City Tours in Cusco: The 15 We Recommend

1.Cusco: Half-Day City Tour with Sacsayhuaman and Q’enco

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 1,129 reviews · 5 hours · from $13Our pick

Spend five hours exploring Cusco’s Inca and colonial highlights with an English or Spanish-speaking guide. You’ll visit Qoricancha, Sacsayhuamán, Q’enqo, Puka Pukara, and Tambomachay by minivan. Guides such as Luis, Wilson, Victor, and Jared are praised for clear explanations and patient pacing, though the busy meeting point can be hard to find.

“Everything was great, fair amount of time to see the different places. Answered everyone’s question and provided additional details about the historical significance of each place. He even gave us a great recommendation for a place to have dinner after the tour.”

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2.City Tour Cusco Qoricancha Sacsayhuaman y Tambomachay

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 617 reviews · 5 hours · from $13

Spend about five hours exploring Cusco’s Inca and colonial landmarks by shared transport. Visit Qorikancha, Sacsayhuamán, Qenqo, Puka Pukara, and Tambomachay with an English- or Spanish-speaking guide. Guides such as Nilo, Erick, Manuel, and Sergio are praised for clear explanations, humor, and helpful local tips.

“Great tour! Erik was a great guide, very informative and kept thing fun!”

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3.Cusco: Sightseeing Tour of the City on an Open-Top Bus

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 481 reviews · 2h 30m · from $12

See Cusco from an open-top bus, stop at Sacsayhuamán and Christ Blanco, and join a short Andean ceremony honoring Pachamama. English and Spanish guides, including Joshua and Paulo on some departures, explain the city and traditions. This is a fixed sightseeing route, not a hop-on hop-off bus.

“Paulo, our guide, was excellent and personally very helpful. The trip was good for getting our bearings in Cusco and helping us to decide what we wanted to go back to afterwards. Just note that it's not a hop-on hop-off trip like in Many European cities where you can get off at any stop and then hop on another bus later. There are two hop-off stops, one for a traditional leaf burning ceremony (which, I must say, defeated my cynicism and was quite moving) and one at a viewing point.”

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4.Open Bus Cusco City Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 219 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $14

Ride an open double-decker bus from Cusco’s Plaza de Armas to Christ the Redeemer, Sacsayhuamán views, the Great Mural, and Calle Saphy. A bilingual guide explains Cusco’s Inca and Spanish past, with stops for photographs and a traditional ceremony. Expect a small group of up to 24, changing mountain weather, and some shopping stops.

“Fantastic tour. So much more than the usual city tour you get. The guide was incredibly knowledgeable and fun. Learned a lot about Cusco and he made made the entire trip memorable. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone looking for a deeper connection with the city.”

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5.Cusco: City Tour | Half-Day Tour to 4 Archaeological Sites

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 206 reviews · 4 hours · from $29

Start with hotel pickup in Cusco’s historic center, then visit Qoricancha and four Inca sites with an English and Spanish-speaking guide. Luis, Maribel, and other guides are praised for clear history and friendly care. Expect transport, walking, extra entrance fees, and a bilingual pace that can sometimes stretch beyond four hours.

“Louis was a great guide and very knowledgeable. The trip was well planned and gave you enough time at each site. Good mix of walking and transport.”

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6.City Tour in Cusco & visit Museum South American Camelid Private.

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 147 reviews · 6 hours (approx.) · from $49Top rated

Spend about six hours exploring Cusco’s Plaza de Armas, Qorikancha, Sacsayhuaman, Q’enqo, Puka Pukara, and Tambomachay with a private guide and driver. The camelid farm adds alpacas, llamas, vicuñas, weaving, and textile traditions. Guides such as Christian, Americo, Percy, and Juan Vargas have earned strong praise for clear, lively explanations.

“Absolutely stunning. A must to do. Our tour guide was one of the best that I had in many years! Extremely knowledgeable and informative.”

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7.Cusco City Sightseeing, San Pedro Market, Cathedral and Qorikancha Temple

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 139 reviews · 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $59

Spend about three and a half hours seeing Cusco’s main sights with a bilingual English-Spanish guide and a group of no more than 15. You’ll visit San Pedro Market, Qorikancha, San Blas, Hatun Rumiyoc Street, and the Cathedral. Hotel pickup and entrance tickets are included, though some old-town hotels require a nearby meeting point.

“Waste of money. The couple of places we could see on our own like the market, view point and the Gorichanka temple. Guide was not enthusiastic. He sat down and covered only the inner most area. There was a lot more to cover. It was shorter than expected. Cathedral was quick and seemed more optional.”

