“Machu Picchu is the postcard — the Andes, the Amazon and the best food on the continent are the trip.”
Peru compresses more altitudes, climates and civilisations into one border than anywhere else in South America. In a single two-week loop you can eat a tasting menu in Lima, acclimatise among Inca walls in Cusco, walk into Machu Picchu at dawn, and still have time for the Colca Canyon or a jungle lodge on a Tambopata oxbow lake.
The trick is respecting the geography. Cusco sits at 3,400 metres and punishes travellers who fly in and hike the same day; buses between regions take entire nights. Fly the long hops, budget two slow days for altitude, and book Machu Picchu and Inca Trail permits weeks — for the trail, months — ahead.
Highlights
Machu Picchu at first light
Time your entry slot for the first buses from Aguas Calientes and watch the citadel emerge from cloud before the day-trip crowds arrive. Permits are capped — book the site, and any add-on climb, well ahead.
Cusco & the Sacred Valley
Inca masonry under colonial arcades, and a valley floor of markets, terraces and ruins from Pisac to Ollantaytambo. Sleep a night or two in the valley — it is lower, quieter and closer to the train.
Lima’s table
Cevicherías at lunch (never dinner — the catch is a morning thing), criollo classics in Barranco, and several of the world’s most awarded dining rooms. Even the market stalls are a masterclass.
Cordillera Blanca treks
From Huaraz, day hikes like Laguna 69 and the four-day Santa Cruz trek thread between 6,000-metre peaks — Andean scenery to rival anything in the Cusco region, at a fraction of the foot traffic.
Entry requirements for Peru
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Before you fly
The detail
- Passport validity
- Most destinations want validity beyond your stay, and some want six months. Check yours against the return date.
- Onward travel
- Airlines may ask for a return or onward ticket at check-in.
- Health
- No vaccinations are mandatory for entry; hepatitis A and typhoid are standard advice, and yellow fever vaccination is recommended for jungle regions (Tambopata, Iquitos). Altitude sickness is the near-universal complaint — hydrate, skip alcohol on arrival, and consider acetazolamide if you have form. Drink bottled or treated water everywhere.
- Money
- The sol (PEN) is stable and ATMs are everywhere in cities — withdrawal fees of €2–5 make fewer, larger withdrawals sensible. Cards work in mid-range restaurants and hotels; markets, colectivos, site entrances and small-town Peru run on cash, ideally small notes. A mid-range day is €45–60; backpackers manage on €30–35.
When to go
BestMay–Sep. AvoidFebruary.
Dry season begins; arguably the single best month.
The band above each month is our editorial verdict - it weighs crowds, prices and access as well as weather. The line is average daily temperature, the bars are monthly rainfall. Select a month for the figures. Climate figures: ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2005–2024 normals.
What it costs
A day in Peru
Comfortable · sample day
≈ $59
Line items are real prices we track. The daily budget is an editorial estimate for this level, not their sum.
Where this sits among 244 countries we have costed
Cusco and the Sacred Valley run 20–30 % above base prices in the June–August peak and around Inti Raymi; the Machu Picchu train is yield-managed and doubles if left late. Lima and Arequipa barely move seasonally. The rainy months (November–March) bring genuine hotel discounts across the sierra.
Updated Aug 2026 · Editorial synthesis — Budget Your Trip, backpacker cost guides, Cusco/Lima price reporting (2025–2026) · confidence medium
Excludes international flights - they depend on where you fly from.
Regions to know
5Cusco & the Sacred Valley
The Inca heartland — Cusco’s stone streets, valley markets from Pisac to Ollantaytambo, and Machu Picchu at the end of the line. Acclimatise low in the valley first.
Lima & the coast
The gastronomic capital plus Paracas sea-lion colonies and the Huacachina dunes. Grey skies May–October; summer sun December–March.
Arequipa & Colca Canyon
The white volcanic-stone city and a canyon twice the depth of the Grand Canyon, with condors riding the morning thermals.
Cordillera Blanca (Huaraz)
Peru’s trekking capital — Laguna 69, the Santa Cruz trek and a wall of 6,000-metre summits, mercifully short on crowds.
Amazon (Tambopata & Iquitos)
Fly-in jungle lodges: Puerto Maldonado for accessible oxbow-lake wildlife, Iquitos for the deep river; macaw clay licks at dawn.
Practical guide
Getting there
Lima has direct flights from Madrid (Iberia, Air Europa, LATAM), Amsterdam (KLM) and Paris (Air France); from Central Europe count on one stop and 15–17 hours door to door. Cusco, Arequipa and Iquitos are all short domestic hops from Lima — LATAM and Sky sell them cheaply if booked a few weeks out.
Getting around
Fly the long legs: Lima–Cusco is 80 minutes versus 20+ hours by road. Between nearby cities, premium bus lines (Cruz del Sur, Oltursa) run comfortable services — book a day ahead and prefer daytime departures on mountain routes. In the Sacred Valley, colectivos and taxis are cheap; Machu Picchu itself is reached by train from Ollantaytambo plus a shuttle bus, or the backdoor hike via Hidroeléctrica.
Money & costs
The sol (PEN) is stable and ATMs are everywhere in cities — withdrawal fees of €2–5 make fewer, larger withdrawals sensible. Cards work in mid-range restaurants and hotels; markets, colectivos, site entrances and small-town Peru run on cash, ideally small notes. A mid-range day is €45–60; backpackers manage on €30–35.
Safety
Petty theft is the main risk: keep phones off café tables in Lima, use official taxis or apps at night, and watch bags on buses. Political protests occasionally close roads and rail around Cusco — check news before tight connections. The serious, underrated risk is altitude: sleep low (Sacred Valley) before sleeping high, and give Cusco two easy days before any trek.
Health
No vaccinations are mandatory for entry; hepatitis A and typhoid are standard advice, and yellow fever vaccination is recommended for jungle regions (Tambopata, Iquitos). Altitude sickness is the near-universal complaint — hydrate, skip alcohol on arrival, and consider acetazolamide if you have form. Drink bottled or treated water everywhere.
SIM & internet
Claro and Movistar have the widest coverage; a tourist SIM with 10–20 GB costs €8–12 with a passport, or install an eSIM before landing. 4G covers the whole tourist circuit including Aguas Calientes; expect nothing on treks and long mountain roads — download offline maps and your train tickets.
Driving
City limits drop to 40 km/h on ordinary streets (60 on avenues). Mountain roads are slow and lightly guard-railed — plan a 40–50 km/h real average in the sierra and avoid night driving.
Rules change - verify with an official source before you rent.
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From the Journal
Before you go
PeruFrequently asked questions
Is Peru safe for independent travellers?
The tourist circuit — Lima’s coastal districts, Cusco, the Sacred Valley, Arequipa — is well used to visitors and generally safe with city common sense: use registered or app taxis, watch bags in bus terminals and markets, and skip protests when they flare. Altitude and long night buses on mountain roads are the more realistic hazards; take day buses on the dramatic routes.
When is the best time to visit?
May to September is the Andean dry season — reliable trekking weather and clear mornings at Machu Picchu, with June–August the peak. The wettest months, January to March, turn trails muddy, and the Inca Trail closes for maintenance every February. The coast runs on an opposite rhythm: Lima is grey May–October and sunniest December–March.
How much does a day in Peru cost?
Around €55 per person mid-range: €25–30 for your half of a double room, €12–15 on food, the rest on transport and entries. Backpackers manage on €30–35 with dorms and menú del día lunches at €2.50; the big fixed costs are Machu Picchu entry (~€38) and the train to Aguas Calientes.