From hiking the Inca Trail to the iconic Machu Picchu site, to taking a reed boat across Lake Titicaca and indulging in food and culture in Lima, Peru offers its visitors a rich tapestry of incredible experiences. I spent two weeks in Peru in 2018 and while I blogged about the places I visited, I never created an overview guide and itinerary. A few friends have asked me for it, so, here it is!
Disclaimer: It's been a few years since my trip, but I kept a detailed record of everything I did, where I stayed, how I got around and how much it cost. I've checked all the information and updated it, where relevant. Although there's been a global pandemic, among other things, since then, most of the hotels, eateries and other places I visited are still going strong.
Peru was my first (and, to date, only) time in South America and it is still one of my all-time favourite countries. I'd love to go back!
WHEN TO VISIT PERU
Peru is an incredibly diverse country with many micro-climates, from the Andes to the Amazon and Pacific Coast. The dry season is generally from May to September, with minimal rainfall in many popular tourist destinations, milder temperatures in Lima and cooler but sunny weather in Cusco, Puno and Arequipa.
The wet season, from November to March, has more rainfall, especially around Cusco, Machu Picchu and the Andes, as well as the Amazon. April and October are shoulder seasons and are often less crowded, although do experience more unpredictable weather. The Inca Trail closes for maintenance every February.
I planned my trip around the Inca Trail, when the best time to visit is from June to September. July and August see the least rain and most sunshine, but they're also busier. September is usually quieter and I was very lucky with the weather on my trek: clear, sunny days, with cooler nights and almost no rain.
It was cloudy and humid when I visited Lima, and mainly sunny elsewhere (although cooler, the sun was very strong at the high altitudes in Cusco and Puno). The temperatures were around 20C in Lima, 16C in Cusco and Puno and 22C in Arequipa.
MY PERU ITINERARY IN BRIEF
I had 14 full days in Peru, flying in and out of Lima on direct 12h30 flights from London. Once my flights were sorted, I set about booking my four-day Inca Trail hike, which needs to be booked well in advance. I also allowed extra time in Cusco, the starting point for most Inca Trail treks, to get used to the altitude and in case of any delays to my tour.
Although many visitors limit their time in Lima to just one night, I knew I wanted more time to explore its ceviche bars, museums, clifftops and specialty coffee shops. Then it was a case of slotting in stays in Puno and Lake Titicaca and Peru's gorgeous 'white city' Arequipa.
Sadly, I couldn't fit in a visit to the Peruvian Amazon, Colca Canyon, which sounds amazing, or a trip to the Nazca Lines.
Lima — 3 nights
Fly to Cusco
Cusco — 3 nights
Inca Trail — 3 nights
Cusco — 1 night
Coach tour/transfer to Puno
Puno — 2 nights
Luxury coach to Arequipa
Arequipa — 2 nights
Fly to Lima AM. Day in Lima before flying home that night
2 WEEKS IN PERU: DETAILED ITINERARY
Days 1–3: Lima
I landed at Lima's Jorge Chávez Airport at 18:30 on a Friday. In the evening traffic, it took an hour by taxi to reach my hotel in the Miraflores district. Quick Llama and Airport Express Lima offer affordable shuttles to Miraflores (20 soles, about £4.35), which take about 45 minutes.
The hotel I stayed in, Casa Cielo, is now a hostel. I can't speak to the quality of the hostel, but the location in the heart of Miraflores, right by the ChocoMuseo, was fantastic. There's a big selection of hotels and other accommodation in the neighbourhood, at a range of price points. For what it's worth, my double room cost about £45 per night.
I had two full days in Lima, plus a bonus half-day before my flight home to London. Lima isn't the most pedestrian-friendly city so I used Uber to get to the downtown area where many museums are located, although the traffic often meant slow journeys.
During my stay, I enjoyed the architecture at Plaza San Martín and Plaza de Armas, visited MALI (a museum with pre- and post-Columbian art) and the impressive pre-Inca Huaca Pucllana site, jogged along the Malecón and explored Barranco. The food was superb, from one of my all-time favourite meals at Central, to cheap, tasty ceviche at market counters and criolla grills and sandwiches. I made time for lots of coffee stops too!
