Cuzco is a truly beautiful little city with loads to offer, surrounded by some stunning mountain scenery. It's almost impossible not to fall in love with the place. Cuzco's full of narrow, winding cobbled streets, white colonial buildings, red-tiled roofs, colourful artesania shops, perfect Inca stonework, and cool little cafes, restaurants and bars spilling over everywhere from the main plaza. It's definitely a city with a bit of magic.
And if you want Inca history and ruins then Cuzco, once capital of the Inca Empire, is undoubtedly the place to go. Of course it's also the starting point for the world famous Inca trail to Machu Picchu, the close proximity of which has unfortunately resulted in Cuzco becoming the tourist capital of the entire length of the Andes, a fact that the locals have latched onto with a vengeance - it's impossible to walk around the centre of the city without having finger-puppets, postcards, water-colour paintings and massage offers shoved into your face every few steps. Hence the most commonly used phrase in Cuzco of 'No gracias', which the Irish Pub Paddy's have even stuck onto a T-shirt. There are gringos absolutely everywhere. Which is something that's unusual for South America, I think - on our travels through Peru and Bolivia and Ecuador we bumped into very few holidaymakers, and not that many more backpackers - but not so in Cuzco, where fat Americans wobbling round with their video-cameras and OAP tour groups and Japanese tourists photographing absolutely everything in site can be found in startling numbers (strange how some stereotypes nearly always turn out to be true).
The upshot of this is that English is spoken by most of the locals, and it's possible to get around without much Spanish at all. Hot showers appear to be commonplace (go anywhere else in the Andes and they seem to be the exception), and good food is easy to find, alongside the English and Irish pubs. So for comfort, and for almost a complete lack of culture shock, Cuzco's fantastic. But for any sense of intrepidness, and for really getting to know a culture and its people, there are probably better places to go - this little touristy bubble of hot showers and comfortable beds and gringo food served by waiters who speak English is completely unreal. It doesn't give a true picture at all.
A few other downsides to Cuzco are the altitude, the fact that it gets bloody freezing at nighttime around June-August, and the pickpockets. Apparently Cuzco is the place to get mugged. But all these little niggles (isn't that a good word?) are far outweighed by what Cuzco has to offer. Despite the tourism, it's still a beautiful city, and still full of tradition and history and character, and the starting point for getting out into some breath-taking scenery.
A Few Things to Do
* Nearly every guidebook will tell you that the very first thing you must do when you get to Cuzco is to buy the Boleto Turistico, or tourist ticket. It costs 70 soles (35 for students), which is just under £12, lasts for 10 days, and gets you into a number of museums in Cuzco and ruins just outside. £12 in England I admit is not a lot, but in Peru 70 soles is, and to be honest I thought the Boleto Turistico was a bit shit. It doesn't include great museums. In fact the best museum in Cuzco (and if you choose to do only one, then do this one) is the Inca museum, a fantastic collection of ceramics, gold, jewelry, textiles, mummies, skulls, etc, from Inca times and before. Which isn't on the BT. Similarly all the best ruins are probably the ones leading up to Machu Picchu on the Inca trail, also not on the BT, because of course they're on the Inca trail.
Although having said that the ruins at the nearby town of Pisac are supposed to be good, and Sacsayhuaman is definitely worth a visit - about half an hours walk up from the centre of Cuzco, the massive three-tiered jagged fortifications here are pretty impressive. Cuzco is supposedly laid out in the shape of a puma, and these walls are its teeth. But unless if you really are into your museums or ruins then I wouldn't bother with the BT, but just pay for the good stuff on its own instead.
* The Cathedral (on plaza de Armas) - dark green, huge and very impressive inside, stuffed with paintings and statues and the like, a huge silver altar, and a beautifully carved choir.
* La Compania de Jesus (on plaza de Armas) - contains one of the largest, goldest and most ornate altarpieces I've ever seen. It's a beautiful church, and provides some good views over the main plaza too.
