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Getting There By Air:

Aeropuerto Alejandro Velasco Astete (CUZ)
Tel: (84) 222 611/01.

Situated 4km (2.5 miles) south of Cusco city center, Aeropuerto Velasco Astete is a nucleus in the South American travel network and caters to thousands of travelers every week. Most flights arrive and depart in the morning as climatic conditions in the afternoon make taking off and landing harder.

Facilities at the airport include restaurants and cafés, car rental agencies, tour operators, travel agencies, ATMs, currency exchange and a good choice of shops, including duty-free.

The simplest way to reach the city center is to take a taxi from outside the arrivals hall (journey time 5-10 minutes). Taxis do not have meters so fares must be fixed in advance. Alternatively pick up a collectivo bus from the airport car park. The airport is full of tour touts who should be avoided.

Getting There By Road:

Speed limits are 100kph (62mph) on motorways and vary on smaller roads - either 80kph (50mph) or 45kph (28mph). Even so, few Peruvians seem to stick to these limits. The maximum legal alcohol to blood ratio for driving is 0.08%. On-the-spot fines are applied for drink-driving, speeding and other traffic offences, such as driving through a red light.

The minimum age for driving is 18 years. To enter Peru in a private vehicle, the driver needs an International Driving Permit, proof of customs payment (libreta de pago por la aduana) and a registration document in the name of the driver. Proof of insurance (best arranged in the visitor’s home country) is also needed. A non-extendable 90-day transit permit (Formulario 015) is available at land borders and allows travelers to bring a vehicle into Peru. There is no charge. International driving permits are technically only valid for 30 days in Peru, after which a permit from the Touring y Automóvil Club del Peru is required. In practice a UK or US photo license is generally accepted without question.

The Touring and Automobile Club of Peru (Touring y Automóvil Club del Peru) (tel: (01) 441 0345), with offices in most provincial cities, is helpful.

Emergency breakdown services
There is no general emergency breakdown number in Peru. Most rental agencies have breakdown arrangements agreed with a particular insurance company.

Cusco has a long distance bus terminal, Terminal Terrestre, 2km (1.25 miles) southeast from the city center, at Avenida Vallegos Santoni, on the way to the airport. Buses from and to most major cities leave and arrive from this station, although smaller towns in the Cusco region are still serviced from other stops, so check carefully in advance.

There are two options from Lima. Most direct buses now follow the route via Abancay and Nazca (journey time 18-23 hours), although this can be a rough, punishing drive in bad weather. The longer, more comfortable alternative is to travel via Arequipa (journey time 25-30 hours). Ormeño (tel: 84 227 501), Cruz del Sur (tel: 84 221 909), Expreso Molino (tel: 84 249 512) and Palomino (tel: 84 222 694) all ply these routes. Companies with bus services to Juliaca (journey time 5 hours) and Puno (journey time 6 hours) include Ormeño and First Class (tel: 84 223 102). Buses to La Paz and Copacabana in Bolivia, and Tacna on the Chilean border also leave from Terminal Terrestre.

Getting There By Rail:

Cusco has two train stations. Estación Huanchac (tel: (84) 238 722), near the southern end of Avenida Sol, which has arrivals from and departures for Urcos, Juliaca and Puno. Estación San Pedro (tel: (84) 221 992), near the central market, is the most regularly used station in Peru, with several daily services arriving from and departing to Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu, via Poroy and Ollantaytambo. For the most up-to-date timetables check www.perurail.com.

To get to the city center from Estación Huanchac, either hail a taxi on the street outside the station or turn left at the entrance and walk about 100m (328ft) to Avenida Sol where you can pick up the airport collectivo bus. Alternatively walk the eight blocks uphill to Plaza de Armas. From Estación San Pedro you can pick up a taxi or collectivo. Alternatively, turn left up Cascaparo, then right on to Santa Clara and walk the five blocks to Plaza de Armas.

Getting Around:

Public Transport
Since the city center is so small, the cheapest and easiest way to get around is by walking from place to place. There is no metro or urban rail service in Cusco, so the alternatives are to hail a taxi, to use the city bus network or to take a collectivo bus.

The complicated bus network is cheap and fast, if you can work out where it’s going. Most buses are unregulated and simply chalk their destinations in the window. More useful are the large number of collectivos that run up and down Avenida Sol every couple of minutes, charging a flat fare and stopping wherever you want them to. The Tranvia (tel: (84) 224 377) is a free-rolling tourist tram service, which departs from Portal Comercio on the Plaza de Armas to conduct twice-daily, two hour hop-on, hop-off tours of central Cusco.

Taxis
Taxis can be flagged down on most streets, particularly around Plaza de Armas, Avenida Sol and the central market. Taxis belonging to an official company have a roof light and company phone number and are safer than unregulated pirate cabs, which have occasionally been linked to tourist muggings.

It is safest to order a taxi through your hotel, so that they know who you are going with. Reliable firms include Aló Taxi (tel: (84) 222 222; website: www.alocusco.com) and Llama Taxi (tel: (84) 222 000), both of whose drivers are licensed and carry photo ID. There is a standard fare for rides within the city center. You can also hire a taxi for a day to visit sites around Cusco, in which case you should pay the driver half the fare at the start of the service and half at the end.

Car Hire
You won’t need a car to get around Cusco. Should you wish to explore further afield, a decent selection of vehicles can be hired from Avis who have outlets at the airport and at Avenida Sol 808 (tel: (84) 248 800; website: www.avis.com). You must be over 25 to drive a hire car and daily rates vary.

Bicycle Hire
Loreto Tours (tel: (84) 226 331) rent out bicycles and motorbikes for the day.

Related Peru Content

Peru Airport Guides: Jorge Chávez Lima-Callao International	Peru City Guides: Cusco City Guide Lima City Guide
Peru Attraction Guides:
Arequipa-Colca Canyon (Canon del Colca-Arequipa) Lake Titicaca, (Lago Titicaca) Peru	Machu Picchu Manu National Park (Parque Nacional del Manu)