Classic Sacred Valley Full Day Tour from Cusco

Inca terraces of Pisac in the Sacred Valley
Group with their guide in front of the Pisac terraces
Guide with the group in front of the Wall of the Six Monoliths in Ollantaytambo
Terraces of the Inca fortress of Ollantaytambo
Urubamba River valley seen from Ollantaytambo
DURATION 1 Day - 08:30am to 18:30pm
DEPARTURE Hotel - Plaza San Francisco
GROUP SIZE 1-19 pax
MAX. ALTITUDE 3750 m.a.s.l.
DIFFICULTY Easy

The beginning of the journey

The Classic Sacred Valley tour is a full-day trip from Cusco through the Sacred Valley of the Incas: you visit Pisac and its craft market, have a buffet lunch in Urubamba, explore Ollantaytambo and finish in Chinchero. We pick you up at your hotel from 7:30 a.m. and you return to Cusco around 7:00 p.m.

Classic or VIP? The Classic focuses on three main sites and gives you more time at each one. The VIP Sacred Valley tour covers five (Chinchero, Moray, the Maras Salt Mines (Salineras de Maras), Ollantaytambo and Pisac) with stops of 30 to 40 minutes. If you are continuing on to Machu Picchu, take a look at the Sacred Valley with connection to Machu Picchu (2 days): the train leaves from Ollantaytambo.

Tour highlights

  • Get to know the traditions of the Sacred Valley communities and their ancestral dyeing, weaving and pottery techniques.
  • Shop for crafts at the Pisac market: handmade textiles, ceramics and jewelry.
  • Buffet lunch of typical regional dishes, made with fresh ingredients from the valley.
  • Explore the Ollantaytambo archaeological site and its Inca terraces.
  • Finish in Chinchero, with its Andean weaving tradition and its landscapes.

The places you visit

  • Sacred Valley of the Incas: it lies at about 2,790 meters above sea level and was a key farming area for the Incas, above all for growing corn, a tradition that continues today.
  • Pisac: it has two areas, the Inca archaeological site up on the hill and the colonial town in the valley, famous for its craft fair. On its slopes you can see how the Incas solved farming on steep ground with terraces (andenes).
  • Ollantaytambo: an Inca town and archaeological site about 90 km from Cusco. Pachacútec built the town and a ceremonial center here, and during the conquest it was a stronghold of Manco Inca. Today it is the departure point for the train to Machu Picchu.
  • Chinchero: a town about 30 km from Cusco, at 3,750 meters above sea level, known for its weaving tradition. Its colonial church stands on the remains of an Inca palace.

To plan your visit, read our Sacred Valley of the Incas guide: official opening hours of each site, Tourist Ticket and how to get there.

Itinerary

We pick you up at your hotel in Cusco between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m. Departure for the Sacred Valley is at 8:00 a.m.

You walk through the town of Pisac and its craft market, with handmade textiles, ceramics and jewelry, and visit its Inca archaeological site, with terraces on the hillsides.

We have lunch in Urubamba, in the heart of the Sacred Valley: a buffet with starters, main courses and desserts from the region, with vegetarian options.

You visit the Ollantaytambo archaeological park, with its impressive Inca terraces. If you are continuing to Machu Picchu, this is where you take the train to Machu Picchu Pueblo; the rest of the group continues the tour.

Last stop: Chinchero, a town that keeps its weaving tradition alive. You visit its archaeological site and its colonial church, with an introduction to local culture and customs.

We return to Cusco around 7:00 p.m. The transport drops you off two or three blocks from the Plaza de Armas.

What's included

  • Pickup at your hotel. Hotel pickups start from 7:30 AM for group tours. For private tours to the Sacred Valley, the pickup time can be arranged.
  • Bilingual professional guide (Spanish and English). In group tours, the tour is spoken in Spanish and English, one after the other. In private tours, you can choose to have the tour in Spanish, English, or Portuguese.
  • Transportation. Includes tourist transportation to the attractions.
  • Buffet lunch. We will enjoy a buffet meal in Urubamba.
    • In the lunch, you can serve spaghetti, white meat (fried chicken, loin, stew of loin, fried trout), red meat (lamb stew, loin meat, pork crackling), quinoa fried rice, legumes, Andean potatoes, as well as white rice or garden rice (Peruvian dish with vegetables). For lunch, there are also 2 varieties of salads: cooked (carrots, broccoli), raw (lettuce, cucumber, tomato, excellent vegetarian options). If you want soup, you can serve yourself a quinoa soup. For dessert, you can try mazamorra morada or rice pudding (both are some of the most popular Peruvian desserts), jelly, or peach stew. Hot drinks are included: muña tea, coca tea, coffee.

