Visas & entry
Many North American, EU/UK, Australian and several Latin American passport holders can usually enter Peru visa-free for tourism, often for up to 90 days; length granted is set by immigration and requirements can change. Check Peru’s consulate or immigration authority before booking, especially if arriving overland or with an unusual passport.
Getting in
- Lima Jorge Chávez International Airport: The overwhelmingly useful international gateway and the domestic-flight hub. Most serious itineraries begin and end here; use it to connect to Cusco, Arequipa, the Amazon and the north rather than attempting heroic overland links.
- Cusco Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport: The operational air gateway for the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and Cusco. Most flights connect through Lima; fly in, then consider sleeping lower in the Sacred Valley before tackling Cusco’s altitude.
- Arequipa Rodríguez Ballón International Airport: The sensible gateway for Arequipa and Colca Canyon, usually via Lima. It is far more efficient than trying to bolt Colca onto a Cusco itinerary by road.
- Juliaca Inca Manco Cápac International Airport: The practical airport for Puno and Lake Titicaca, roughly an hour from Puno by road. Use it for Titicaca or Bolivia-bound itineraries, not as a casual add-on to a short Cusco trip.
- Puerto Maldonado or Iquitos: These are fly-in Amazon gateways, normally reached from Lima or, for Puerto Maldonado, often via Cusco. Puerto Maldonado is the easier Tambopata add-on; Iquitos is for river lodges and Pacaya-Samiria.
Getting around
Peru is not a rail country: trains are destination experiences, chiefly Ollantaytambo/Cusco–Machu Picchu and scenic Cusco–Puno services, not a national transport solution. Domestic flights save enormous time on the Lima–Cusco and Lima–Arequipa axes; mountain buses and private transfers are slow, exposed and often consume a full day. Rent a car only for a self-contained regional road trip, avoid night driving, and keep buffer time because weather, strikes and demonstrations can close roads, rail lines or airport access.
Money
The currency is the Peruvian sol (S/ or PEN). Cards work well at better hotels, restaurants and shops in Lima, Cusco and Arequipa, but carry soles for markets, small towns, taxis, tips and rural transfers; do not rely on cards in the Andes or Amazon. Tipping is discretionary: round up small bills, leave roughly 10% for good restaurant service if it is not included, and tip guides, drivers and trekking staff separately.
Daily budget · Peruvian sol (PEN; written S/). Rough USD equivalents vary with exchange rates.
- Value
- S/200–330 (about US$60–95), excluding international flights.
- Mid-range
- S/410–680 (about US$120–200), excluding international flights.
- High-end
- S/1,020–2,200+ (about US$300–650+), excluding international flights.
- Value covers hostels or simple shared doubles, menú/set lunches, local restaurants, buses or shared vans, basic tours and some self-guided days.
- Mid-range covers good 3–4-star hotels, taxis/rideshare, better restaurants, guides and small-group tours; spreading domestic flights across the trip belongs in this band.
- High-end means top Lima dining, upscale Sacred Valley or Amazon lodges, private drivers and guides, premium Machu Picchu rail, and luxury train journeys.
- Do not treat Machu Picchu days, multi-day treks or Amazon lodges as ordinary daily costs: permits, trains, buses, guides, porters, transfers and lodge packages can push them far above these averages.
- The biggest cost drivers are Machu Picchu logistics, Inca Trail-style treks, Amazon operations, internal flights, private transfers, Lima tasting menus and premium Sacred Valley lodging.
- June–August and major holiday periods raise hotel and transport prices. Save intelligently by using local lunches—often around S/10–18 in Lima—and spending selectively on the expensive, hard-to-substitute experiences rather than upgrading every hotel or train.
Eating well
- Eat ceviche at lunch, not dinner: seafood is freshest then, and many proper cevicherías close after the lunch service.
- Use Lima’s celebrated tasting-menu restaurants for one intentional splurge, not as a substitute for eating across Peru’s regional traditions.
- In Arequipa, seek out a traditional picantería rather than defaulting to tourist restaurants.
- Go early for Arequipa’s adobo; it is commonly a morning or weekend dish and is not something to count on finding at dinner.
- A Lima set lunch can still cost roughly S/10–18; restaurant prestige, hotel level and guided excursions—not ordinary local meals—drive most food-trip spending.
