If you only had seven days in Peru, these are the things I would try and do. You’ll need to factor in travel time (I indicated that where necessary), but I feel like you can really see a lot of Peru in just seven short days.
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Day 1 –
- Arrive in Lima
- Enjoy ceviche in Miraflores – where you’ll want to stay!
- Grab a drink at the cliff-side mall, Larcomar (yes, it’s a mall. Just trust me.), and watch the paragliders
- Huaca Pucllana
- Visit Central Restaurant — it’s the number two restaurant in the world, 17 courses and a must-do. Yes, it’s pricey, but if that’s where your passions lie (like mine) then you have to get a reservation.
Day 2 –
- Explore the Barranco district, Lima’s art district. There’s tons of great street murals and fun art to look at. Plus it’s just fun to walk around. Also, we walked there from Miraflores. It’s about a 1.5-2 mile walk and took us about 30 minutes but it was great. We took a cab there though.
- Stop by the Barranco Beer Company. Good beer, good food.
Day 3 –
- Head to Cusco
- We rented an AirBnB. It was super cute, old (in the best way) and close to everything. Highly recommend it!
- Cusco is about 11,000 feet elevation! Give your body a day (or two) to adjust before heading to Machu Picchu. Cocoa leaves or cocoa candy or drink cocoa tea (if you want) can help with the vertigo, but consume these at your own risk. They are the leaves that cocaine is made from.
- Visit the Plaza de Armas
- Take a photo with the baby llamas. Just know if you see someone in traditional Peruvian garb, they will charge you to take a photo. It’s usually just a few dollars though.
- Grab a pisco sour!
- Visit the Sacred Valley or the Cathedral
Day 4 –
- Visit Machu Picchu (entrance fee is about $45/person)
- Get there early. Seriously. 6 – 8 a.m. is the best time… or mid-afternoon.
- Just so you know, you need to take a 2-hour train to Ollantaytambo and then an hour or two bus ride to Aguas Callientes (super cute little town) where you can get cheap massages at the end of the day. It’s a long day, but worth it. You could also consider spending a night in Aguas. It’s pretty cheap.
- Hike up to the top of the ruins. (You’ll know what I’m talking about when you get there.) That’s where all of the great photos are from.
- Pack comfortable shoes. It’s a lot of walking/hiking.
Day 5 –
- Visit Rainbow Mountain (17,000 ft. elevation) if you’re feeling sporty
-OR-
- Go to the Maras Salt Mines if you’re not – it’s a day trip and you also get to see yarn being made/dyed from natural dyes. Super cool! I can’t find the company we used for the tour, but I think you can just book it in Cusco when you get there. It’s a whole day trip and pack snacks because I don’t think we ever stopped for food (8/9 a.m. – 4 p.m.). They did come on the bus and sell us this really cool local alcohol in these traditional Peruvian bottles. (We did the salt mine tour)
Day 6 –
- Fly back to Lima.
- Account for rush hour traffic. We didn’t and missed our flights and had to buy $120 one-way tickets.
Day 7 –
- Tour San Isidro (the business district), the Historical Center or Barrio Chino for Chifa (Peruvian Chinese food!)
- Depart for home
This itinerary should give you enough time to see plenty in Lima and Cusco while still giving you time to unwind and relax. Salud!
Average Traveler | Travel Guide 