AmericasOriginal Research

Peru

Machu Picchu, ceviche & Andean peaks

Guides5

Comparisons1

SafetyExercise Increased Caution

— Overview

Why we keep coming back.

Peru pairs ancient Incan citadels with one of the world's most exciting food scenes. From the Amazon basin to Lake Titicaca, the landscapes are as dramatic as the history.

Live · right now

21° / 70°F

clear sky in Lima

Feels 22° · 84% humidity · wind 11 km/h

Next 2 days

Wed, May 13

23° / 18°

Thu, May 14

23° / 18°

Next holiday · Peru

Día de San Pedro y San Pablo

Mon, Jun 29, 2026

In 48 days · Saint Peter and Saint Paul

Also coming up

Tue, Jul 28Día de la Independencia77d
Wed, Jul 29Día de la Independencia78d
Sun, Aug 30Día de Santa Rosa de Lima110d
Thu, Oct 8Combate de Angamos149d
Sun, Nov 1Día de Todos los Santos173d

🇵🇪 Fast facts

Capital: Lima
Language: Aymara, Quechua
Population: 34.4M
Currency: Peruvian sol (S/ )
Timezone: UTC-05:00
Calling code: +51
Drives on: Right

Best time to visit · based on 10-year climate

Go in Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec

Source: Open-Meteo ERA5 (Lima)

JAN

22.1°

12mm

FEB

23.2°

14mm

MAR

22.8°

17mm

APR

21.1°

3mm

MAY

18.9°

1mm

JUN

17.2°

1mm

JUL

16.5°

0mm

AUG

16.1°

1mm

SEP

16.4°

2mm

OCT

17°

2mm

NOV

18.3°

1mm

DEC

20.1°

8mm

IdealGoodDoableTough

Hotel pricing · Lima, Peru

$85

median / night

Low $85 · mid-market 3–4★ · updated Apr 22, 2026

See live rates →

Jet-lag prep · flying to Lima

How bad will the jet lag be?

Severity from three major hubs. Full plan — bedtime shifts, light, melatonin — in the tool.

Open planner →

From New York (JFK)

Minimal0.5/ 10

~1 day to recover · heading same zone

From London (LHR)

Mild3.5/ 10

~5 days to recover · heading westbound

From Singapore (SIN)

Severe8.6/ 10

~11 days to recover · heading eastbound

— Regions

Where to go in Peru

Lima & Pacific Coast

Lima is the ceviche capital and home to three of the world's 50-best restaurants (Central, Maido, Mayta). Three days minimum. Pisco wineries at Ica are a 4-hour day-trip; Paracas reserve and the Ballestas Islands extend it to two.

Cusco & Sacred Valley

Acclimatise three days at altitude — Cusco itself, plus the Sacred Valley villages (Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Maras). The base camp before Machu Picchu, and arguably more interesting than the citadel itself.

Machu Picchu

The PeruRail or Inca Rail train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes; tickets timed-entry only and capped at 4,500/day. Book three months out for high season. Add the Inca Trail or Salkantay trek to make it a journey.

Lake Titicaca & Puno

The Uros floating reed islands and Taquile community-tourism homestays at 3,800m. A 2-day add-on; combine with the Andean Explorer luxury train from Cusco for one of the world's great rail rides.

Amazon (Iquitos & Tambopata)

Iquitos is the deeper jungle (only reachable by air or boat); Puerto Maldonado the easier base. 3-night lodge minimum to actually see wildlife. Driest May–October.

— When to go

The seasonality call

Period	Verdict
May–Sep	Dry season in the highlands — best for Machu Picchu and trekking; Lima coast is grey and cool (garúa).
Oct–Nov	Shoulder — fewer crowds, manageable rain, decent value.
Dec–Mar	Wet season highlands; Inca Trail closed in February for maintenance; Lima sunny and warm.
Jun 24	Inti Raymi festival in Cusco — book everything six months out.

— Entry & visa

Visa requirements

US, UK, Canadian, Australian and EU passport holders enter visa-free for up to 90 days. Yellow fever vaccine required if entering from a yellow-fever country and recommended for the Amazon. Six-month passport validity.

— Budget

What you'll spend

Shoestring: $35–55/day — hostels, menú-del-día lunches, Cruz del Sur night buses, basic Machu Picchu day-trip.
Mid-range: $120–200/day — boutique hotels, Pisac Sunday market, Vistadome train, half-day Machu Picchu guide.
Luxury: $700+/day — Belmond Sanctuary Lodge at the citadel, Hiram Bingham luxury train, private Sacred Valley guides, Andean Explorer sleeper.

Cusco and Aguas Calientes price for tourists; Lima, Arequipa and Trujillo stay much cheaper than equivalent South American capitals.

— Getting around

Transport on the ground

Domestic flights (LATAM, Sky, JetSmart) connect Lima to Cusco in 1h20 — book 3+ weeks ahead. Cruz del Sur night buses are safe and comfortable for Lima–Arequipa or Lima–Nazca; Movil Tours covers the north. Trains: PeruRail and Inca Rail to Machu Picchu (essential), the Andean Explorer Cusco–Puno (optional luxury). Avoid driving the Andes yourself.

Edited by

Marcus Johnson

Senior Writer · New Orleans, USA

Marcus Johnson writes about the Americas for destination.com, with a specialism in music tourism — from New Orleans jazz rooms to Buenos Aires milongas to the touring circuits of Mexico City and Austin. He reported from Latin America for The Atlantic and Rolling Stone before joining in 2024.

