Peru Travel Guide 2026: The Best of Cusco and Lima
A curated guide to where to stay, eat, explore and experience in Peru's most captivating cities
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Planning a trip to Peru? This guide focuses on two cities that couldn't feel more different from each other, and yet together, they make for one of the most compelling travel experiences in South America.
Cusco, the ancient Inca capital set high in the Andes, moves at a slower, more ceremonial pace. Lima, sprawling and coastal, is one of the most exciting food cities in the world right now. A curated edit of the best places to stay, eat and explore across both.
CUSCO
Where to Stay in Cusco – Palacio Del Inka
A 500-year-old mansion in the heart of Cusco's historic centre, Palacio del Inka is one of those stays where the building itself is the experience. Stone archways, gilded antiques and rich colonial interiors reflect centuries of Peruvian heritage, while the rooms bring it all together with deep colours and ornate detail.
The on-site restaurant Inti Raymi is considered one of the best in Cusco, and the Andes Spirit Spa is a welcome reset after a day at altitude.
Where to Eat for a Unique Experience in Cusco – MIL Centro
At 3,568 metres above sea level, next to the Inca archaeological site of Moray in the Sacred Valley, MIL is less a restaurant and more a conversation with the land itself. Founded by Virgilio Martínez and Pía León — the duo behind Central, ranked No. 1 in the World's 50 Best Restaurants 2023 — it brings together cooking, scientific research and ancestral Andean knowledge into a single tasting menu experience.
The menu follows the rhythms of the earth and the seasons, drawing on ingredients sourced from a network of over 300 local producers and farmers living between 950 and 4,200 metres altitude.
Every dish is rooted in territory, tradition and biodiversity, contemporary in execution, deeply Andean in spirit.
One of the most singular dining experiences in South America.
Where to Have Lunch in Cusco – Cicciolina
Set on the second floor of a historic colonial house, Cicciolina has been a Cusco institution for over 22 years. Andean, coastal and Amazonian flavours come together in a space that feels alive, with a beautiful view of the city.
Awarded Cusco's best restaurant and a regular in Summum's Top Ten. The kind of place you'll want to come back to.
Where to Eat Dinner in Cusco – Chicha por Gaston Acurio
Regional Peruvian cuisine at its most honest. Chicha is the Cusco outpost of Gastón Acurio, Peru's most celebrated chef and the man credited with putting Peruvian food on the world map.
Local ingredients, traditions and Cusqueñan culinary wisdom elevated through refined technique. If you order one thing, make it the local trout.
Where to Shop in Cusco – Centro Cultural Parwa
Centro Cultural Parwa is a female-led, community-driven initiative bringing together 35 local families around the preservation of traditional Andean textiles.
Start by feeding the animals — yes, it's also an animal sanctuary — before watching live demonstrations on natural dyeing, weaving and spinning techniques passed down through generations.
The pieces are beautiful and the mission is genuinely worth supporting.
Take the Train to Machu Picchu – The Hiram Bingham
The journey to Machu Picchu is part of the experience, and the Hiram Bingham by Belmond makes it unforgettable.
Belmond's luxury train travels from Cusco through the Sacred Valley and up to the entrance of the ancient citadel, with open-air views, exquisite Peruvian cuisine and a vintage cocktail bar serving the finest Pisco Sour en route.
At Machu Picchu, a professional guide leads you through the majestic ruins. A once-in-a-lifetime way to arrive and explore.
Best Places to Visit Around Cusco
Sacred Valley: the heart of the Inca world, dramatic and vast
Rainbow Mountain: one of Peru's most extraordinary natural landscapes
Machu Picchu: one of the wonders of the world, a non-negotiable
San Blas neighbourhood: cobbled streets, artisan workshops and the perfect place to wander while your body adjusts to the altitude
LIMA
Where to Stay in Lima – Atemporal by Andean
A Michelin Key boutique hotel housed in a beautifully preserved 1940s Peruvian mansion in the heart of Miraflores.
With just six rooms, Atemporal is intimate by design. The timeless aesthetic, warm interiors and old-school service making it feel closer to a private home than a hotel.
Where to Eat Like a Local in Lima – El Muelle Cevichería
Thirty-four years serving some of Lima's finest seafood, El Muelle is the kind of place locals keep to themselves.
Tucked into Barranco, the city's most creatively charged neighbourhood, all bright colours and bohemian energy. Here, order the scallops, ceviche and the unmissable parihuela.
Where to Have Nikkei for Dinner in Lima – Osaka
Nikkei cuisine is the fusion of Japanese precision and Peruvian boldness, is one of Lima's great culinary stories, and Osaka has been telling it since 2002.
Japanese technique applied to vibrant Peruvian ingredients, in a space that weaves both cultures into something distinctly its own.
Lively, design-conscious and consistently good. Nikkei cuisine is a must-try when visiting Lima.
Where to Eat in Lima – The Best Restaurants in the World
Part 1: Central
Ranked No. 1 at the World's 50 Best Restaurants 2023, Central in Barranco needs little introduction.
The tasting menu is a vertical journey through Peru's ecosystems, from ocean depths to Andean peaks, each course tied to a specific altitude.
Not just dinner. Book months in advance.
Part 2: Maido
The World's Best Restaurant 2025. Chef Mitsuharu 'Micha' Tsumura brings together Japanese and Peruvian heritage in a menu that increasingly draws from the flavours and traditions of the Peruvian Amazon — paiche fish, palm heart, yucca — rendered with Nikkei precision.
Set in a beautifully considered space in Miraflores, with high ceilings strung with ropes shaped into the Japanese flag.
A Museum to Visit in Lima – Museo Andrés del Castillo
Housed in the beautiful Casa Belén, this is one of Lima's most quietly remarkable cultural spaces.
The museum brings together an extraordinary collection of crystallised minerals, Chancay ceramics, pre-Hispanic textiles and artefacts that speak to the depth and diversity of ancient Peruvian civilisation.
What Also to See in Lima
Historic Centre: Lima's colonial core, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with grand squares, baroque churches and centuries of layered history
Miraflores: the city's most polished neighbourhood, perched above the Pacific, with clifftop parks and the archaeological site of Huaca Pucllana
Barranco: Lima's creative heartbeat. Colourful, bohemian and full of street art, independent galleries and the city's best nightlife.
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If you enjoyed this article, you should check out our Madrid Guide, London Guide and Lisbon Guides.