Book before you land
Machu Picchu timed entry circuit and any optional mountain route · Classic Inca Trail or Short Inca Trail permit · Ollantaytambo/Cusco–Machu Picchu train in June–August, holidays and tight itineraries · Inti Raymi official grandstand tickets in Cusco (June 24) · Well-regarded Amazon lodge packages and transfers, especially in peak season
- Treat Cusco, the Sacred Valley, Colca, Huaraz and especially Puno as altitude destinations, not quick sightseeing stops. Arrive gently, hydrate, avoid overexertion and do not schedule a major hike immediately after landing.
- Machu Picchu is timed and circuit-based; your ticket, train and bus timing must match. It is not a place to arrive and improvise.
- Build a buffer night before an international flight or any non-refundable onward connection. Demonstrations and weather disruptions are irregular but can shut transport with little warning.
- Lima’s airport is not a useful base for the city. Stay in Miraflores for convenience or Barranco for character, and allow for serious traffic.
- Do not drive mountain roads at night. Distances look manageable on a map but passes, switchbacks, weather and roadworks make travel much slower than expected.
- Use official taxis or reputable ride-hailing where available, keep valuables unobtrusive in cities and buses, and avoid unvetted animal encounters or ayahuasca operations in the Amazon.
Entry rules change — verify visa requirements for your passport before booking this country.
Season by season
December–March
Coastal Peru is warmest and sunniest, while the Andes and Amazon are wet, with afternoon rain, muddy trekking trails, cloudier Machu Picchu conditions and occasional transport disruption.
Lima and beach weatherParacas and Huacachinanorth-coast traveltravelers avoiding high altitude
Cusco, the Sacred Valley, Huaraz and Colca are less reliable for hiking; the Amazon is hot, humid and wet, and the Inca Trail closes in February.
April–May
Andean rains generally ease, the hills remain green, crowds are lighter than peak winter, and Lima, the southern Andes and the Amazon combine well in one trip.
first-time Peru itinerariesMachu Picchu and Sacred ValleyArequipa and Colcamixed city, food and landscape trips
Highland nights start turning cold, and Semana Santa can sharply raise domestic demand when it falls in March or April.
June–August
This is the dry, bright Andean high season: clear mountain views and dependable trekking days, but very cold nights at altitude; Lima is usually cool, grey and humid under coastal fog.
Inca Trail and other treksMachu Picchu and CuscoHuaraz mountain travelColca and Lake Titicaca
Cusco-region trains, guides, strong hotels and treks are at their busiest and priciest, especially around Inti Raymi and the July national holidays.
September–November
September and October remain relatively dry in the Andes with milder nights and thinner crowds; by November, rain increasingly returns to Cusco and the Amazon while Lima begins to brighten.
shoulder-season hikingMachu Picchu without peak-season crowdsSacred Valley and Arequipatravelers wanting a better Lima-and-Andes balance
Weather becomes progressively less predictable later in the season, particularly for trekking and Amazon plans.
Events worth planning around
Classic and Short Inca Trail annual closure · February · Cusco region / Inca Trail
Both trails close for maintenance for the month; Machu Picchu normally remains open, but plan a train-based visit or another trek instead.
Semana Santa · Usually March or April; dates vary · Nationwide, with strong domestic travel demand
Hotels and transport can tighten up around the holiday; avoid fragile same-day connections and reserve key internal travel early.
Inti Raymi · June 24 · Cusco, including Qorikancha, Plaza de Armas and Sacsayhuamán
Cusco fills up and prices rise; reserve accommodation and official main-viewing-area tickets well ahead.
Fiestas Patrias · Around July 28–29 · Nationwide
A major domestic holiday period that increases demand for flights, buses and hotels; build slack into any onward or international connection.
What to eat
Do not treat Peru as a ceviche stop. Its food changes sharply by region: Lima is the national dining capital and the place for criollo, chifa and Nikkei cooking; Arequipa is the country’s great traditional regional-food city; the coast, Andes and Amazon each have their own ingredients and cooking logic. Spend one serious meal on Lima’s contemporary scene, then eat locally and plainly elsewhere rather than chasing tasting menus across the country.
CevicheTiraditoCausaAnticuchosArroz con mariscosLomo saltadoAjí de gallinaCarapulcraArroz chaufaRocoto relleno with pastel de papa (Arequipa)
Lima: Ceviche and tiradito · Causa, anticuchos, arroz con mariscos, lomo saltado and ají de gallina · Chifa dishes, especially arroz chaufa · Nikkei cooking · Contemporary restaurants including Central, Maido, Kjolle, Mayta and Mérito
Arequipa: Traditional picantería cooking · Rocoto relleno with pastel de papa · Chupe de camarones · Ocopa arequipeña · Solterito and adobo arequipeño; cuy chactado for the full local experience