In One Week

The Best of Peru in 1 Week: Cusco, Machu Picchu & the Sacred Valley -- Though Peru boasts astounding variety, most people don't have time to experience the range of its offerings (that's what return trips are for!). For first-timers, there's one place they've absolutely got to see: Machu Picchu. I've got no problem with that: It's where I was determined to go before I'd ever stepped foot on the South American continent. In a single week, there's just enough time to see the best of Inca Peru (and it won't involve crazed travel from one place to the next all over Peru). This itinerary will give you an idea of how to best experience the ancient Inca capital, the empire's alluring, once-thought-lost imperial city, and the Urubamba Valley that the Incas held sacred.

Day 1: Arrive in Lima; transfer to Cusco

All international flights arrive in Lima, but try to arrange it so that an overnight flight gets you there very early in the morning, with time enough to get an 8am or 9am flight to Cusco. With only a week in Peru, there's little need to linger in Lima if you can avoid it.

Take it easy in Cusco on your first day. Drink a lot of water (and perhaps some coca-leaf tea) and get a good night's rest. The altitude (more than 3,400m/11,000 ft.) combined with an overnight international flight will prove very taxing. Have lunch at Jack's Café Bar, a popular gringo hangout. Limit yourself to taking a stroll around the delightful Plaza de Armas, popping into the tourist information office to pick up your boleto turístico (tourist ticket for the main sights in Cusco and the Sacred Valley) and choosing a spot for dinner. I'd suggest Cicciolina or A Mi Manera, or for views of the Plaza de Armas, La Retama.

Day 2: Colonial Cusco

Sticking to the area near the Plaza de Armas, visit the Cathedral and the Santa Catalina Convent in the morning. After lunch, see the superb Qoricancha (Temple of the Sun) to get an idea of the Incas' incredible masonry and the clash of native and Spanish culture. Take a walk along the Calles Loreto and Hatunrumiyoc to see some more Inca stonework. In Plaza Nazarenas, check out the beautifully designed Precolombian Art Museum and some of the upscale alpaca goods shops on the square. Have a pisco sour at one of the lively cafes or bars near the Plaza de Armas and make your way up bustling Calle Procuradores, Cusco's gringo alley and restaurant row. If you're dining on a budget, pick a restaurant; if you're looking for something more refined, try MAP Café or Illary, the restaurant at Hotel Monasterio.

Day 3: Sacred Valley: Pisac

With luck your third day in Peru will be a Tuesday, Wednesday, or (better yet) Sunday -- those are market days in the Urubamba Valley (the Valle Sagrado de los Incas). Take a combi or taxi to Pisac and check out the popular and lively artisans' market. Have lunch at Ulrike's Café right on the main square. After lunch either hike up to or grab a taxi to the Inca ruins looming above town. Pisac's ruins will give you a taste of what you're about to see in Ollantaytambo and Machu Picchu. Head a little farther along in the valley (again by taxi or combi) to a rustic country hotel near Urubamba or Yucay, where you'll have dinner and spend the night.

Day 4: Sacred Valley: Ollantaytambo

Wake early and take a taxi to Ollantaytambo, where you'll want to arrive as close to opening as possible to explore the Fortress Ruins before the busloads arrive. Then take a walk around Ollanta's Old Town and grab lunch. If you have the energy and can manage a few hours after lunch, go for a hike in the Valley, perhaps to Salineras de Maras, the ancient salt mines near Urubamba.

If you don't mind moving around, you could transfer to a hotel in Ollanta to enjoy it at night when there are few tourists (and be there for the train the next morning to Machu Picchu). Otherwise head back to your hotel near Urubamba.

Day 5: What You Came For: Machu Picchu

Catch the early morning train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes, the rough-edged town that sits below Machu Picchu. Catch the bus up to the ruins and spend the day exploring them (hiking up to the Huayna Picchu peak for panoramic views if you're in shape). Have lunch at the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge next to the ruins and stay until late in the afternoon, after the large tour groups have left. Spend the night either next to the ruins (if you've got deep pockets) or back down in Aguas Calientes (which is actually more fun). Hit the bars along the railroad tracks to share stories with some of the grungy folks who've survived the Inca Trail.

Day 6: Back to Cusco

Now that you've acclimatized to the Andes and seen some of the greatest legacies of the Incas, head back by train to the old Inca capital, Cusco. In the afternoon, stroll around the hilly San Blas neighborhood, site of dozens of cool shops and art galleries. Do some shopping for handicrafts, souvenirs, and art. If Machu Picchu and Ollantaytambo have intensified your interest in Inca architecture, catch a cab (or walk up to) the fantastic ruins, Sacsayhuamán, overlooking the city. Have a celebratory dinner at Greens in San Blas and get a taste of Cusco's hopping nightlife at one of the pubs or nightclubs.

Day 7: Back to Lima and Back Home

Do some final shopping in Cusco before catching a flight to Lima. You'll probably have an evening flight back home, so you may have enough time for a ceviche lunch in Lima and, if you're ambitious, a short tour of colonial Lima Centro in the late afternoon.