A seven-day journey between Peru's two essential cities, linked by domestic flight.
The circuit opens in Lima, founded in 1535 as 'the City of Kings' on the Pacific coast at the foot of the Andes, with a city tour taking in Miraflores, the San Isidro district, Huaca Pucllana and the Plaza de Armas, and including the Gold Museum. It continues in Cusco, at over 3,000 m and the former capital of the Inca Empire, the base for the guided excursion to Machu Picchu, the lost city of the Incas, reached by train via Aguas Calientes. Accommodation is offered in 3-, 4- and 5-star categories, and a free day in Cusco leaves room for optional excursions to the Sacred Valley of the Incas.
Highlights
Lima city tour: Miraflores, the Plaza de Armas and the Cathedral with the tomb of Francisco Pizarro
The Gold Museum in Lima
Machu Picchu, the lost city of the Incas, reached by train via Aguas Calientes
Train journey to Aguas Calientes in Expedition class
Lunch at the El Mapi restaurant in Aguas Calientes
Domestic flights Lima – Cusco – Lima
Day-by-day itinerary
Day1
Day 1: Arrival in Lima
Arrival at Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima. Meeting and private transfer to the hotel.
Day2
Day 2: Lima city tour and the Gold Museum
After breakfast, the Lima city tour departs at 09:00, including a visit to the Gold Museum (Museo de Oro). Founded in 1535 as 'the City of Kings', Lima lies on the Pacific coast at the foot of the Andes. The tour takes in Miraflores, with the Park of Love and the Olive Grove Park in the San Isidro district, and a panoramic view of Huaca Pucllana, an adobe pyramid some 2,500 years old. It continues to the Plaza de Armas, with the City Hall, the Government Palace and the Cathedral, which holds the tomb of Francisco Pizarro. Return to the hotel.
Day3
Day 3: Lima – Cusco
After breakfast, private transfer (driver only) to the airport for the flight to Cusco. On arrival, meeting and transfer to the hotel. At over 3,000 m, Cusco was the capital of the Inca Empire and, by legend, was founded by Manco Cápac, the first Inca.
Day4
Day 4: Cusco – Machu Picchu – Cusco
After breakfast, meet the guide at the hotel and transfer to the railway station for the train to Aguas Calientes, followed by a guided excursion to Machu Picchu, the lost city of the Incas. Built by the emperor Pachacutec as a royal estate at 2,450 m, it was never found by the conquistadors and was rediscovered in 1911 by Hiram Bingham; it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983 and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World since 2007. In the afternoon, descend to Aguas Calientes for lunch at the El Mapi restaurant, then return by train to Cusco and transfer to the hotel.
Day5
Day 5: Cusco / Sacred Valley (free day)
After breakfast, free day in Cusco for activities at leisure or an optional excursion to the Sacred Valley of the Incas.
Day6
Day 6: Cusco – Lima
After breakfast, transfer to the airport for the flight to Lima. On arrival, meet the local guide and transfer to the hotel.
Day7
Day 7: Departure from Lima
After breakfast, free time in Lima and transfer to the airport for your onward flight.
What's included
Included: Accommodation for 6 nights in the listed hotels or similar (3 nights in Lima, 3 nights in Cusco)
Included: Daily breakfast at the hotel
Included: Arrival, inter-city and departure transfers as per the programme
Included: Domestic flights Lima – Cusco – Lima
Included: Train ticket to Aguas Calientes in Expedition class
Included: Lima city tour with the Gold Museum, with guide
Included: Guided excursion to Machu Picchu
Included: Lunch at the El Mapi restaurant in Aguas Calientes
What's not included
Not included: International airfare (the domestic Lima – Cusco – Lima flights are included)
Not included: Airport and tourism taxes and visa fees
Not included: Excess baggage fees
Not included: Meals not mentioned in the programme
Not included: Alcoholic and soft drinks, unless expressly stated
Not included: Tips and gratuities
Not included: Personal expenses and optional excursions
Not included: Travel insurance
Not included: Anything not expressly mentioned as included
Optional services
Optional, at extra cost:
Casa Aliaga — Visit to Casa Aliaga, built in 1536 on the foundations of an Inca pyramid during the founding of Lima. It belonged to the Spanish conquistador Jerónimo de Aliaga, a companion of Francisco Pizarro, and has been inhabited by the same family for many generations, preserving numerous historical artifacts of colonial aristocratic life.
Optional, at extra cost:
Panoramic tour of Cusco — Guided panoramic bus tour of Cusco, the former capital of the Inca Empire. It visits the Sacsayhuamán fortress, a ceremonial and defensive complex of cyclopean masonry; the Qenqo temple carved into rock; and the Koricancha, the 'Temple of Gold', over whose foundations the Santo Domingo Convent was built.
Optional, at extra cost:
Sacred Valley of the Incas — Excursion to the Sacred Valley of the Incas with the Ollantaytambo fortress, one of the main military complexes of the Inca Empire. Stops at the Pisac artisan market, with ceramics, textiles and silver and leather goods, and the Awanacancha centre, with llamas, alpacas, guanacos and vicuñas and its tradition of natural wool dyeing. Buffet lunch at the Tunupa restaurant.
Optional, at extra cost:
Rafael Larco Herrera Museum — Excursion to the Rafael Larco Herrera Museum, home to one of Peru's largest collections of pre-Columbian pottery, with Moche pieces, ancient mummies and gold ornaments, plus a separate gallery of pre-Columbian erotic ceramics.