The 10 Historical Tours in Cusco That Earn Their Price

1.Historical Guided City Tour with 4 Inca Ruins

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

Spend six hours with an English or Spanish-speaking guide visiting Qorikancha, Sacsayhuaman, Qenqo, Puka Pukara, and Tambomachay. Guides such as Luis, Alfredo, Hyame, and Romulo have led past departures. Choose a morning or afternoon schedule, with hotel pickup on selected routes.

“My husband and I loved the tour. Our tour guide gave us lots of information about history , culture and archaeology. He supported our understanding with additional pictures . Thank you !”

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2.Machu Picchu Private Archaeological and Historical Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 86 reviews · 3 to 4 hours (approx.) Top rated

Explore Machu Picchu with a private guide such as Eric, Sophia, or Ericson. You’ll visit the farming terraces, temples, royal areas, Intiwatana, Sacred Rock, and Temple of the Condor while your guide explains Inca culture and takes photos. Admission and bus tickets cost extra.

“Pleasant and indispensable support to fully understand and enjoy the visit of Machu Picchu. Our guide was efficient and friendly, she managed our visit to enjoy the views and monuments with the impression of being almost alone, letting groups leave faster. His explanations allowed us to grasp many elements of the history and architecture of the site: without our guide, we would have missed a lot of thingsAuto-translated”

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3.6-Day Cultural Tour to Machu Picchu

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 76 reviews · from $999

Spend six days exploring Cusco, Machu Picchu, and the Sacred Valley with Inkayni Peru Tours. Expect English-speaking guides, airport pickup, five hotel nights, train and bus transport, guided ruins, Chinchero weaving, and free time in Cusco. Guide names may vary, with Jonathan, Guido, and Frankly praised for their care.

“Super amazing and awesome experience ! Tourist guides Justin, Edy, Joel were outstanding professional, friendly and passionate on all the tours performed.”

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4.Historic Walking Tour with Pisco Sour and Music Show

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 65 reviews · 2 hours · from $10

Spend two hours walking from Cusco’s Plaza de Armas to Qoricancha and San Blas with an English- or Spanish-speaking guide. See Inca stonework, meet a luthier, hear Andean music, visit Manco Capac’s temple, and finish with a pisco sour or chicha morada. Groups are limited to 10.

“Such a great tour!!! Our guide Erick was amazing, so informative and made the tour really fun. You get to see a lot of the city and learn a lot of history about the Incas and colonization. Would definitely recommend!”

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5.Pisco Sour Secrets: Hands-On Mixology in Historic Cusco

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 50 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $35

At Casa Intrepid, a local English-speaking bartender guides you through three Pisco tastings and a hands-on Pisco Sour class. Use professional bar tools, fresh lime, egg white, syrup, and bitters, then enjoy your own drink in a restored Cusco venue with original Inca walls.

“Jobana was a great guide…knowledgeable, funny, and responsive to our questions. Absolutely great experience!”

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6.historical and photographic guided tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 27 reviews · 3 hours

Meet Ericson in Aguas Calientes or at Machu Picchu station for a private three-hour tour. He handles the 30-minute bus ride, leads you to the best photo spots, explains Inca history and archaeology in English or Portuguese, and takes photos for you.

“Thank God I booked Erick on my second day at Machu Picchu. I was finally able to get the perfect pictures I wanted. His knowledge of Machu Picchu was also excellent. You can't want anything more- a guide and photographer in one! Definitely recommend this!”

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7.Full-Day Sacred Valley History Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 14 reviews · from $45

Spend 11 hours exploring the Sacred Valley with a bilingual guide, visiting Pisac, Ollantaytambo, and Chinchero. You’ll see Inca terraces, Quechua textile work, llamas, and mountain villages, with buffet lunch in Urubamba. Guides such as Eddy and Manuel add useful history along the way.

“A little confusion to start, told us pickup was between 0730-0800. Showed up at 0815. Than drove around in the van for 20 mins. We than went to their tourist transport area and sat there for 20 mins with no explanation. We wasted almost an hour time before we started the tour. Once we started the tour, realized my wife and I were the only English speakers, every one else in the van (12 total) were Spanish speakers. The tour guide was very good and bilingual, explaining everything in both English and Spanish. The tour itself was excellent and really enjoyed the places we visited and the time we spent…”

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8.Half-Day Historic City Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 11 reviews · 7 hours · from $18

Start at 1:00 PM with Cusco’s cathedral and Qoricancha Museum, then ride an air-conditioned coach to Sacsayhuaman, Qenqo, Puca Pucara, and Tambomachay. An English-speaking guide leads the small group, which is limited to 12 people, before the tour ends at a textile center and Santa Catalina Street.

“Overall we enjoyed the tour but it did feel rushed at times. We met in the Plaza and first toured the Cathedral. Our guide did a good job of explaining the history of the area and describing the interesting details within the church. We then met with the rest of the group and traveled by small van to several ruins outside of the city. You will need to purchase a traveler's pass ($70 soles) in addition to the tour. We visited four locations and were given a brief overview of each spot before having some time to explore on our own. I wish we had a bit more time at…”

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9.Historic/music Cusco FreeWalkingTour “free drink” Group Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 11 reviews · 2 hours · from $2Best value

Meet at Cusco’s Inca Fountain for a two-hour walk through the Plaza de Armas, Qoricancha, San Blas, Inca stonework, and local music. A guide such as Erick may lead the route in English or Spanish. Finish with a Pisco Sour or Chicha Morada, with a 30-sol tip expected.

“We went to many different and interesting parts of the city. The explanation and playing of authentically made instruments was a delightful treat”

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10.Legends and History Night Tour with Pisco Sour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 9 reviews · 4 hours · from $75

Meet at your Cusco hotel at 6 pm for a four-hour evening with an English- or Spanish-speaking guide. Visit Cristo Blanco and San Cristobal, walk through San Blas and the main square, hear local legends, and finish with a Pisco Sour and appetizer.

“Our tour guide was very fun and knowledgeable about the city of Cusco. Took us to an awesome restaurant for a 3 course meal and we saw a live band and dancers during dinner. We did some walking around Cusco but our tour guide went very slow so it could be relaxing. A lot of the tour guides in Cusco are very nice, funny and can speak really good English.”

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