Tourist agencies are mostly strung along three sides of the Plaza de Armas, or up Procuradores, along Calle Plateros or Calle Saphi. Most can organise walking tours of the city, but you are better off exploring on your own. Simple circuits starting and ending in the Plaza de Armas can be taken in every direction. Most agencies can also arrange half day horse riding or mountain bike tours of the city surrounds too.
At the last count there were over 150 agencies offering trips, treks and tours in Cusco. Listed below are a handful of the most established outfits with the best reputations, choosing some for each price bracket. (Top end) Explorandes (tel: (84) 238 380; website: www.explorandes.com) and Peruvian Andean Treks (tel: (84) 225 701; website: www.andeantreks.com); (mid range) Peru Treks (tel: (84) 805 863; website: www.perutreks.com), SAS (tel: (84) 237 292; website: www.sastravelperu.com) and Q'ente (tel: (84) 238 245; website: www.qente.com); (budget) United Mice (tel: (84) 221 139; website: www.unitedmice.com).
There are a lot of small but interesting sites within walking distance of the Plaza de Armas. The most common day walk is an 8km (5 miles) route from the outlying Inca ruin of Tambo Machay (whose name translates as ‘the Inca's Baths'), via the hunting lodge of Puca Pucara (‘Red Fort'), the carved limestone monolith of Salapunco and the intricately sculpted sacred site of Qenko to the massive Inca ruin Sacsayhuaman, whose colossal stone zigzag walls stand guard above Cusco. Entry to each of the sites is with the Boleto Turistico.
At the last count there were over 150 agencies offering trips, treks and tours in Cusco. Listed below are a handful of the most established outfits with the best reputations, choosing some for each price bracket. (Top end) Explorandes (tel: (84) 238 380; website: www.explorandes.com) and Peruvian Andean Treks (tel: (84) 225 701; website: www.andeantreks.com); (mid range) Peru Treks (tel: (84) 805 863; website: www.perutreks.com), SAS (tel: (84) 237 292; website: www.sastravelperu.com) and Q'ente (tel: (84) 238 245; website: www.qente.com); (budget) United Mice (tel: (84) 221 139; website: www.unitedmice.com).
There are a lot of small but interesting sites within walking distance of the Plaza de Armas. The most common day walk is an 8km (5 miles) route from the outlying Inca ruin of Tambo Machay (whose name translates as ‘the Inca's Baths'), via the hunting lodge of Puca Pucara (‘Red Fort'), the carved limestone monolith of Salapunco and the intricately sculpted sacred site of Qenko to the massive Inca ruin Sacsayhuaman, whose colossal stone zigzag walls stand guard above Cusco. Entry to each of the sites is with the Boleto Turistico.