Americas
Music & nightlife
Road trips
Cultural reporting

Peru hub last reviewed May 1, 2026

— Topical guides

Peru by topic

Deep-dives across the angles travellers ask about most — food, itineraries, wellness, off-season picks. Each guide pulls together our reporting on a single slice of Peru.

Peru & Machu Picchu
How to actually get there, when to go, alternate trails and what Sacred Valley looks like before 7am.
Read the guide →

— From the journal

Peru guides

All 5 stories →

Art and Culture

42 Fun Machu Picchu Facts You Probably Didn’t Know

You’re probably here because you’re curious about Machu Picchu facts and want to know more. This ancient Inca city in Peru’s Andes Mountains amazes over…

27 min read

Art and Culture

Peru Travel Guide: Exploring the Local Culture

Featuring astonishing landscapes with a myriad of colors and history to boot, Peru provides travelers with an exceptional destination rich with culture. While many visit…

3 min read

Nature

6 Thrilling Ideas for a Peru Adventure

One of the most popular destinations for adventure-goers lies in the western portion of South America – Peru. With a bounty of outdoor experiences ranging…

3 min read

Neighbourhood Guide

Barranco After Dark: May's Last Pisco Pressings and Midnight Ceviche

Barranco After Dark: May's Last Pisco Pressings and Midnight Ceviche — an expert guide with local insights and Expedia booking.

8 min read

Neighbourhood Guide

Cruz Velacuy in San Blas: Cusco's May Cross Festival and Hidden Chicha Bars

Cruz Velacuy in San Blas: Cusco's May Cross Festival and Hidden Chicha Bars — an expert guide with local insights and Expedia booking.

7 min read

— Head to head

Pair it with.

Peru

Colombia

— Safety advisory

Current level 2 · Exercise Increased Caution

Exercise increased caution due to crime and terrorism in remote areas. Cusco and Lima tourist areas are reasonably safe.

Read the full briefing →

— The scorecard

How Peru scores.

Our editorial team rates every destination 1–10 across 10 travel dimensions, calibrated against the full catalogue. Strongest on food scene and culture & history; weakest on ease of travel.

Value for money

8/10

Food scene

10/10

Beaches

5/10

Culture & history

10/10

Ease of travel

5/10

Nature & landscapes

10/10

Nightlife

6/10

Family-friendly

6/10

Adventure

10/10

Luxury options

7/10

Compare Peru with another destination →

Editorial itineraries

Day-by-day plans for Peru

10 days

10 Days in Peru: Lima, the Sacred Valley, and Machu Picchu

A 10-day Peru itinerary — three nights in Lima for the food, three in the Sacred Valley for acclimatisation, two nights with Machu Picchu built in, and two nights in Cusco.

— How we report this hub

What you read here, and where it came from.

On-the-ground reporting. Every section of this Peru guide is sourced from destination.com editors who have reported from the country in person, in many cases more than once. We don't pivot from press releases.
No paid placement. Hotels, restaurants and operators named here are recommended on editorial merit. When we earn an affiliate commission on a booking link, we say so on the page — it never affects what we recommend or in what order.
Data we use. Visa rules, prices and seasonality call-outs cite official government sources, our editor's most recent in-country reporting, or the operator's published rate (in that order). Numbers age — see the verified date below for the last review.
Corrections. Send corrections directly to our editors; we publicly log every correction we make.

Reviewed by Marcus Johnson✓ Last verified May 1, 2026

— Plan the tripAffiliate · We may earn

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Loading destination guide

Where to go in Peru

Lima & Pacific Coast

Cusco & Sacred Valley

Machu Picchu

Lake Titicaca & Puno

The Uros floating reed islands and Taquile community-tourism homestays at 3,800m. A 2-day add-on; combine with the Andean Explorer luxury train from Cusco for one of the world's great rail rides.

Amazon (Iquitos & Tambopata)

Iquitos is the deeper jungle (only reachable by air or boat); Puerto Maldonado the easier base. 3-night lodge minimum to actually see wildlife. Driest May–October.

The seasonality call

Period

Verdict

May–Sep

Dry season in the highlands — best for Machu Picchu and trekking; Lima coast is grey and cool (garúa).

Oct–Nov

Shoulder — fewer crowds, manageable rain, decent value.

Dec–Mar

Wet season highlands; Inca Trail closed in February for maintenance; Lima sunny and warm.

Jun 24

Inti Raymi festival in Cusco — book everything six months out.

What you'll spend

Shoestring

$35–55/day — hostels, menú-del-día lunches, Cruz del Sur night buses, basic Machu Picchu day-trip.

Mid-range

$120–200/day — boutique hotels, Pisac Sunday market, Vistadome train, half-day Machu Picchu guide.

Luxury

$700+/day — Belmond Sanctuary Lodge at the citadel, Hiram Bingham luxury train, private Sacred Valley guides, Andean Explorer sleeper.

Cusco and Aguas Calientes price for tourists; Lima, Arequipa and Trujillo stay much cheaper than equivalent South American capitals.

Transport on the ground

What you read here, and where it came from.

On-the-ground reporting. Every section of this Peru guide is sourced from destination.com editors who have reported from the country in person, in many cases more than once. We don't pivot from press releases.

No paid placement. Hotels, restaurants and operators named here are recommended on editorial merit. When we earn an affiliate commission on a booking link, we say so on the page — it never affects what we recommend or in what order.

Data we use. Visa rules, prices and seasonality call-outs cite official government sources, our editor's most recent in-country reporting, or the operator's published rate (in that order). Numbers age — see the verified date below for the last review.

Corrections. Send corrections directly to our editors; we publicly log every correction we make.

Reviewed by Marcus Johnson✓ Last verified May 1, 2026