Cusco & Machu Picchu

Currency

Cambistas on Avenida El Sol give better rates than the banks and are licensed — look for the vest and the ID. Dollars are widely accepted but at a poor built-in rate. Break large notes early; nobody in Aguas Calientes has change for a 200.

ATMs & cards

BCP, Interbank and BBVA machines around the Plaza de Armas are reliable. Avoid the Globalnet machines in shops — they charge the most and cap the lowest. Carry cash for Aguas Calientes, where cards are patchy and fees are high.

Withdraw in Cusco before the train. Aguas Calientes has almost no card acceptance and the machines there charge the most in Peru.

Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.

Safety

Crime against visitors is rare and the tourist centre is heavily policed. Altitude is the real hazard: Cusco sits at 3,400m and people who fly straight in and start walking get properly ill. Give it two days before any trek, drink far more water than feels necessary, and take the coca tea seriously — it helps.

Our own assessment, not a sourced index.

Entry & visa

Health & emergencies

Required to enter

• Yellow fever certificate, but only if you are arriving from a country where yellow fever is present

Worth having

• Hepatitis A
• Typhoid
• Tetanus up to date
• Yellow fever if you are going to the Amazon
• Rabies for rural or long stays

Getting treated

Private clinics in Lima are good and reasonably priced; outside the capital and the main tourist towns, facilities thin out quickly. Insurance with evacuation cover is worth having if you are heading into the Andes or the Amazon.

Altitude sickness is the most common problem for visitors heading to Cusco (3,400m) — ascend slowly and do not fly straight to a trek. Do not drink the tap water.

Orientation, not medical advice. Entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history and where you have been — check with a travel clinic or your national health service four to six weeks before you go.

Food tip

Eat the menú del día at lunch — soup, main and drink for 15-25 soles. Try cuy if you are curious, alpaca if you are hungry, and chicha morada with everything.

Getting around

• Train to Aguas Calientes — PeruRail or IncaRail from Ollantaytambo, ~1.5h, the only way in short of walking
• Bus up to the citadel — ~25 min of switchbacks from Aguas Calientes; the walk is 1.5h uphill
• Colectivo to the Sacred Valley — shared vans from Cusco, a few soles, how locals travel
• Walking in Cusco — the centre is compact but steep, and the altitude makes every hill count
• Airport: Cusco (CUZ) is 15 min from the centre; taxis should be agreed before getting in

Must-see

Things to do

• Walk the citadel early before the day-trippers arrive
• Climb Huayna Picchu if you booked it months ahead
• Spend a day in the Sacred Valley at Pisac and Ollantaytambo
• Wander San Blas for the artisan workshops
• See the Qorikancha, where the Inca temple and the convent are one building

Nearby day trips

Say a few words

Spanish (Latin American)

• HelloHolaOH-la
• PleasePor favorpor fa-VOR
• Thank youGraciasGRA-syas
• Yes / NoSí / Nosee / no
• Excuse meDisculpedees-KOOL-peh
• How much is it?¿Cuánto cuesta?KWAN-to KWES-ta
• The bill, pleaseLa cuenta, por favorla KWEN-ta
• Cheers!¡Salud!sa-LOOD

The c and z are said as an s here, not the Spanish "th" — gracias is GRA-syas.

Religion

Catholic

Catholicism fused with Andean belief — the Inti Raymi festival and mountain apu spirits sit alongside the church calendar without contradiction.

Do's and don'ts

Do

• Greet with a handshake, or a cheek kiss once you know someone
• Try the food seriously — Peruvians are proud of it and interest is warmly returned
• Ask before photographing people in traditional dress, and expect to pay a small amount
• Take altitude slowly if you continue to Cusco; coca tea genuinely helps

Don't

• Do not eat ceviche in the evening; the fish is that morning’s catch and locals eat it at lunch
• Do not drink the tap water
• Do not hail street taxis; use an app
• Do not call the country’s cuisine Mexican-adjacent, which will not go well