Going to Cusco? Make Sure to Check Out These Hot Spots!

Cusco is an excellent place to explore holy places of the high culture of the Incas. There are several well-preserved Incan ruins in and around Cusco.

Cusco has a large selection of museums to visit, which are worth visiting during your internship. We would like to introduce a few selected ones to you:

The original cathedral of Cusco was built on an existing building of the former Incas and years later moved to the Incapal Wiracocha. The museum holds some spiritual and religious objects.

The Cusco Art Museum was an Inca ceremonial courtyard and was converted into the castle of conqueror Alonso Díaz around 1580. It served as the residence of the Count of Cabrera from 1850, was restored and has been an art museum since 2003. It is the only museum in Peru designed to reprocess historical monuments from the past Peruvian period.

The Santa Domingo church and the monastery in Cusco were built on the former Qoricancha sun temple. This is undoubtedly one of the finest examples of Spanish architecture that can be found in Cusco.

Sacsayhuaman is a rock fortress of the Incas and is in close proximity to Cusco and is unique in its architecture. The Incas used stone blocks of 9m x 5m to build a fortress that is 360m long and has doors, passages, and viewpoints.

Q'Enqo, this famous Inca site is dedicated to wildlife. The sanctuary is shaped like an amphitheater and still has steps, windows, and seating. Furthermore, underground entrances and a stone sculpture of a puma are still well preserved.

The Puca Pucara is an observation and control post of the Incas located on the top of a mountain. It also served as a strategically important base to supply the army. Walls, stairs and tunnels have been preserved from the semicircular layout.

The Tambomachay is a water temple of the Incas, which was once used as a spa (that's why it is also called "Baños del Inca" which means "bath of the Incas"). Water was considered a sacred element by the Incas and symbolized purity and life.

There are also several sights in the vicinity of Cusco. These include smaller towns, churches or Inca sites, such as the town of Chinchero, the Inca ruins Tipon or Pikillaqta, the "sacred valley of the Incas and the circles of Moray. And of course the world famous "hidden city - Machu Picchu".

Machu Picchu is also known as a hidden city and is the most visited attraction in Peru. Cusco is an excellent starting point for a trip to this attraction, as it is only about 110 kilometers away.

The well-preserved Inca city is located at 2400 meters and can be easily reached on a hike. It remained hidden from the Spaniards and was only discovered in 1911. In a vote in 2007, in which more than 100 million people were asked about the "new 7 wonders of the world", the former Inca city was voted 4th.