24 hours in Cusco: what to see

The Plaza de Armas opens the day: surrounded by the Cathedral and the Church of the Compañía de Jesús, both built on the remains of Incan buildings, it remains the ceremonial heart of the city since the days of the empire.

A few steps away is the Qorikancha, the ancient Incan Temple of the Sun, once covered in gold leaf, on which the Spanish built the Convent of Santo Domingo, leaving the original Incan walls visible at the base of the colonial building.

Climbing through the alleys you reach San Blas, the neighborhood of artisans, with its narrow cobbled streets and shops of pottery and textiles that have animated the barrio for generations.

For lunch, the restaurants around the Plaza de Armas or San Blas offer the dishes of Andean cuisine, from quinoa to cuy.

In the afternoon, Sacsayhuamán, the Incan fortress built with stone blocks fitted without mortar, some weighing over a hundred tons, dominates the entire city from above.

The San Pedro Market, the covered market where fruit, fresh juices, and artisan products are sold, instead restores a more local atmosphere than the tourist center.

As evening falls, heading back to the Plaza de Armas, the restaurants facing the square confirm themselves as the simplest choice for dinner, with the cathedral illuminated behind.

Plaza de Armas, Qorikancha, and San Blas are enough to show Cusco's dual Incan and colonial identity, while an afternoon choice between Sacsayhuamán and Mercado San Pedro flanks it with the monumental or everyday side.

The Sacred Valley and, of course, Machu Picchu remain chapters for the rest of the journey. Watching Sacsayhuamán's Incan walls fit together perfectly without mortar remains the frame you take away from Cusco.