Cusco City Tour – Half Day

Qoricancha:

The best way to see the historic centre of Cusco, with its narrow streets and peaceful plazas, is on foot. We will pick you up from your hotel at around 1:15 pm, from where we will walk to the Qorikancha, or Temple of the Sun. For the Incas, this was the most important sacred site in their vast empire, and within its finely-worked walls several of the gods of the Inca pantheon were honoured. The Spaniards built their Santo Domingo church over the remains of the Inca temple, and today the simple and yet elegant structures of this pre-Christian site can be viewed within the walls of the church.

The Temple of the Sun overlooks Avenida El Sol. Just outside the historic centre, this is Cusco’s main street, where all its banks and many exchange houses and stores are located.

From the Temple of the Sun it is a short walk to the main square, where we will enter the city’s cathedral. Built in the renaissance style in the 17th century, this imposing structure dominates Cusco’s main square and contains many treasures of colonial-era religious art, including several canvasses from the Cusco School of Painting.

Plaza De Armas:

The main square or Plaza de Armas, is also home to the church built by the Jesuits to rival the cathedral. Its magnificently restored interior is dominated by a main altar covered in gold leaf, and its paintings include a depiction of the marriage between a Spanish captain and an Inca princess.

Plaza San Francisco:

From the cathedral, we will continue walking through narrow streets. Crossing the main square and continuing past La Merced church, with its interesting Moorish-style ceiling. We will pass another square, San Francisco, which is dominated by the austere façade of the church which gives this public space its name.

San Pedro Market:

Passing through the Santa Clara Arch, which was one of the gateways to the Spanish city, we will reach San Pedro market. This is bustling market is filled with locals and tourists. San Pedro Market is famous for buying souvenirs or simply to stop for freshly made fruit juices.

In the streets above the cathedral, we will also visit the traditional neighbourhood of San Blas. Our route will take us past the Archbishop’s Palace and along the street known by the Quechua name Hatunrumiyoc (literally, “the place of the big stone”), where the famous Twelve-Angled Stone forms part of the walls of the old palace of Inca Roca.

San Blas:

San Blas, the charming neighbourhood has its narrow cobble stoned streets lined with whitewashed houses and stores. This picturesque part of Cusco has been home to artisans since the Inca period. San Blas church, situated on the small plaza of the same name, is famous for its colonial-era pulpit, elaborately carved from a single piece of cedar.

Useful Information

• Daily departures.
• This is walking tour.

• Plaza de Armas.
• Cathedral.
• Qorikancha. (temple of the sun)
• San-blas.
• San Pedro Market.
• Visits to eminent weaving houses in Cusco.