On our way to Machu Picchu, we stopped by Cusco for only two days. We got there on a Saturday with the best disposition of going out and explore everything! We asked our taxi driver about any tours and he mentioned a quite few, but they all started pretty early.
Day 1
By the time we settled in we pretty much missed every tour. We went to the Plaza de Armas and just strolled around looking for a good place to eat. Although our hotel greeted us with "Mate de Coca" we were feeling pretty tired and trying to adjust to the altitude was pretty tough.
We had lunch at Marcelo Batata, which was recommended by our Lonely Planet Peru Travel Book. It was really good! Make sure to visit their rooftop for an awesome view! I ordered the iconic Lomo Saltado and Pisco Sour! Alex ordered LLama! Yes, he ate that cute creature, I am also guilty of eating it. It was surprisingly tender and flavorful. After eating I started feeling dizzy and with a minor headache. We went to the nearest pharmacy and bought some altitude medicine. Our hotel was uphill, so by the time we got there I was out of breath and feeling pretty sick! I was mad at myself for not being prepared and taking the altitude medicine beforehand because I thought "that won't happen to me". Well, it did! We basically had to rest and hydrate the rest of the day. Be smart about it and take the medicine before getting there. Also, don't drink alcohol the first day.
Day 2
The second day was way better! I prepared with meds and had mate de coca first thing in the morning. I was feeling great! We went to stroll around looking for a photo opp with a Lama. I finally took a picture with the two ladies and a little girl. They had a baby goat and a brown cute Alpaca. His name was Poncho! You have to give them a nice tip since that's what they do, pictures with tourists. We headed to the Plaza de Armas to look for a tour agency. We bought the City Tour that started at 1pm, so we had time for brunch and tour around. There was a parade in honor of "La Virgen del Rosario", so we headed to the Hotel Plaza. They have a restaurant with a balcony that faces the Plaza de Armas. We ordered food and sat on the balcony and enjoyed the parade! The weather was perfect, sunny and cool. By noon it started raining and the temperature declined. We had to head over to our hotel for a jacket and umbrellas. We started the City tour at 1 p.p. and we visited the following:- Santo Domingo Monastery / Qoricancha- Sacsayhuaman- Qenko- Tambomachay- Puca Pucara
It was very impressive to see all the ruins and how Spanish built churches on top of Incas sacred temples, which I find sad. It is also impressive to see ruins that are thousands of years old, still standing. The tour ended at 6 p.m. by that time we were tired, wet, cold and very hungry!
We asked out tour guide of any restaurant recommendations and he suggested "La Cicciolina" an Italian/Peruvian Restaurant. I ordered "Cuy" which is a Peruvian guinea pig. It was good! Very small but did not taste bad at all. Alex ordered ravioli which was pretty good! We went back to the hotel and packed for Machu Picchu. I really enjoyed Cusco and wish I could've stayed more time and explore more. Maybe next time. Below is a small guide of where we stayed and where we ate.
Bed and Breakfast: Hotel Arqueologo, Casa Cartagena
Restaurants: Marcelo Batata, Hotel Plaza Restaurant, La Cicciolina
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