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
Palacio Arzobispal del Cusco
The Archbishop's Palace of Cusco, known locally as Palacio Arzobispal del Cusco, stands on Hatunrumiyoc street in the historic centre. The site represents significant architectural layering, incorporating the former Inca Roca palace beneath colonial structures.
Paseo de Aguas is an eighteenth-century water promenade in Lima's Rímac district. The heritage site presents colonial landscape design through a public walkway centred on historic hydraulic features.
Sacsayhuamán
Sacsayhuaman, known locally as Saqsaywaman, is an immense Inca ceremonial and defensive complex situated on a hill above Cusco.
Choquequirao is a remote Inca archaeological site situated in the Vilcabamba mountain range of the Cusco region. Often called the sister city of Machu Picchu, it remains far less visited due to its isolated location.
Plaza de Toros de Acho
The Plaza de Toros de Acho is the historic bullring of Lima, situated in the Rímac district. Constructed in 1766, it stands as one of the oldest surviving bullrings in the Americas.
Wanchaq
Wanchaq District is a working urban district south of Cusco’s historic colonial core. Its character comes from everyday commerce, local movement, transport connections, markets, and streets used by residents.
Tampu Mach'ay
Tambomachay is an Inca archaeological site on the northern outskirts of Cusco, Peru. It functions as a ceremonial water shrine, featuring finely engineered stone channels, aqueducts, and waterfalls that demonstrate sophisticated hydraulic engineering.
Plaza Santa Ana
Santa Ana Square is a historic public plaza in the upper part of Cusco’s colonial centre. It sits beyond the busiest circuit around Plaza de Armas and offers a quieter view of the city’s traditional neighbourhood fabric.
Centro Histórico de Lima
The Historic Centre of Lima, locally Centro Histórico de Lima, is the UNESCO World Heritage-listed colonial core of Peru's capital. Founded by Francisco Pizarro in 1535, it preserves a substantial ensemble of Spanish colonial architecture, religious buildings, and civic structures.
Puka Pukara is a small Inca archaeological site situated on the northern outskirts of Cusco, Peru. Its Quechua name translates to Red Fortress, referencing the distinctive reddish hue of its stonework.
Palacio de Gobierno
The Government Palace of Peru, known locally as Palacio de Gobierno del Perú, serves as the official residence and principal workplace of the President of Peru.
Moray is an archaeological complex near Cusco in Peru’s Sacred Valley. Its defining feature is a group of circular agricultural terraces cut into a natural depression.
Iglesia de Santa Ana
Santa Ana Church is a colonial parish church in Cusco’s Santa Ana neighbourhood, within the Historic Centre of Cusco, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Plaza Limacpampa is a public square in upper-central Cusco. It works mainly as a connecting space between San Blas, Qorikancha, Avenida El Sol, and nearby modern commercial streets.
Puente de Piedra
Puente de Piedra, also called Puente Trujillo, is the historic stone crossing over the Rímac River between Lima's old centre and the Rímac side.
Museo de Arte Italiano
The Museum of Italian Art, known locally as Museo de Arte Italiano, is a compact state museum in Lima, Peru. It holds the distinction of being unique in the country for its focused collection of twentieth-century Italian art.
Plaza San Martín is a monumental republican square in Lima's historic centre. It forms the southern anchor of the historic-centre walking route, connecting visitors to the broader colonial and republican urban fabric.
Valle Sagrado de los Incas
The Sacred Valley of the Incas, locally Valle Sagrado de los Incas, is the Urubamba River corridor northwest of Cusco. This broad valley between Pisac and Ollantaytambo served as a vital agricultural, spiritual, and administrative zone for the Inca Empire.
Museo del Palacio Arzobispal de Lima
The Archbishop's Palace of Lima stands on the eastern side of Plaza Mayor, the historic heart of Peru's capital. Its ornate façade and carved balconies form one of Plaza Mayor's defining architectural edges.
Huaca Pucllana is an archaeological complex inside Miraflores, where successive Lima, Wari and Ychsma communities left evidence of construction and use.
Pisaq
Písac is a town in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, approximately one hour northeast of Cusco. The settlement sits at a lower elevation than the city, making it a common destination for visitors adjusting to altitude.
Museo Larco
The Museo Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera is Lima's leading museum for pre-Columbian art and archaeology. Founded by Rafael Larco Hoyle in 1926, it occupies an eighteenth-century vice-royal mansion in the Pueblo Libre district.
Fortaleza del Real Felipe
The Real Felipe Fortress, locally named Fortaleza del Real Felipe, stands as Callao's monumental colonial fortress and ranks as the strongest military-history site in the Lima metropolitan area.
The Ausangate Circuit is a multi-day trekking route encircling Nevado Ausangate, the highest peak in the Cusco region at approximately 6,384 metres.
Plaza de Armas del Cusco stands as the historic main square of Cusco, Peru, occupying the ceremonial heart of the former Inca capital. Spanish colonial architecture now dominates the space, with arcades, churches, and portals surrounding the open plaza.
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.
