Historic Center or San Blas? Where to stay in Cusco

Every one of the 32 hotels in our Cusco catalog is a walk from the center. So the question here is smaller than in Rio or Cancún, and it matters more than it looks. The city sits at around 3,400 meters, and on the first day every extra block is a decision. Where you sleep decides how much of that walk goes uphill.

The Historic Center: flat ground, and the city around you

Most of our hotels, 27 of the 32, stand on the streets of the Historic Center. The ground here is flatter than on the slopes above, and the city is already around you when you step outside. That counts most on arrival, when the advice in our catalog is to give the first afternoon to doing very little.

The center also holds the widest range of prices in the city. In our catalog it runs from Eco Bunnu Inn, from $10 a night, to Palacio Nazarenas, from $965. The most expensive hotel in our catalog and some of the most modest stand a few streets apart.

At the lower end, Tierra Viva Centro starts from $44 and is rated 9.1 on Booking, and Hotel Rumi Punku starts from $49 and is rated 9.3. In the middle, Casa Andina Premium starts from $100 and is rated 9.2, and Sonesta from $155 is rated 9.3. At the top, Casa Cartagena starts from $335 and is rated 9.6, and Belmond Monasterio starts from $465 and is rated 9.8. One more hotel in our catalog, Inkaterra La Casona, from $486, is listed in the Plaza de Armas area.

In Cusco, the hotel changes the street outside your door, not the shape of your week.

San Blas: quieter, and uphill

San Blas rises above the center and is known as the artisans' quarter of Cusco. Four of our hotels are here, and all four are old houses turned into small hotels. Under one lie Inca terraces, and around another stand eighteenth-century walls.

They run from Hostal Corihuasi, from $44 and rated 9.1, through Casona La Recoleta from $75 and Palacio Manco Capac from $80, rated 9.5, to Antigua Casona from $170, rated 9.8. The evenings are quieter than in the center, and the views over the tiled roofs come with the address.

The price of San Blas is the climb itself. The streets are steep, and at this altitude the walk back after a long day feels longer than the map says. On a first visit, or with a heavy suitcase, that is worth weighing.

What the hotel does not change

Wherever you sleep, the altitude counts more than the address.

The choice comes down to a simple trade. The Historic Center gives you flat ground and the most choice at every price, which suits a first trip. San Blas gives you quiet nights and old houses, if you are ready for the climb. On a tight budget, both work: the center starts from $10 a night, and San Blas from $44. The budget you give in the route questions decides which of these hotels appear in your guide.

We wrote about the first days at this height in Why altitude changes the shape of a Cusco trip, and about getting around safely in Is Cusco safe? Scams to know before you go. Our free routes for 3 days, 5 days, and 7 days in Cusco show how the week takes shape from either neighborhood.