Family Trip to Cusco

If you are looking to travel to Cusco with your family these holidays, we have all the recommendations you will need to ensure you are sufficiently prepared. Here you will find information on all the activities and tourist attractions that this beautiful city has to offer, to allow you to make the most of your Cusco vacation with your family.

8 Tips for Traveling to Cusco with the Family

1. Organize Activities during the day:

Since boredom is the enemy of children, you can take advantage of organising activities throughout the day to keep them occupied. The Cusco region has a number of activities to see and do for young ones including horseback riding, biking, ATVs, ziplining, canoeing, paragliding and sightseeing in the tourist parts of the city.

2. Look for a good transport:

Getting to Cusco from Lima can be achieved via air or land. A flight from Lima is 90 minutes and takes you over the Andes Mountains, right into the heart of the city. Alternatively, a bus from Lima takes 20 hours and it might be the scenic route, but it’s a long way to travel with children. Naturally, the flight is the more expensive option, especially in the tourist season, but we still recommend travelling by air to save losing a day’s vacation time through travelling to Cusco by land.

If you chose to travel by bus, we advise travelling through the night so that you can sleep through the journey. Also consider bringing emergency essentials such as water, food, games and entertainment, to ensure the children are occupied throughout the journey.

3. Accommodation:

Choose an accommodation with enough space for the children. Spacious bedrooms and communal areas will be essential for them to feel at home. Cusco has a variety of hostels, hotels and lodgings that have accommodations with space for families at reasonable prices. If you prefer private accommodation, you can find entire houses or apartments to rent, giving you a personal space for your family.

4. Pack your bags:

Although the choice of luggage is personal, we recommend that you travel as light as possible. If you are staying in hotels, you will not need to bring towels, soap or shampoo since you will find these services in the accommodation. If you are visiting in the dry season, we recommend bringing light clothing, and waterproof clothing for the rainy season. There are usually laundry services in the hotels if you wish to wash clothes to save you packing more.

It is not likely that the children will not need many toys as many of the places they will visit will have original games and activities for them to enjoy and discover.

5. Choosing accommodation:

make sure it is suitable for children. Location is not a secondary criterion, choose accommodation close to public transport, places of interest and parks. We recommend you stay in less touristy neighbourhoods, away from the city noise where you can also enjoy a more authentic local experience.

6. Download useful applications:

From the map you can find information on public transport schedules, fares, routes and the best options to reach the desired destination. It is also recommended to download two or three cell phone games to entertain the little ones if the travel time is long.

7. Verify your Documents:

Verify that all family members have all the documents in order that are required to leave and re-enter their country. These include original copies of updated passports, identity documents and travel permits for minors.

8. Book your entrance tickets in advance:

We strongly recommend booking your entrance tickets months in advance. This is especially true if you are planning a tour to Machu Picchu, in high season, when the number of tourists is higher.

What to avoid on your trip to Cusco as a Family

1. Meals: Avoid giving children foods that are not part of their normal eating routine. As apposed to buying street food, we recommend shopping for groceries, choosing local, fresh products, buying fruits, vegetables and healthy snacks.
2. Altitude sickness: The city of Cusco is at an altitude of 3,400 meters, which could affect children more than adults. Most pharmacies have altitude sickness pills that you can buy, but you can also give them an infusion of coca tea to drink when you arrive in Cusco.
3. Choose the best season: Cusco has two very determined seasons: The dry season and the rainy season. We recommended that you avoid visiting Cusco in the rainy season that runs from November to March.