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8.Cusco: Half-Day City Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 129 reviews · 6 hours · from $17

Start with hotel pickup in Cusco’s historic center, then visit Q’enco, Puka Pukara, Tambomachay, and Sacsayhuaman. Afternoon departures also include Coricancha and the Basilica Cathedral. Guides such as Silvia, Clara, Janet, and José have been praised for clear storytelling and patience. Bring water, sun protection, a rain jacket, and cash for entry fees.

“Silvia is so good and very patient with our kids. If you only have half day to know Cusco I recommend this tour.”

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9.Cusco City Sightseeing and Sacsayhuaman Archeological Park Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 101 reviews · 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $79

Explore Sacsayhuaman, Qenqo, Puca Pucara, and Tambomachay with a bilingual guide, then visit Qorikancha, Plaza de Armas, and Cusco Cathedral. The small-group tour lasts about three and a half hours, though it can run longer. Choose the ticket-included option carefully, and dress for sun, rain, and sacred-site rules.

“The highlight of the day for us was going to Sascayhuman where the mysteries of those massive blocks that are intricately carved and placed together just takes your breath away. The place has a wonderful air of calm and spirituality.”

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10.Cusco: Historical Guided City Tour with 4 Inca Ruins

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 99 reviews · 6 hours · from $23

Spend six hours with an English- or Spanish-speaking guide at Qoricancha, Sacsayhuaman, Qenqo, Puka Pukara, and Tambomachay. Morning and afternoon options are available, with hotel pickup on selected routes. Guides such as Luis, Alfredo, Romulo, and Hyame have been praised for clear explanations and helpful pacing, but site tickets cost extra.

“Fantastic Tour . Alfredo was an amazing guide switching seamlessly between English and Spanish. Very informative.”

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11.City Tour Cusco

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 83 reviews · 5 hours (approx.) · from $32

Start at Cusco’s Plaza de Armas and visit five major Inca and colonial sites with a guide such as Jhonny, Victor, or Saul. Expect private transport, archaeological stories, photo stops, and a small group of up to 12. The $32 price excludes the $25 partial tourist ticket and Qorikancha’s $7 admission.

“We were very pleased with the tour. Our guide JHONNY did n outstanding job guiding us through it, explaining everything. He made the tour fun yet very informative. The tour was just the right amount of time.. Richard said hi to Johnny Walker, inside tour joke within our group ☺️”

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12.City Tour in Cusco & visit Museum South American Camelid

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 80 reviews · 4 to 5 hours (approx.) · from $11Best value

See Cusco’s Plaza de Armas, Qorikancha, Sacsayhuaman, Q’enqo, Puka Pukara, and Tambomachay with a bilingual English-Spanish guide. The $11.70 tour lasts about four to five hours and uses an air-conditioned vehicle between sites. Admission fees are extra, and the advertised camelid museum visit is not listed in the detailed route, so confirm it before booking.

“Regina was an excellent guide. She took special care throughout the tour, whether on the bus or at the various sites, to explain everything in both Spanish and English. We spent an appropriate amount of time at each site and she was able to answer all of our questions.”

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13.Cusco: Open-Top Bus City Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 64 reviews · 2h 30m · from $12

See Cusco from an open-top bus during this 150-minute guided ride with English or Spanish commentary. Pass San Cristobal Temple, the Colcampata Inca wall, Plaza de Armas, and the hilltop Christ statue. You will view Sacsayhuaman, Q’enqo, and Puca Pucara from the bus, but you will not enter them.

“This tour was meant to be 2.5 hours but ended up being 5 hours.”

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14.Half-Day City Tour of Cusco Including Tambomachay

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 59 reviews · 5 hours (approx.) · from $18

This five-hour Cusco tour links the Cathedral, Qorikancha, Sacsayhuaman, Q’enqo, Puka Pukara, and Tambomachay by foot and air-conditioned minibus. English-speaking guides such as Victor, Fidel, Marco Antonio, and Nildo have led past departures. Hotel pickup is included in Cusco’s historic center, but entrance fees are extra.

“Was good with 4 ruins visited. The guide skipped the cathedral and took us forced shopping nstead ..”

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15.Cusco: 6-Hour City Highlights Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.8 · 53 reviews · 5 - 6 hours · from $20

Explore Cusco with an English or Spanish-speaking guide on a five to six-hour tour covering Qoricancha, the cathedral area, Sacsayhuaman, Quenqo, Pucapucara, and Tambomachay. Pickup is included, private groups are available, and the tour ends near Plaza Regocijo. Bring cash for the S/70 tourist ticket and separate entrance fees.

“Worst experience ever. Don't walk, run from this tour provider. I made this tour reservation / paid months in advance, for an english speaking tour. On the morning of the tour they failed to show up. They showed up an hour late, with a bus completely full of spanish speaking customers and the guide began the tour in spanish. After a few blocks I got the guide's attention and said they put us on the wrong tour we were supposed to be on an english speaking tour. He said don't worry he'll just translate everything he said in Spanish to English, we told him that's not the same as a…”

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