City of Cuzco
Cusco, Cusco Region, Peru
Cusco is one of the rare South American cities where the act of walking is the attraction. Inca stonework, colonial churches, convents, plazas and narrow streets reveal not one city replacing another, but successive worlds built into the same fabric. It is most rewarding when approached as more than a stop on the way to Machu Picchu, because its urban form, civic history and everyday rhythm are substantial experiences in their own right. Travellers drawn to architecture, layered history and slower exploration will get the most from it. The pleasures are cumulative rather than singular: retaining walls, courtyards, steep lanes, market energy and the sense that an imperial Andean capital still shapes the present. Altitude matters here, so allowing time to acclimatise makes the city far more enjoyable.