10 days in Peru: itinerary

The 10-day line runs south from Lima: fly to Cusco, drop straight into the Sacred Valley to sleep low, ride the train to Aguas Calientes for Machu Picchu, return to Cusco for three nights, then bus to Puno for Lake Titicaca and fly out of Juliaca.

Two flights do the heavy lifting: Lima–Cusco at the start (about 1h 20m) and Juliaca–Lima at the end. Everything between Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Aguas Calientes is road or rail, and the Cusco–Puno leg is a bus or train day.

Days 1–2, Lima. Land, sleep, eat. Keep the colonial centre for daylight and give Miraflores and Barranco an evening. Museo Larco and Huaca Pucllana fill a half-day each if you want museums.

Day 3, fly to Cusco and go down. Take a morning flight, then a taxi or colectivo to Pisac or Ollantaytambo rather than sleeping in Cusco at 3,400 m on night one. The Sacred Valley sits at 2,800–3,000 m, which is a gentler first night.

Day 4, Sacred Valley. Pisac market and ruins in the morning, Ollantaytambo fortress in the afternoon, sleep in Ollantaytambo next to the station.

Day 5, train to Aguas Calientes. The rail ride from Ollantaytambo runs about 1h 30m. Buy a Machu Picchu entry slot for the next morning, or take an afternoon slot on arrival day if tickets allow.

Day 6, Machu Picchu and back to Cusco. First buses up leave early; allow 3–4 hours on site, then train to Cusco (about 3h 30m from Aguas Calientes) and check in for three nights.

Days 7–8, Cusco. Qorikancha, the cathedral and Plaza de Armas, Sacsayhuamán above town, San Blas for cafés. Use day 8 as a buffer: blockades and weather can cancel a day, and a spare day protects the rest of the trip.

Days 9–10, Puno and Lake Titicaca. The bus Cusco–Puno takes about 6–7 hours with stops at Andahuaylillas, Raqchi and Pukará; the tourist train runs a similar route on selected days. Day 10 is Uros and Taquile by boat, then Juliaca airport for the evening flight to Lima.

Fly the long legs. Lima–Cusco and Juliaca–Lima are short hops that save two full travel days each. Book early for the dry season; seats on the Cusco route sell out in July and August.

Trains to Machu Picchu leave from Ollantaytambo and Poroy (near Cusco); Ollantaytambo is the practical start if you are already in the valley. Tickets are timed and named, so buy for the exact date. Buses cover Cusco–Puno and the Sacred Valley; colectivos and taxis handle short valley hops.

Allow buffer time. Strikes and landslides can close the Cusco–Puno road, and the train can sell out on the day. Keep one unbooked afternoon before any flight home.

Lima: Miraflores for safety and restaurants, Barranco for bars and a slower feel. Two nights is enough for a first trip.

Sacred Valley: Ollantaytambo puts you beside the Machu Picchu train and under the fortress; Pisac is quieter and closer to Cusco. Two nights, and ask the hotel to store a bag while you go to Machu Picchu.

Aguas Calientes: one night only, close to the bus queue. Cusco: San Blas or the historic centre, three nights, with a bag left at the hotel while you are in the valley. Puno: near the plaza or the lake shore, two nights, and pick a hotel that will hold bags on your last day.

A mid-range 10-day trip runs about US$1,100–2,200 per person on the ground, excluding international flights. Backpacker travel with buses and hostels can sit near the bottom of that band; private transfers, better hotels and the tourist train push it up.

The fixed costs are the flights and the Machu Picchu train, which together can pass US$300 per person. Food is cheap outside Lima: a set lunch (menú) in Cusco or Puno costs a few dollars.

Swap Puno for the Amazon. With 10 days you can drop Lake Titicaca and fly Cusco–Puerto Maldonado for three nights in a Tambopata lodge, then fly back to Lima. It is a warmer, lower-altitude ending.

Swap Puno for Arequipa. Tight but possible if you fly Cusco–Arequipa and skip Colca; the full Arequipa and Colca loop needs 12+ days, which is why it sits in the 14-day route.

Skip Lima. If you have already seen it, fly straight to Cusco on arrival and add a night to the Sacred Valley or Cusco. Do not add both Puno and the Amazon to a 10-day trip.

Yes, for the classic southern route: Lima, Cusco, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca. It is not enough to add Arequipa, Colca Canyon and the Amazon as well — each of those costs two to three days once you count the travel.

Ten days also means five hotel changes, so pack light and use left luggage. If you want a slower trip, cut Puno and keep the extra night in Cusco or the Sacred Valley.