The erstwhile Inca capital Cusco (also spelled Cuzco — both deriving from the Aymara Qusqu) is one of Peru's most popular destinations. Many treks, including to Machu Picchu, start near Cusco and if you're doing the Inca Trail, you are advised to arrive in Cusco a few days early in case of delays and to adjust to the altitude (3,400 metres above sea level!).
As well as being the gateway to the nearby Sacred Valley of the Incas, the small city, perched high in the Peruvian Andes, has more than enough attractions to keep you busy for a few days, with a wealth of historically important Inca sites, charming cobbled streets, colonial period architecture and mountain views.
I took a 10:00 am flight from Lima with LATAM, which cost about £90. The flight takes about an hour but the often cloudy weather at Cusco and its location high in the mountains mean there are often delays (I took the photo below just before we landed). The taxi to the city centre took 20 minutes. I stayed at Loreto Boutique Hotel in the heart of Cusco's historic centre, and paid about £50 per night for my double room. The room was quiet and comfortable and the hotel staff very helpful.
Cusco's UNESCO-listed city centre is easy to explore on foot. Most of the main Inca sites, churches and other points of interest are within walking distance of Plaza de Armas. To access many of these as well as some places in the Sacred Valley, you'll need to buy a boleto turistico (tourist ticket). There are two different versions, depending on how many places you want to visit, and you can now buy the boleto turistico online.
I climbed San Francisco Church bell tower for a great view of the city and mountains. I also visited Coricancha temple, the Museum of Pre-Columbian Art, the Cusco Planetarium and the sprawling Mercado San Pedro. The Museo del Pisco is a lovely place to learn about the Peruvian grape brandy; I may have indulged in a pisco sour or two! I had some fab meals in Cusco and even checked out a few specialty coffee shops.
I didn't have time to see the stunning Rainbow Mountain, but I did take a day trip to the most iconic Inca sites in the Sacred Valley (similar tour here), which I highly recommend. We explored the well-preserved hilltop archaeological park at Pisac; climbed the huge steps at Ollantaytambo, the stunning former Inca stronghold; and watched a weaving demonstration in Chinchero. Most tours include a buffet lunch as well as all transport from Cusco.
What can I say about my four-day trek on the Inca Trail to the stunningly well-preserved Inca site of Machu Picchu other than it was one of the most memorable travel experiences I've ever had? I planned my whole Peru trip around this trek, including travelling in September for the best combination of good weather and fewer crowds.
Many tour operators run Inca Trail treks and after a lot of research, I went with Llama Path. The Peruvian government only grants 500 permits to the Inca Trail per day (including trekkers, guides and porters). This means, you should book your trek as early as possible, especially if you go in high season (July and August).
I had a fantastic time with Llama Path: everything was perfectly organised, our guide and porters were superb and the food was delicious and plentiful. In 2018, I paid US $695 for the four-day, three-night trip, plus about $200 of extras (personal porter service, sleeping bag and mattress rental and access to Huayna Picchu mountain). In 2025, the base price is now $875.
Read my full blog post for all the details: what I saw, what it was like and my tips for planning, packing and making the most of this bucket-list experience. From meeting friendly llamas at the Third Pass, to arriving at the Sun Gate (Intipunku) for sunrise on our final morning, to exploring the incredible Machu Picchu and climbing Huayna Picchu, it was one awesome memory after another!
You can also visit Machu Picchu via a shorter hike or without hiking at all. I'd love to stay at this beautiful and luxurious hotel right outside the site. One day...
After the Inca Trail, I spent one more night at
Loreto Boutique Hotel in Cusco. I was too tired to do much except shower (at last!), grab a quick dinner and repack my bag for an early start the following morning.
You can fly from Cusco to Puno, but I took
Inka Express's transfer tour, which costs ~ £38 (I paid about the same in 2018!). Leaving Cusco at 6:50 am, the modern tourist coach travels along the Ruta del Sol, stopping off at several interesting places. Andahuaylillas (the 'Sistine Chapel of America'), the Raqch'i archaeological site and La Raya Pass were all beautiful. We arrived in Puno around 17:30 after a long but fun day.
