Cusco Itinerary | 2 Days in Cusco

Peru is a beautiful country to visit and has to be one of my top 10 countries to visit. I found the country absolutely breathtaking and worth the visit. It wasn’t a country I had in mind to visit only so I didn’t really have any expectations. I think that is what made the trip all that more fascinating and worth it. This Cusco Itinerary should be helpful in providing you an idea of what to do during your 2 Days in Cusco itinerary. It will include things to do, where to eat and some travel tips for before you go.

Places to visit during your 2 Days in Cusco Itinerary

Day 1

• Plaza de Armas
• Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus
• Pedazo de Arte
• Mercado Central de San Pedro
• Mercado Artesanal
• Take photos with the cute Llamas or Alpacas and traditional Peruvian women

Day 2

• San Cristobal
• Cusco Cathedral
• Chocolate workshop at Choco Museum
• Museo Inka
• Museo del Pisco

RELATED: Things to do in Cusco

Cusco Itinerary Day 1

Day 1 for your 2 days in Cusco itinerary might be a hard time for you. You will be adjusting to the high altitude and trying to see all of the sites. It might be a bit difficult to get around but trying to walk around and do stuff will help adjust. If you are or do get sick, then I suggest you go back to your hotel room and get some rest. Many people are warned before visiting Machu Picchu or Rainbow Mountain to adjust to the altitude in Cusco first.

On the first day, I have you mostly wandering around the city to check out all of the sites. During your visit, you should try and get the Religious Circuit ticket. It costs about 40 soles and includes 4 important monuments in Cusco. These include the Cusco Cathedral, the San Blas Temple, San Cristobal Temple and the Archbishopric Palace.

Plaza de Armas

The Plaza de Armas is the main city square in Cusco and a must for your 2 days in Cusco itinerary. Here you can do some souvenir shopping, eat some delicious food and just check out the local businesses and shops in the area. This is a great place to start on your first night in Cusco as well if you are looking for something to do or just a bite to eat after being jet-lagged. There are many people who will try to sell you think on the street as well.

Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus

While you are in the plaza, head over to the Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus. You can purchase your Religious Circuit ticket here so you can access all the other sites in Cusco. This is the popular church in the Plaza de Armas.

Pedazo de Arte

If you want something different than what is in the market for typical Cusco souvenirs, I highly suggest you visit the Pedazo de Arte. They are a cute little Japanese/Peruvian shop with small handcrafted items that are perfect for those who are minimalists. There are so many different pieces of handcrafted jewelry made by a local artisan.

Mercado Central de San Pedro

One of the most popular markets in Cusco is the Mercado Central de San Pedro. Here you can find all the traditional Peruvian souvenirs from blankets, sweaters, scarves, hats, and more. Cusco is widely known for its artisan clothing market. Do not purchase any of your souvenirs in Lima, they will be twice the price and not as great in quality as what you can get here. This is a popular destination to visit for your 2 days in Cusco itinerary.

Mercado Artesanal

The second market I suggest you go to is the Mercado Artesanal where you can find some of the best handmade sweaters. We found the softest sweaters made from alpaca yarn.

Your 2 Days in Cusco Itinerary has to include photos of llamas or Alpacas

You went all the way to Cusco, you can not try and find these cute, sweet animals all over the city. Be sure to take your perfect selfie opportunity. There are many Peruvian women dressed in traditional clothing walking these cute animals around. They accept tips for the photo opportunities so be sure to have some cash on hand. I could help but enjoy seeing these all over town during my 2 days in Cusco itinerary.

Cusco Itinerary recommended list of things to do on Day 1 

• Plaza de Armas
• Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus
• Pedazo de Arte
• Mercado Central de San Pedro
• Mercado Artesanal
• Take photos with the cute Llamas or Alpacas and traditional Peruvian women

Cusco Itinerary Day 2

San Cristobal

On day 2 for your Cusco Itinerary, I suggest you leave early to go up to San Cristobal. There are many steps that lead to the top unless you want to take a taxi ride up there. I suggest leaving early in case the weather is hot or rainy. San Cristobal should be included in your Circuit ticket. Once you are up there, you have the best view of Cusco. You will be able to see the entire city, when you enter San Cristobal, be sure to make the walk up the steep steps to the bell tower where you can get an even better view.

Cusco Cathedral

After visiting San Cristobal, head down to Cusco Cathedral. The Cusco Cathedral is back in the Plaza de Armas area. You will need to head back in this direction to go to the Chocolate workshop anyways. At the Cusco cathedral, you can get more beautiful photos in the bell tower of the plaza and beautiful architecture.

