Country guide
Peru is 1,285,216 square kilometres arranged in three long bands: an arid Pacific coast, the Andes behind it, and Amazon rainforest east of the mountains. Which...
Photograph · Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0
Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor
Peru is 1,285,216 square kilometres arranged in three long bands: an arid Pacific coast, the Andes behind it, and Amazon rainforest east of the mountains. Which band a city sits in decides nearly everything about visiting it — Lima, the capital, is a coastal city under grey winter cloud, Cusco sits high enough in the Andes to cost a first day doing nothing, and Iquitos in the rainforest has no road connecting it to the rest of the country. It is the third largest country in South America. The distances between those three worlds are why itineraries here are counted in flights rather than in bus rides.
Checked 2026-08-25
Every city catalogued in this country so far, ranked by how much there is to see.
Photograph · Corminos · CC BY-SA 3.0
Photograph · gertrudis2010 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Seasonal closures come from recorded opening hours.
Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.
135 places match
Category
Typical visit duration
Interests
Cusco Planetarium, known locally as Planetario Cusco, is an astronomical interpretation center situated in the Cusco region of Peru. The facility specializes in presenting Andean sky traditions, connecting visitors with indigenous cosmological knowledge that predates European contact.
Plaza San Francisco is a broad colonial plaza on the western side of Cusco’s historic centre. It forms the open setting for the San Francisco church and convent complex and remains a public gathering place.
Museo Cementerio Presbítero Matías Maestro
The Presbítero Matías Maestro Cemetery Museum is a monumental cemetery in Lima, Peru, operating as a museum institution. Established during the republican period, it serves as both an active burial ground and a cultural heritage site.
Q'enqo Chico is the smaller companion archaeological site to the better-known Q'enqo Grande, forming part of the broader Q'enqo archaeological complex situated on the hills above Cusco.
Qochapata is an Inca archaeological site at the urban edge of Cusco, where the city gives way to the wider landscape shaped by Inca settlement.
Museo de Sitio Qorikancha
Qorikancha Site Museum, also called Museo de Sitio Qorikancha, is a small archaeological museum within Cusco’s Qorikancha and Santo Domingo complex.
Centro Qosqo de Arte Nativo
Qosqo Native Art Center, also known as Centro Qosqo de Arte Nativo, is a Cusco venue devoted to regional folk dance and traditional Andean music.
Casa Museo Ricardo Palma
Casa Museo Ricardo Palma is a house museum in Lima's Miraflores district, dedicated to the life and work of Ricardo Palma, the celebrated Peruvian author best known for his Tradiciones Peruanas.
The Salineras de Maras are pre-Columbian salt evaporation ponds cascading down a hillside above the Urubamba Valley. Local families have harvested salt here for centuries using traditional methods.
Complejo Arqueológico Mateo Salado
Complejo Arqueológico Mateo Salado is an archaeological complex located in Lima, Peru. The site represents pre-Columbian architectural heritage within the modern urban environment of the capital city.
Ten to fourteen days can combine Lima, Cusco and the Sacred Valley with one additional region. Altitude adjustment and rail or road transfers need their own time, so compressing the Andes and Amazon into the same short visit is unwise.
Peru’s Migraciones authority publishes admission information. Passport, nationality and permitted-stay rules must be checked for the actual traveller, and any border or immigration form should come from the government service.
Lima is the principal air hub, with domestic services to Cusco, Arequipa and other gateways. Intercity buses cover many routes, and selected tourist trains serve the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu area.
May to September is the broad dry-season window for many Andean routes. Lima’s coastal conditions and Amazon rainfall follow different patterns, so an itinerary spanning regions needs separate forecasts and access checks.
Peru uses the sol (PEN). Current acceptance and withdrawal charges are Not recorded here; confirm whether an operator expects soles, cards or advance payment before leaving a major city.
Peru records 105 for police and 116 for fire services. Type A and C sockets use 220 V; national tap-water guidance is Not recorded, so obtain local advice.
