private coach across the Altiplano, stopping at the colonial village of Andahuaylillas and the pre-Inca ruins of Pucara, or on PeruRail’s Titicaca train, a full day across the Andes, as on the Peru and Bolivia Train Tour.

The Essence of Peru hardly flies at all. It goes by road from Lima to Paracas and Nazca, makes the Nazca Lines overflight from the Nazca airport, takes an eight-hour coach to Arequipa, then climbs by road through the Colca Canyon and Puno to Cusco. Fifteen days, one scheduled flight. The CDC’s line fits: “Gradually ascending to altitude or staging the ascent provides crucial time for the body to adjust.”

How We Route a Peru Trip

Our co-founder Juergen Keller sums up his advice on routing Argentina in two words: “Think international!” It works for Peru too. Travels of the Incas goes from Puno along Lake Titicaca into Bolivia and finishes in La Paz, so you fly home from Bolivia. The Galápagos Cruise and Machu Picchu trip flies from Cusco to Quito and, after a few days in Ecuador, on to the islands (see Galápagos flights).

Writing about Brazil, Juergen made a point that holds for the whole continent: “South-America is big.” His rule, “Do not plan a very tight schedule”, starts on day one in Peru with that night in Lima. Then pick your Amazon to suit the route: the lodges near Puerto Maldonado pair neatly with Cusco, under an hour away by air, while Iquitos, in the north, is a trip of its own from Lima. See our Peru Amazon rainforest tours.

How Flights Fit Your Trip

Our Peru itinerary prices are estimates without flights; every tour page says “Flights priced separately” or “Flights quoted separately”. The domestic legs your route needs are quoted separately with your trip. One exception: the Manu trip from Cusco drives into the rainforest and includes its charter flight back.

Questions About Flights in Peru

Are there direct flights to Peru from the US?

Yes, non-stop to Lima from Miami (typically about 5 h 45 m), Houston, Atlanta, New York and Los Angeles (about 8 h 30 m). From other cities, connect through one of those, Panama City or Bogotá.

Which airlines fly within Peru?

LATAM, Sky, JetSMART and Star Perú carried about 98% of domestic passengers from January to July 2025, according to the MTC. Older guides still list Peruvian Airlines, Viva Air Peru and Avianca; none of them flies domestic routes in Peru today.

Do I pay an airport tax in Lima?

Not separately if your trip starts in Lima: the airport use fee (TUUA) is already in your ticket, and arriving from abroad to connect within Peru does not trigger the transfer fee. Since December 7, 2025, passengers changing in Lima between two international flights pay a separate US$11.86 transfer fee, tax included, online or at the airport counters.

How much time should I leave between flights in Lima?

The airport asks you to check in two hours before a domestic flight and three before an international one. Coming from abroad, you also clear immigration in Lima before any domestic flight. So our itineraries start with a night there.

Next, our Peru travel guide, the best time to visit Peru, the weather by region and the Peru visa requirements, where the entry rules live. Or ask for a custom Peru trip built around the flights that work for you.