In Puno, I paid £45 per night for a double room at
Hotel Conde de Lemos. The hotel was very central, located on Plaza de Armas, which helped me to make the most of the my limited time in the small city that serves as the gateway to Lake Titicaca, the world's highest navigable lake.
Puno is at an altitude of 3,800 metres, so if you haven't come from Cusco, you may need a little time to acclimatise. While in town, I climbed up to the Mirador de Kuntur Wasi for stunning views of the city and the lake, and visited the cathedral and the mildly interesting
Museo de la Coca y Costumbres.
Taking a boat trip on Lake Titicaca is the main reason people come to Puno. I'd have loved to stay overnight on one of the islands but had to settle for a day trip. It's an
excellent tour, first stopping on Isla Taquile, an island with no cars or electricity but a rich cultural history. After a weaving demonstration and some traditional dancing, we enjoyed lunch cooked in an underground
pachamanca (hot stone) oven.
After lunch, we visited the Islas Uros — tiny islands constructed entirely of buoyant totora reeds, inhabited by Aymara- or Quechua-speaking people. I paid extra to take a ride on a reed boat. "Cheaper than Venice," our guide quipped. He was not wrong.
Arequipa is Peru's second biggest city, with a population of 1.3 million. It's nicknamed the 'white city' as many of its historic buildings are made from
sillar — white volcanic stone. I travelled to Arequipa from Puno on a
Cruz del Sur coach. It cost 75 soles (£16) in 2018, and the price is the same in 2025!
It was super-comfortable and I had great views from the front of the upper deck. I booked a morning departure, leaving Puno at 8:30 and arriving in Arequipa at 14:30. Now, they only run in the afternoon and overnight.
I checked into the nicest (and cheapest, at £42 per night) hotel of my trip, the beautiful
Hotel Casona Solar. My room in the gorgeous 18th century colonial mansion had vaulted ceilings and an incredibly comfortable bed.
The sprawling 16th century
Monasterio Santa Catalina is one of Arequipa's biggest attractions and rightly so! It's worth booking the atmospheric twilight tour if you can, to see the colourful buildings both at golden hour and after dark, by candlelight.
I also visited the beautiful basilica cathedral, chilled out in Plaza de Armas, made some more camelid friends at
Mundo Alpaca, paid my respects to 'Juanita' at the
Museo Santuarios Andinos and shopped 'til I dropped at local markets.
I also indulged in local cuisine, like chupe de camarones (a thick, spicy prawn chowder), spicy dishes at a picantería and chicha (a fermented corn drink).
Before I knew it, it was the final day of my epic Peru trip. I didn't want any delays to make me miss my flight back to London, so I flew to Lima in the morning and spent the day in the city. My flight with LATAM cost £60 and took about 1h30.
We landed around 10:00 am and I took the
Airport Express into the city (15 soles or about £3). Unfortunately, the airport left luggage was out of action; luckily, there's now
a luggage storage facility at the new terminal. After visiting a couple of hostels in Miraflores, I eventually found one that would store my suitcase for a few hours.
FOOD & DRINK IN PERU
I always like to try as many local dishes as I can when I travel and I really enjoyed the food in Peru. In Lima, I loved the contrast of eating £3 ceviche (raw fish marinated in fresh line and served with chilli) for lunch at a counter in the
mercado central, followed by an exquisite 16-course tasting menu at the acclaimed
Central Restaurant later that day.
Comida criolla (Creole cuisine) is found in eateries throughout Peru. One of my favourite
dishes was
ají de gallina: shredded chicken and potatoes, served in a creamy chilli and peanut sauce, with a boiled egg and rice. I had it many times; the best was at
Pachapapa in Cusco. I also enjoyed beef heart
anticuchos — grilled, marinated beef on a skewer — which I tried at
Panchita, a modern restaurant in Lima's Barranco district specialising in traditional
criolla cooking.
I didn't try
cuy (guinea pig), a somewhat controversial Peruvian delicacy, but I did have a delicious alpaca steak at
Marcelo Batata in Cusco (sorry, alpacas).
If you like spicy food, head to a
picantería. At
La Nueva Palomino in Arequipa, there were very few other tourists. I helped myself to several dishes from the buffet; they were all very
picante! The
ají de calabaza (pumpkin chilli) and
papa rellena (cheese-stuffed potato croquette) were particularly good. I also enjoyed the
chupe de camarones (thick, spicy prawn chowder) at
Dimas in Arequipa.