Chocolate workshop at Choco Museum

I would suggest you make your reservation here the day before or early in the morning so that you can come back and join the Chocolate workshop. We were taught how to make chocolate by hand from cocoa beans. It is a very long process so they obviously skipped some steps, but showed us the basics of how it is completed. We made hot chocolate and pour traditional Peruvian chocolates in molds. We were able to add different types of fillings and toppings as well. It was a great souvenir to take back home. This was my favorite thing to do during my 2 days in Cusco itinerary.

Museo Inka

After the Choco Museum, head over to the Museo Inka. You can learn more about the Inka people and the traditional language of many locals in Cusco.

Museo del Pisco

Pisco is a popular drink in Peru and is very famous here. There are many types of Pisco. At a high altitude, you may get drunk in a fast time frame. If you love to drink and want to try new flavors be sure to check out this museum.

Cusco Itinerary recommended list of things to do on Day 2 

• San Cristobal
• Cusco Cathedral
• Chocolate workshop at Choco Museum
• Museo Inka
• Museo del Pisco

Best time to visit Cusco for 2 days

The best time to visit Cusco is from May through October to avoid the heaving rainy seasons. We traveled the end of April and early May and it was the perfect month. We only had one bad rainy day which cleared up in the early morning.

Language in Cusco

The main languages in Cusco are Spanish and Quechua. Even though the main language Spanish and Quechua, it was still pretty easy to get around. Many of the locals knew English probably due to the high traffic in foreigners and tourists.

Forms of Currency in Cusco for your 2 Days Itinerary

The main form of currency in Cusco is the Peruvian soles. Cash, as usual, is the preferred method but many of the restaurants and stores take a card. If you want to shop at the market, it is best to bring cash.

How to get to Cusco

There are a few options for getting to Cusco which include flying directly to Cusco (the fastest route). Other options include flying, renting a car or taking a bus from Lima. Although I would not recommend driving because the roads are very dangerous and it takes about 18 hours to get there by car.

RELATED: Machu Picchu the Easy Way

How to get around Cusco during your 2 Days Itinerary

The best and most affordable way to get around Cusco is by walking. You can take some taxis around the city, but many of them might have a difficult time going into some of the areas. There are lots of areas that do to have roads and only pedestrian paths. Be sure to pay attention to where you plan on staying in Cusco, while some might be high on the top of a hill where you will need to climb several flights of stairs with your luggage until you reach your hostel or hotel.

Where to Stay during your 2 Days in Cusco Itinerary

Find a hotel near the Plaza de Armas. It is central to most everything with the exception of the Mercado Central de San Pedro. Beware though, some hotels require you to hike uphill after each venture and in high altitudes, it can be quite exhausting to do. Hotels were very reasonable in price which is why we chose to stay in hotels rather than hostels unless you are traveling solo.

What to eat in Cusco for 2 Days

There are a lot of places to eat in Cusco. I suggest you check out my Cusco Restaurants guide for more information on where to eat, but there are quite a few dishes you much have in Cusco. Guinea pig is a delicacy there, although, I couldn’t find myself to eat these cute little creatures. I highly recommend you try every ceviche out there and be sure to have Nikkei sushi. There are many Japanese living in Cusco from years ago and there they have created Nikkei sushi which is a Japanese and Peruvian fusion dish. Additionally, there are many high-quality restaurants located in central Cusco making it a great food capital for tourists.

RELATED: Cusco Restaurants

How to Overcome Altitude Sickness in Cusco during your 2 days Itinerary

Altitude Sickness Pills

Some would say to take altitude sickness pills, but it’s only recommended for people who really have a hard time dealing with altitude sickness. I would suggest you consult with a doctor if this is the route you would like to go, but from what I have heard the side effects are terrible with these kinds of medications.

Coca Leaves

The way the traditional people of Cusco handle altitude sickness is by sucking or as most people will say chewing Coca Leaves. You do not ingest the coca leaves, you simply chew on it to break parts of the membrane and suck on the nutrients from the leaves. Another way to use coca leaves is to make tea. Most hotels and places will have this available for their guests. Be sure to find it. I do have to warn that it shows up in drug tests and tests positive for cocaine. But do not fear, this will leave your body within 24 hours.

Stay Hydrated

One of the major things about being at higher altitudes is feeling dehydrated. Be sure to drink plenty of water, especially after drinking beer, soda or wine. At higher altitudes, you will experience a lower drinking tolerance which can lead to being drunk quicker and dehydration. If you feel like a headache is coming on, drink plenty of water.

Pack Dramamine or Anti-Nausea Pills

There were some days that I felt nauseous and it may be from traveling or the fact that a friend of our got food poisoning. Having the Dramamine pills helped me when I felt nauseous at times. It’s one of my go-to travel medications for travel because I sometimes get motion sickness from being in the back of a bus or on a speedboat.

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