Peru.

The historic heart, buzzing day + night, ringed by colonial arcades and the floodlit cathedral. The best place to start, people-watch + orient. The Cathedral interior (the Cusqueña-school 'guinea-pig Last Supper' painting) is part of the Boleto Religioso.

Tip: The whole plaza is free to enjoy. Most major Inca sites need the Boleto Turístico (city tourist pass — ~A$50, covers Sacsayhuamán + Sacred Valley ruins + museums). Buy it if you're doing 3+ sites.

A short, steep hike from San Blas up to the white Christ statue (Cristo Blanco) for the best free view over Cusco's red roofs. Right beside it: Sacsayhuamán, the giant Inca fortress of impossibly-fitted megalithic stones overlooking the city.

Tip: Walk up via San Blas for the free Cristo Blanco view (great acclimatisation walk on day 1-2 — go slow). Sacsayhuamán needs the Boleto Turístico; go late afternoon for golden light + fewer groups.

The Inca empire's holiest temple — once sheathed in gold — with the Spanish Santo Domingo convent built directly on top. The finest Inca stonework in the city, curved and seamless. A perfect emblem of the conquest.

Tip: Go for the stonework, not the church. Small separate entry (~A$6). The surrounding garden terraces are free to walk + a nice quiet spot.

Cusco's central market — juice stalls (order a mixto), cheap menú-del-día lunches (soup + main + drink for ~A$3), fruit you've never seen, cheese + bread + chocolate. The local lunch move and great people-watching.

Tip: Eat at the cooked-food counters at the back (point at what looks busy). The fresh-juice ladies will make you a giant glass for ~A$1.50 — get the 'especial' with everything.

One of the genuine surprises of Peru — Cusco has world-class specialty coffee (Peru grows superb high-altitude beans). Three Monkeys Coffee, Qura Café, Café Valeriana, and the San Blas roasters do flat whites + pour-overs that'd hold up in Melbourne. Support the local roasters.

Tip: Most do all-day breakfast + are great laptop/altitude-recovery spots. Three Monkeys (with a leafy courtyard) is the crowd favourite. Buy a bag of local beans to take home.

An hour from Cusco — a dramatic hillside Inca site of terraces + temples above the town, plus the famous artisan market below. Lower altitude than Cusco (~2,970m), so a good acclimatisation base. The valley's gateway from the Cusco side.

Tip: Go early for the ruins before the day-tour buses. The market is biggest Tue/Thu/Sun. Stay a night in the valley (Pisac, Urubamba or Ollantaytambo) to sleep lower + acclimatise faster than in Cusco.

The best-preserved living Inca town + the trailhead-town for Machu Picchu trains. A towering terraced fortress above original Inca streets where people still live. The classic last stop before Aguas Calientes — most MP trains leave from here.

Tip: Sleep here the night before Machu Picchu — wake up in the valley, short train, beat the Cusco day-trippers. Climb the fortress at opening or late afternoon. Lovely little town to wander.

Two of the valley's most photogenic sites, usually combined. Moray = concentric circular Inca agricultural terraces (a microclimate lab). Maras = thousands of tiny pre-Inca salt pans cascading down a hillside, still hand-worked by local families.

Tip: Best done by colectivo + short taxi, by quad-bike tour, or on a Sacred Valley day tour. The salt pans glow late afternoon. Buy the pink Maras salt on site — cheap + a great gift.

The striped mineral mountain at 5,036m, 3hr from Cusco. Genuinely surreal in good light — but it's a brutal altitude day (pre-dawn start, ~1.5hr uphill walk at 5,000m). Only attempt it after you're properly acclimatised. Palccoyo is the quieter, easier, lower alternative.

Tip: Do NOT do this in your first 2-3 days at altitude. Rainbow Mountain Travels is our partner here and the crew we've done it with — the reason we point the whole community at them is the early start: they get you up and standing on the summit FIRST, before the tour-bus convoys roll in and the clouds build (~from 10am). At a spot this iconic and this crowded, being first is the entire game — you get the striped ridge to yourselves for photos. Small groups, Vinicunca + Palccoyo + the 7 Lagunas; book direct with code Aussies10 for 10% off. Horses available for the climb (~A$25). If you've not acclimatised, do Palccoyo instead — flatter + far fewer people.

A glacier-fed turquoise lake at 4,200m below the sacred Salkantay peak, ~3hr from Cusco. A steep but short (~1hr) climb to one of the most beautiful spots near Cusco. Often combined as a day trip or done as day 1 of the Salkantay trek.

Tip: Another acclimatise-first day. Small-group day tours run ~A$30-A$45 with breakfast + lunch. Layers — it's cold + the weather turns fast. Horses available for the climb.

The 15th-century Inca citadel on its cloud-forest ridge — and it lives up to it. Entry is now by timed ticket on a fixed circuit. Circuit 2 is the one you want: the full classic walk-through with the iconic postcard view from above. Add Huayna Picchu (the steep peak behind, separate limited ticket) if you want the climb.

Tip: Book the entry ticket the moment your dates are set (Circuit 2 sells out in peak) via the official site, plus your train + bus up from Aguas Calientes. The shuttle bus saves a brutal 1.5hr uphill walk. Go at opening or after 1pm for thinner crowds + better light.

The small, slightly chaotic town in the gorge directly below Machu Picchu — where the train drops you and the shuttle buses leave from. Overpriced and touristy, but you sleep here (or arrive very early by train) to hit the ruins at opening.

Tip: One night is plenty. Buy your shuttle-bus ticket the afternoon before to skip the dawn queue. There are hot springs (the town's namesake) if you've time. Eat away from the train-track strip for better value.