My 1 Week Peru Itinerary: 7 Days from Lima to Cusco

When I was travelling in South America this year, I spent a total of three weeks in Peru, including a few chill days in Lima and hiking the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu. I spent just over a week travelling from Lima to Cusco along the south-west coast, and this 7-day Peru itinerary shows how I did it.

If you’ve done any research at all, you’ll probably know that seven days is not a lot of time to spend in Peru. There’s so much to see here, from the vibrant culture of Peru’s larger cities, to Inca ruins, to the Amazon rainforest.

I didn’t go to the north of Peru to visit the Amazon rainforest, and to be honest I think it would be almost impossible to go there in 7 days if you want to see anything else in Peru. So, if you want to visit the Amazon then bear in mind that you’d have to sacrifice a fair chunk of this 7-day itinerary to do so. (Amazon or not, I had the best time in Peru, and I’m sure that you will, too.)

Guided Tours & Peru Hop

If it were me with only 7 days in Peru, I would consider taking a guided tour, depending on my budget. They can be quite pricey, but their itineraries are planned so well that it’s the best way to see the most things in a short amount of time. They also take the stress out of planning and travelling and will do their best to fix something if it goes wrong.

In 2021 I took a trip around Costa Rica with G Adventures, and I loved it. (This was before I started writing about travelling and I paid full price for my trip.) I definitely made the most of the short amount of time I had in Costa Rica and our local guide was absolutely great.

Another more budget option is to take one of the hop-on-hop-off bus services through Peru, such as Peru Hop or Wayki Bus. You can buy a package that includes all of your bus travel between various destinations, all you have to do is get in touch with customer service the day before you want to travel and they sort it all for you. It’s more pricey than booking the buses separately, but they come with a tour guide and added stops and experiences along the way which, again, allow you to see more if you’re short on time.

I took a Peru Hop / Bolivia Hop bus from Puno (Peru) to La Paz (Bolivia) and had a great experience.

Considering Altitude on Your 7 Day Peru Itinerary

This seven day itinerary that I’ve created (based very much on my own trip) begins in Lima, because that’s where most international flights arrive and, as I have mentioned in previous articles, I don’t think it’s a good idea to fly straight to Cusco and spend your first couple of days adjusting to the high altitude whilst trudging around the Inca ruins! This itinerary takes you up to Cusco, stopping at middle-altitude cities along the way to give your body time to slowly adjust. 

Altitude sickness is no joke, and Cusco is 3,399 metres above sea level. Not something you want to be dealing with on your first day in Peru!

Adding Overnight Buses to Your Peru Itinerary

Something that really helped me travel quickly through Peru was taking overnight buses. I know they’re not for everyone, but you really can get a good night’s sleep on an overnight bus in Peru because they are really comfortable. They’re known to be the most comfortable in South America, and they’re definitely more comfortable than buses in Europe! This is partly because they don’t have trains in South America and buses are often the only way to travel, whereas in Europe it’s seen as the “budget” alternative to taking a train.

Overnight buses are a great way to travel, because you get more time at your destinations instead of wasting time on a travel day. This is especially important if you only have seven days. I have included overnight buses in this 7-day itinerary, but I have also included how to modify your itinerary if you really want to avoid them. 

The cheapest way to book your bus tickets is directly at the bus station (but if you remember my story about a bus cancellation in Argentina, you’ll know why I don’t recommend this). You can also book with popular Peru bus companies, like Cruz del Sur, directly online, which is a great option. For just one or two dollars more you can also book through a third party website like BusBud.

When I was travelling I did a mix of all three options, and BusBud is great if you’re struggling to navigate the company’s own website, or if you want access to customer service in English (although it does usually cost a dollar or two more).

🇵🇪 More about Peru: Guide to Planning a Peru Itinerary

🚌 Book your tickets with: BusBud

*Just so you know, we sometimes make a small commission on purchases made through some links on this website, at no extra cost to you.

Peru Itinerary 7 Days

Day 1: Start Your Itinerary in Lima

Whether you land in Lima the day before you officially start counting your seven days in Peru, or if you land on your first day, it’s good to spend a little time exploring the city. People often say “get out of Lima as soon as you can” because there are so many more exciting things to do, but in my opinion it’s always important to explore a capital city!

Unless you’re a surfer, in which case you may want to spend the majority of your trip in the Pacific Ocean, the two things I really loved in Lima were the street art tour in Barranco, and trying some really good food. I did a free walking tour in Barranco (there are loads to choose from), but there are also paid options if you want to pair your tour with a food tasting, other districts in Lima, or if you want to take the tour on a bike!

Traditional Peruvian cuisine does include some interesting choices (like guinea pig and llama meat), but Lima especially is famous for its ceviche, as well as Central, the best restaurant in the world (and many more that come close!).

📍Book: Street Art Tour of Barranco

🛏 Where I stayed in Lima: Ancestral Hostel

*By the way, I only include the hostel I stayed at if I liked it. If I don’t recommend a hostel for a location, it means I didn’t like where I stayed but I’m too nice to bad-mouth them 😉

Days 2-3 (option 1): Travel to Huacachina

In this itinerary, you have two options for day 2. Both of them are doable either with a service like Wayki Bus or Peru Hop, or bookable yourself. The good thing about using one of the hop-on-hop-off bus services is that they will pick you up at 5am (okay, that depends on how you view “a good thing”), which gets you to Paracas in time to do a boat tour of the Ballestas Islands in the morning and then continue on to Huacachina the same day. 