* Adventure Activities - Cuzco is overrun with companies offering all manner of outdoor pursuits - mountain biking, paragliding, white water rafting, bungee-jumping, canyoning, trekking, etc etc - for much cheaper prices than you'd generally find in England, though sometimes the quality of equipment and guides reflects that as well. It's just a case of finding a good company to go with, which is what guidebooks are quite useful for, though word of mouth always helps too. When we were in Cuzco we had a great time paragliding with Erica adventures, and mountain biking in the Andes is definitely something that's worth trying at least once.
* Learn Spanish - I had Spanish lessons in Cuzco at the Amigos Spanish School, which was wonderful (http://www.spanishcusco.com). It's a tiny, very friendly place about a 10 minute walk from the main plaza, with great teachers, and run by a gay Peruvian called Jesus who likes to party. Plus all the profits go into a separate school run by Amigos for disadvantaged local kids, providing them with education and good food that they simply wouldn't get otherwise. Amigos also do things like family stays, salsa lessons, cooking classes, and 'real' city tours, which are fab - among other places we got taken to a chicharia where a wizened little old lady was brewing chicha (maize) beer in her back yard, surrounded by drunk old men and chickens scratching up the dust. For 30p a pint it's not bad.
A week of one-on-one lessons (4 hours a day) costs, I think, 160 dollars, which is £86. That works out at just over £4 an hour, which really is cheap, compared to language tuition in England. You can do a hell of a lot in that time. And given the fact that the teachers are local too, you couldn't really learn in a better place. Some people just go along for a couple of days, to pick up the basics, and even having a little bit of Spanish can go such a long way.
* Manu Biosphere Reserve - a short plane flight from Cuzco, this reserve contains some of the most bio-diverse rainforest in the entire world, and is one of the largest conservation units on earth. It's supposed to be wonderful for wildlife, birds and giant otters and jaguars and monkeys and crocodiles and so on. It's also rather expensive to get to which is why we didn't try, but I've heard about it and it sounds absolutely fantastic. If you do have a bit of money to spare then I'd highly recommend taking a tour out there (there are numerous companies in the city that run tours to Manu). Partly because it's just so different to the arid mountains surrounding Cuzco, and partly because everybody should enter a rainforest at least once in their lives, and what better one to choose than this one?
* The Inca trial to Machu Picchu
The Inca trail - the three-day hike through the sacred valley to Machu Picchu - is expensive but undoubtedly worth it. Stunning scenery, impressive ruins on the way, and it's hardly ever treated as a proper trek now so can be walked with just a small daypack (while the porters carry all your belongings), and you don't have to be particularly fit to do it. Well. Reasonably fit. I suppose there are three mountain passes to get over, loads of steep Inca steps to climb up and down with a good chance of doing your knees in, four very early starts, and around 15km of walking a day at altitude. But hey, if I can do it carrying a bloody big backpack then I reckon most can do it without. Plus the fact that the Inca trail is for most something like 4* luxury compared to normal trekking - four course meals (four course meals!) on tables and chairs (tables and chairs!), porters to put up and take down your tents, water brought for you to wash in, proper toilets, the lot.
Unfortunately the sense of isolation, of being out in the middle of nowhere completely on your own, is completely lost on the Inca trail. But it is undoubtedly beautiful. In fact I never realized quite how beautiful the earth is before I went to the Andes, and what has without question got to be one of the most beautiful places in the world lies at the very end of the Inca trail - the wonderfully secluded and still Inca ruins of Winay Wayna, set into the side of a steep valley overlooking tropical mountains to snow-capped peaks in the distance. I was almost in tears walking around the place, it was so overwhelming, and magical, and humbling, and even writing about it now it brings a lump to my throat. Nowhere before has quite struck me like that, or even got close. And of course Machu Picchu ('old mountain' if pronounced correctly, 'old penis' if not - a source of much amusement amongst locals as no-one ever gets it right) is an unforgettable experience. Humbling is a good word to use here as well - just to think that the Incas managed to build such a place, in such an inaccessible setting.
