6 places you can visit in Cusco without spending money
Traveling does not have to be synonymous of having a lot of money. Nowadays is easier to move around the world with a few savings and, every day more and more cities offer different activities completely free of charge. Cusco is one of them. If you want to know how to discover the Imperial City without spending a lot of money, here are 6 free places to visit in Cusco.
Churches
The arrival of the Spaniards (and Christianity) to Cusco left a great religious mark on the inhabitants of this city. This can be seen reflected in the 13 churches that are distributed through its different streets. Although all of them have an entrance fee, if you visit them from 5:30 am to 9 am you can access for completely free.
The churches of Cusco are a true work of art: the baroque style, inheritance of the conquest, is mixed with the pictorial works of the Cusco school giving a spectacular result.
San Blas neighborhood
We know that walking through a neighborhood is always a free activity, but San Blas is a special case, as its streets are full of galleries with real works of art. The artisans of San Blas are known in Cusco for their high-quality works of art, which show the traditions and history of this region of Peru. Do you want to know the best thing? In this neighborhood, you can appreciate the works but also buy them and take a nice souvenir to decorate your home.
Dance shows
Every Sunday the inhabitants of Cusco gather at the Plaza de Armas to attend the raising of the flag that takes place in front of the Cathedral Basilica of the Virgin of the Assumption. This event is accompanied by fairs and dance performances from both the modern era and pre-Hispanic times. Music, dance, culture and history, all free and outdoors; it sounds good, isn’t it?
Chocomuseum
For those who are passionate about sweet and for those who travel to Cusco with children, it is essential to make a stop at the Chocomuseum. This establishment, which you can enter for free, makes a review of the history of chocolate in Peru and offers free samples of this product.
In addition, for those who want a more complete experience, the Chocomuseo offers workshops (paid) in which you can learn to make certain chocolate products.
Enjoy the experience of licking your fingers!
Free tour
If you like to walk around cities, get to know them thoroughly and learn new things about their history we recommend you to do a “free tour”. For those who have not heard about them, the “free tour” is an activity that takes place in all the major cities of the world in which a guide travels with a group of tourists to the city and tells them curiosities and stories about it.
Although it is a “free tour”, at the end of it the tourists always pay a tip to the guide. How much you must pay? You decide the amount.
12 Angles Stone
One of the greatest treasures of Cusco can be seen completely free of charge? Yes! The 12 Angles Stone is part of an Inca wall that is located in Hatunrumiyoc Street, just a few blocks away from the Plaza de Armas.
This stone is located in the external part of the Palace of the Archbishopric of Cusco, which at the time of Tahuantinsuyo was the residence of Inca Roca, and it has great popularity due to its incredible perfection; in spite of having 12 angles, the Incas knew how to work it, polish it and make it fit perfectly with the rest of the rocks that surround it.
Of course, if you want to take a picture with it, you will have to arm yourself with patience, since the street in which it is located is quite narrow and it is full of tourists who come here to know the great architectural legacy of the Inca culture in Cusco.
As you can see, visiting Cusco and learning about its history does not have to mean a large outlay of money. Do you want to come to Cusco? We wait for you on our trains to Machu Picchu! If you want to know more about them, visit www.incarail.com