I did this with Wayki Bus, but decided to stay in Paracas overnight rather than going to Huacachina the same day. Honestly, I didn’t find that there was much more to do in Paracas and may as well have continued on my way!

Huacachina is a small desert oasis just outside of the city of Ica. The main activities to do here are sand boarding or skiing on the sand dunes, visiting the beach, or climbing the sand dunes to watch the sunset. The pisco sours here are also great!

(Note: if you make a stop in Paracas, you may not arrive in time to hit the sand dunes before it gets dark, but that’s okay, there will be time tomorrow.).

🚌 Lima to Paracas: 4 hours

🚌 Paracas to Huacachina: 1.5 hours

🛏 Where I stayed in Huacachina: Viajero Hostel Huacachina

Days 2-3 (option 2): Nazca & The Nazca Lines

If getting sand all up in every crevice of your being isn’t your vibe, you can check out the Nazca lines instead. The bus from Lima to Nazca is a long old way, so I’d recommend taking the earliest bus you can face waking up for!

The best thing you can see in Nazca is the Nazca Lines, ancient geoglyphs carved into the Peruvian desert. You can do this by visiting the watchtower or taking a short flight. If you’re able to get up early (or, even more bravely, take the overnight bus that arrives at 5am), you may be able to do this on the same day. Otherwise, you can schedule it for the next day.

🚌 Lima to Nazca: 7-8 hours

🇵🇪 More about Peru: How to Get from Lima Airport to Miraflores

Night 3: Overnight Bus to Arequipa

During the day on day 3, you’ll either be hitting up the sand dunes in Huacachina or soaring over the Nazca lines. But how will you get on to your next destination? Night bus! 

If you want to avoid the night bus, then you will have to either: skip Paracas and see Huacachina on day 2, or get to Nazca early enough to see the Nazca lines on day 2. That will free up day 3 for a day of travel. 

🚌 Ica to Arequipa: 12-13 hours

🚌 Nazca to Arequipa: 10 hours

Day 4 & 5: Arequipa

Arequipa was my favourite city in Lima, which is why I’ve given you two days here. There’s just something magical in the air. Arequipa is a great place for both things to do in the city, and day trips to take, the best of which is Colca Canyon. Colca Canyon is usually visited as a multi-day hike, but without the luxury of time on your hands it can be done as a day trip, too.

The best thing I did here in the “white city” of Arequipa was take the Yellow Umbrella free walking tour. It is one of the best free walking tours I’ve ever done; you get to see so much of Arequipa’s historic centre, taste several local foods, and even feed some llamas at the end.

🛏 Where I stayed in Arequipa: Arequipay Backpackers Downtown

Night 5: Overnight Bus to Cusco

The overnight bus to Cusco takes you to some serious altitudes (but don’t worry, it comes back down again… to a measly 3,399 metres above sea level). Luckily your body will have slowly started to adjust in Arequipa (another reason that it’s best to spend two days there).

On the overnight bus that I took with Cruz del Sur, they gave out water and salty snacks to everyone on board, presumably to keep our stomachs settled.

If you don’t want to take the overnight bus, you also have the option of taking a short internal flight.

🚌 Arequipa to Cusco: 10-11 hours

🇵🇪 More about Peru: 24 Unmissable Landmarks in Peru

Day 6: Cusco

There are so many different trips you can take from Cusco city, but I wouldn’t blame you if you’re exhausted by this point and want to stay put! Luckily Cusco itself is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and there is plenty to see and do in Cusco’s own San Pedro Market and other local markets. Walking around the city has a magical feel to it, although it is somewhat dampened by salespeople in the streets.

Day 7: Machu Picchu

What better way to finish your trip in Peru than Machu Picchu? Whilst some say it’s overrated, I wholeheartedly disagree. I always like to recommend hiking to Machu Picchu (I did the Salkantay Trek, but the Inca Trail is the most popular option), but you won’t have time to do this unless you plan your entire 7-day itinerary around doing the trek.

You can take a full day trip to Machu Picchu, leaving Cusco with an early start and arriving into Aguas Calientes by train. (When I was there, some of the train was replaced by a bus service, but I think it has been fixed now!). From Aguas Calientes train station, you can choose to either hike to Machu Picchu or take the bus. You can pre-arrange all of this with a tour operator, or you can book your tickets DIY. Either way, make sure to plan in advance as tickets to Machu Picchu sell out quickly.

What to do Next?

If your 7 days in Peru is all you have, congratulations, you reached the end of your trip! If you’re planning to travel to Peru as part of a longer trip, you can head on from Cusco to Lake Titicaca and into Bolivia, again all by bus. I took the daytime bus from Cusco to Puno, spent the night there in a hostel, then took a bus from Puno to La Paz making a quick stop at Uros Island.

If you have an international flight waiting for you from Lima, you can take a short internal flight from Cusco to Lima in less than two hours.