This review is long enough already without going into prices and bookings and besides, it's another place really altogether, and I should probably get back onto the subject of Cuzco itself. But just one word - I did the trail in May and heard that both the trail and Machu Picchu are in danger of being closed - the trail due to the increased number of landslides happening on it, and Machu Picchu because it's actually sinking with the weight of tourists that clamber all over it every day (fat bastards). So if you do want to go and see the most beautiful place in the world, then I'd do it sooner rather than later, because later might not be an option.
Sad, that.
(By the way, we went with United Mice - http://www.unitedmice.com/ - who were fab.)
Shopping
Cuzco's absolutely swamped in artesania. It's almost impossible not to come home without a stripy poncho, a T-shirt saying 'I survived the Inca trail' and a wooly hat with llamas on it. For concentrated artesania try the market at the opposite end of Av. del sol to the main plaza, the big courtyard on Loreto just off the main plaza, and Pisac market on Sundays. There are classier and more expensive touristy shops around too, though, and it's possible to find some really nice things for presents and souvenirs, clothes and bags and jewelry and scarves and coca sweets.
The post office can also be found on Av. del sol, as can an English bookshop and a number of pharmacies.
To stock up on food 'Gato' on the main plaza is a good little supermarket, though with very little fresh meat/fruit/veg. The covered 'Mercado central' (a 10 min walk from the main plaza) is much better for fresh produce. We heard that if you buy anything from there and then cook it it should be alright. There's a supermarket somewhere out of the centre in Cuzco, but I never found it. And 'El Buen Pastor' on Cuesta San Blas is a fantastic bakery with really good fresh bread, pastries, cakes, etc.
Eating Out There appears to be a never-ending supply of places to eat out in Cuzco, from dirt-cheap little local cafes with set lunches to much more expensive touristy restaurants. It's certainly possible to spend very little on food in Cuzco, but we found the temptation to do otherwise far too strong. A few of our favourite places turned out to be:
Al Grano (Santa Catalina) - for good cheap curries and fantastic coffees and cakes. They've also got a nice selection of board games and a book exchange. During our three weeks in Cuzco my friend and I spent a lot of time and money in Al Grano eating their chocolate brownies under the pretence of doing Spanish homework.
Greens (just off plaza San Blas) - for absolutely fabulous roast dinners.
Fallen Angel (plaza de las Nazarenas) - 'The' restaurant, blatantly gay, and very expensive (in Peruvian terms though, not English), but with superb food, and also insane kitsch decorations. It's worth going just to be able to sit on a double bed and eat from a bathtub filled with goldfish.
Jack's Café - one of the most popular places in Cuzco with an almost permanent queue outside. Great food, and for a gringo restaurant pretty cheap too.
Paddy O-Flaherty's - the highest Irish pub on the planet, fantastic pub food including shepard's pie and bread and butter pudding.
The Muse - a funky little café on San Blas, which does the most amazing strawberry juice.
Going outCuzco is a great place to get pissed in, and a great place for a serious pub-crawl or two. There are so many free drinks on offer (mostly cuba libres) that it might even be possible to get drunk without spending any money at all. Plus, all the bars and clubs are packed right into the centre of the city, making it easy to stumble from one to another. All you need to do is walk around the main plaza and all the Peruvian men standing around handing out flyers will lunge themselves at you and almost forcibly drag you into their bars promising all sorts of things (well, mostly alcohol), and they certainly don't like to hear 'no gracias' as an answer. Some of my favourite places were:
Kamikaze bar - with a candle-lit cavern sort-of atmosphere, good rock music, and often live pena (traditional) music around 10pm.
Ukuku's and Mama America's - both with good popular music, often quite cheesey, and often quite crowded.
