Cusco Plaza de Armas

Cusco was the capital of the Inca Empire, and its historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site where Spanish churches and mansions stand on precisely fitted Inca stone walls. The Plaza de Armas, once the Inca ceremonial square, is still the city's gathering place.

Around the square, visit the Cathedral, with its colonial paintings, and the ornate Church of La Compañía. A short walk away are Qorikancha, the Inca Temple of the Sun beneath the Santo Domingo convent, the famous twelve-angled stone on Hatun Rumiyoc street and the lively San Pedro market.

At about 3,400 metres, Cusco can leave you breathless, so take the steep streets slowly and save the hilltop fortress of Sacsayhuamán for when you have acclimatised. Evenings are cold all year, so pack a warm jacket.