The pisco sour is Peru's national drink and it's also one of my favourite cocktails. Prepared with pisco (a type of grape brandy), lime juice, sugar syrup, egg white and angostura bitters, it's tart but delicate and very refreshing. I drank a few in Peru and would recommend a visit to the
Museo del Pisco in Cusco if you partake. And even if you don't.
TRAVEL WITHIN PERU
Peru is a big country and if you're short on time, you'll want to combine internal flights with long-distance buses. LATAM is generally considered the best domestic airline, but there are others at various price points. I paid £90 to fly from Lima to Cusco, and £60 from Arequipa to Lima. It's hard to compare directly, but prices in 2025 are pretty similar, if not cheaper.
The two long-distance buses I took were extremely comfortable. I liked that the
Inka Express Cusco to Puno transfer (~ £38) included visits to interesting tourist attractions along the way, while the views on
Cruz del Sur's Puno to Arequipa route (~ £16) were wonderful (behold my legroom below!). The prices of both have stayed the same since 2018! There are also cheaper options, which can be slower and less comfortable.
If you have more time, you may want to look into train travel.
PeruRail runs services from Puno to Cusco and on to Machu Picchu, while
IncaRail runs trains to Machu Picchu. Book well in advance, in either case. After hiking the Inca Trail, I took the train back to Cusco. It was a beautiful journey and a
little easier (if less rewarding!) than hiking. Note that the line is occasionally suspended due to strikes and protests.
Within Lima, I tried to walk, but took a taxi or Uber when I got fed up of the absent pavements and noise and pollution from all the traffic. The other places I visited have small city centres and are easy to explore on foot.
NEED TO KNOW
Electricity
Peru uses two main plug sockets: type A (with two flat parallel pins, also used in the USA) and type C (with two round pins, also used in many European countries).
Language
Spanish is the official language of Peru, while the Indigenous languages Quechua and Aymara are official languages in certain regions. There are many other Indigenous languages still in use today, perhaps around 60, although there could once have been as many as 700. The Spanish spoken in Peru also incorporates many words borrowed from Quechua and other Indigenous languages.
During my trip, English was generally understood — especially in the tourism and hospitality sectors — and I imagine this has only increased. I speak good Spanish and this definitely made things easier, especially when I was more off the beaten track. (I decided to confuse my brain by also speaking in French and German with the family in
my Inca Trail trek group and in Italian to the Tuscans I met on the train!)
It's useful, and appreciated, to learn some basic Spanish phrases before you go, like:
- Hola (OH-la) — hi
- Buen día (BWEN DEE-ah) — good morning
- Buenas tardes (BWEN-ass TAR-dess) — good afternoon
- Por favor (por fa-VOR) — please
- Gracias (GRAH-see-ass) — thank you
- Adiós (ah-dee-OHS) — goodbye
- Sí (SEE) — yes
- No (NOH) — no
Money
Peru's currency is the sol (plural soles). At the time of writing, the exchange rate is 4.5 soles to £1, or 3.4 soles to US $1. It was almost exactly the same during my trip in 2018!
I paid for most of my hotels, flights, bus transfers, the
tasting menu at Central and the
Inca Trail trek deposit in advance by credit card. I had to pay the balance of my Llama Path trek (about US $550) in cash in US dollars on arrival in Cusco, which I brought from the UK. Credit cards are quite widely accepted now, especially in tourist centres like Lima and Cusco, but you'll want to keep plenty of
soles handy to pay in cash at markets and small businesses.
Timezone
Peru Time is 5 hours behind GMT. Peru does not observe daylight saving time, which means the country is 6 hours behind the UK during British Summer Time (BST).
Wifi and mobile data
When I visited Peru, I could use
my mobile network's data for free when I travelled abroad. Sadly, that's long since come to an end, so I now use
Airalo eSIMs when I travel. I've now used them in various countries across four continents and they're super-convenient to set up, offer good coverage and are reasonably priced.
Want to try Airalo on your next trip?
Sign up using my referral code — REBECC3024 — and we both get $3 credit.
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