7 days in Peru: itinerary

Seven days in Peru buys one loop, not the country. The workable version is the Inca heartland: a night in Lima for food and museums, a flight to Cusco, two nights low in the Sacred Valley to let your body adjust, one night in Aguas Calientes under Machu Picchu, then three nights in Cusco. That is four beds in seven nights, which is the practical limit before the trip turns into packing.

The order matters because of altitude. Cusco sits at 3,400 m and hits some travellers on arrival. The Sacred Valley runs lower, around 2,800–3,000 m, so sleeping there first is the standard advice. Fly the long legs: Lima–Cusco is about an hour in the air against 20+ hours by road.

What you give up: Arequipa and Colca, Lake Titicaca, the Amazon and Huaraz. Each needs three or more nights of its own. If those are the point of your trip, take 10 or 14 days instead.

The line is simple: Lima → Cusco → Sacred Valley → Aguas Calientes → Cusco. You fly into Cusco but do not sleep there on night one; you go straight down to the valley. On the way back you end in Cusco, which is where the airport is, so the last morning is short.

Two variants are worth knowing. If you cannot get a Machu Picchu ticket for your dates, reverse the loop and do Cusco first, then the valley, then the train — same beds, different order. If you would rather not move four times, cut Lima to a same-day connection and give the valley three nights.

Day 1 — Lima. Land, take a taxi or airport bus to Miraflores or Barranco, and eat. If you have a full afternoon, the Museo Larco or Huaca Pucllana are close by; the colonial centre is better in daylight. Sleep in Lima.

Day 2 — Fly to Cusco, go down to the Sacred Valley. Take an early flight (about 1 hour), then a taxi or shared van to Pisac or Ollantaytambo (1.5–2 hours). Do not plan anything strenuous. Walk, drink water, sleep low.

Day 3 — Sacred Valley. Pisac market and ruins in the morning, Ollantaytambo fortress in the afternoon. Both sit lower than Cusco, so this is the day your body catches up. Buy your Machu Picchu bus ticket here if you have not already.

Day 4 — Train to Aguas Calientes. Board at Ollantaytambo or Urubamba for the 1.5–2 hour run along the river. Afternoon free for the hot springs or a walk. Sleep in the rail town.

Day 5 — Machu Picchu, then Cusco. Take the first buses up (about 25 minutes) for the earliest entry slot, spend 3–4 hours on site, then train back and road transfer to Cusco. You reach Cusco in the evening; expect to be tired.

Day 6 — Cusco. Qorikancha, the Plaza de Armas and Sacsayhuamán. The boleto turístico covers many city and valley sites; Machu Picchu is a separate ticket. Take the afternoon slowly at 3,400 m.

Day 7 — Cusco and out. Morning for the San Pedro market or a last coffee, then fly Cusco–Lima and connect home. Leave a buffer of at least three hours in Lima if you are on one ticket.

Fly Lima–Cusco. It is the single biggest time saver on this route, roughly one hour against a long bus ride of 20+ hours. Fares swing widely by season and how early you book; treat US$60–120 one way as a working band (2026 estimate, check).

In the Sacred Valley, colectivos (shared vans) and taxis cover the short hops between Pisac, Urubamba and Ollantaytambo in 30–60 minutes. For Machu Picchu, the train from Ollantaytambo or Urubamba to Aguas Calientes takes 1.5–2 hours, and the bus from the town up to the ruins runs about 25 minutes. Train seats sell out in high season, so book with your Machu Picchu entry.

In Cusco, the historic centre is walkable. Use taxis for the airport and for Sacsayhuamán if you are short on time. Do not drive yourself; the roads out of the valley are slow and the signage is thin.

Lima: Miraflores for safety and restaurants, Barranco for bars and a quieter feel. One night is enough for this route.

Sacred Valley: Ollantaytambo puts you at the train station, which makes day 4 easy. Urubamba is more spread out and quieter; Pisac is best if you want the market on your doorstep. Two nights here is the altitude play.

Aguas Calientes: everything is within a few minutes of the bus stop. Book early — this is the smallest bed pool on the route and prices rise with demand.

Cusco: stay in or just outside the historic centre, within walking distance of the Plaza de Armas. San Blas is quieter and uphill; the centre is louder and closer to everything. Three nights gives you one full day and one half day.

For one person, seven days in Peru on this route runs about US$900–1,800, excluding international flights (2026 estimate, check). The spread is mostly accommodation and how early you book the train and Machu Picchu.

The fixed costs are the flights and the Machu Picchu day. Domestic flights, the train, the site ticket and the bus add up quickly and do not discount much. Food and local transport are cheap by US or UK standards: set meals and markets in Cusco and the valley cost a fraction of Lima restaurant prices.

If Machu Picchu is not the priority, swap the valley and Aguas Calientes for three nights in Cusco plus a day trip, and add Lima time. That is a slower, cheaper week with less altitude risk.

If you have 10 days, add Puno and Lake Titicaca after Cusco and fly home from Juliaca via Lima. With 14 days you can start in Arequipa, climb gradually through Colca and Puno, and finish at Machu Picchu — the southern loop, which handles altitude better than this route.

For the Amazon, Iquitos and Puerto Maldonado are separate trips of three nights or more; they do not fit in seven days alongside Machu Picchu.