Mythology - a good place to dance on the bar (whoops).
Paddy's - mentioned above - and Cross-Keys - a shabby, quiet English pub with darts, a pool table, and sofas upstairs.
Accommodation During my three weeks in Cuzco I stayed in two different hostals, and would recommend both of them. The first was Hostal de Anita (http://www.hosteriadeanita.com/), which is about a 5 minute walk from the main plaza. Double, triple and quadruple en-suite rooms are available, for around 35 soles a night (just under £6), which includes a really good breakfast (the usual fruit salad, eggs, juice, tea, and as many bread rolls as you can eat). The rooms are nice enough, light and roomy, there are hot showers (yes!), endless supplies of towels, soap and toilet roll, a really nice inner courtyard to sit in full of plants, and the family that own it are lovely and friendly.
The second hostal I found was Hostal Artesano, which is just above plaza San Blas (Calle Suytuccato 790), about a 15 minute walk from the main plaza. The first great attraction of this place is the fact that it's incredibly cheap - 15 soles for a double/triple ensuite (£2.5 a night!), and the second is that there's a big kitchen to cook in, with a little dining room attached. The rooms are simple, the showers are erratic, there's no breakfast or towels or little bars of soap included, and the hostal's situated at the top of a bloody big hill which you can't get cars up, leaving it impossible to reach the top without feeling like you've developed asthma. But it's clean, and light, and there's a nice inner courtyard, and when it's that cheap who cares, really?
When to Go
The rainy season is from November to March. The dry season is from March to November. The rainy season is, well, wet. Wet and cloudy and warm. The dry season is - can you see where this one's going? - dry. And sunny, and cloudless, and bloody cold once the sun goes down but generally quite nice during the day. On the basis that it is better to be cold than wet, and to have clear skies rather than grey ones (especially on the Inca trail), then I'd recommend going during the dry season. Definitely. Just buy a wooly poncho when you get there.
Other
'It's the altitude' - At an altitude of 3300m, Cuzco is really quite high. A bit of acclimatization is needed upon arrival from Lima, and certainly before attempting the Inca trail. Altitude sickness takes the form of headaches, breathlessness when walking up steep hills, stairs, etc, a loss of appetite, and difficulty in sleeping. But give it a day or two, rest and take it easy, don't try and eat too much, drink coca tea or chew coca leaves, and it shouldn't be too much of a problem.
ATMS - traveler's cheques are a good safeguard against having your card stolen, but there are ATMs aplenty in Cuzco and we didn't use ours at all. Most of them give out both soles and American dollars.
Internet - the best internet café we found was on Santa Catalina, and I think is called J&R. It's almost exactly opposite the curry place mentioned above with the fantastic coffees and cakes. Dangerous. Very dangerous.
Festivals - Andean festivals are fantastic, full of colour and music and alcohol and dancing, and should be experienced if at all possible. One of the most popular in Cuzco is Inti Raymi - festival of the sun - which happens around the beginning of June each year.
Representative of Peru?
No, is the short answer to that one. A lot of tourists go to Cuzco for a fortnight, do the Inca trail, see Machu Picchu, take a package tour to Arequipa and the Colca Canyon, and then go home. Fair enough, if a fortnight is as long as you can possibly get, but I think it is ultimately stupid to spend so much money going so far to a place so different and fascinating and beautiful, and only spend two weeks there. For one, once you get there Peru is incredibly cheap - so staying a bit longer will not cost a great deal more - but more than that, the best thing about Peru is its astounding diversity. The fact that out of 103 ecological zones on earth Peru contains 83 of them - about 5 hours on a bus can take you from some of the highest mountains in world to some of the driest desert, or the most bio-diverse rainforest. The fact that every city and town is completely different to the last one. Cuzco isn't representative of Peru - nowhere really is - and it's certainly worth trying to see more than just this one city, even if it is the favourite for most.
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