    • In private tours, breakfast and lunch are provided at higher-category restaurants that offer greater culinary variety.

  • This tour requires a General Tourist Ticket or a Partial Tourist Ticket to visit Pisac, Ollantaytambo, and Chinchero. For more information about Tourist Tickets, see the ‘Recommended to Bring’ tab.

  • Partial Tourist Ticket
    • ( S/. 70.00 Soles – Foreigners | S/. 40.00 Soles – Peruvians)

Recommended to bring

  • Tourist Ticket. To visit various cultural attractions in Cusco, you require a Partial Tourist Ticket or a General Tourist Ticket.

    • If you plan to visit most of the important tourist sites in Cusco during your stay, we recommend purchasing the General Tourist Ticket to save costs on entries and simplify your trip.

       

    • General Tourist Ticket: S/. 130.00 Soles – Foreigners | S/. 70.00 Soles – Peruvians. Includes entry to 16 tourist sites in Cusco, which are the Regional Historical Museum, Puca Pucara, Contemporary Art Museum, Tambomachay, Folk Art Museum, Pisac, Qorikancha Site Museum, Ollantaytambo, Qosqo Native Art Center, Chinchero, Inca Pachacutec Monument, Moray, Sacsayhuaman, Tipon, Q’enqo, and Pikillacta.
    • Partial Tourist Ticket: S/. 70.00 Soles – Foreigners | S/. 40.00 Soles – Peruvians. Includes entry for 1 day to 1 circuit of attractions. There are three circuits: Circuit I (Sacsayhuaman, Qenqo, Tambomachay, Puca Pucara), Circuit II (Regional Historical Museum, Contemporary Art Museum, Folk Art Museum, Qorikancha Site Museum, Qosqo Native Art Center, Inca Pachacutec Monument, Archaeological Park of Tipón, Archaeological Park of Pikillacta), Circuit III (Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Chinchero, Moray).
  • Camera
  • Sunblock
  • Water bottle
  • Sunglasses
  • Windbreaker
  • Long-sleeve shirt
  • Hiking or trekking shoes
  • From November to March: it is recommended to bring a rain poncho.
  • Appropriate clothing for a one-day excursion
  • Peruvian soles in cash

  • To purchase your Tourist Ticket, you must bring Peruvian soles.

  • Bring your passport or ID: the Tourist Ticket is issued in your name and is checked together with your ID.

Frequently asked questions

From USD 38 per person on a group tour. It includes hotel pickup, transport, the guide and the buffet lunch. It does not include the Cusco Tourist Ticket (Boleto Turístico), which you need to enter Pisac, Ollantaytambo and Chinchero.

Hotel pickup from 7:30 a.m. (on private tours the time is arranged with you), tourist transport to the sites, a bilingual professional guide and a buffet lunch in Urubamba with hot drinks (muña tea, coca tea and coffee). It does not include the Tourist Ticket.

Pisac (its craft market and its archaeological site), Ollantaytambo and Chinchero, with a buffet lunch in Urubamba.

We pick you up at your hotel between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m., and you return to Cusco around 7:00 p.m. The tour ends two or three blocks from the Plaza de Armas.

Yes. To enter Pisac, Ollantaytambo and Chinchero you need the Partial Tourist Ticket (Boleto Turístico Parcial: S/ 70 for foreigners and S/ 40 for Peruvians; it covers Circuit III: Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Chinchero and Moray) or the General Tourist Ticket (Boleto Turístico General: S/ 130 for foreigners and S/ 70 for Peruvians; 16 sites in Cusco). It is paid in cash, in soles (PEN).

The Classic visits three places (Pisac, Ollantaytambo and Chinchero) and spends more time at each one. The VIP visits five (Chinchero, Moray, the Maras Salt Mines, Ollantaytambo and Pisac), with 30 to 40 minutes at each site.

Yes. In Ollantaytambo you can take the train to Machu Picchu Pueblo while the rest of the group continues the tour. To have everything arranged, take a look at the Sacred Valley with connection to Machu Picchu (2 days).

On group tours the guide speaks Spanish and English, one after the other. On private tours you can choose Spanish, English or Portuguese.

Cash in soles (for the Tourist Ticket and your own expenses), a camera, sunscreen, sunglasses, a water bottle, a windbreaker, a long-sleeved shirt and walking shoes. From November to March, a rain poncho. Bring your passport or ID: the Tourist Ticket is issued in your name and is checked together with your ID.

All payments are made online through WeTravel. You pay the deposit shown in your quote and the balance when you arrive in Cusco or on the agreed date. More details in Payment Methods and Policies.