The streets of Cusco have some of the most welcoming destinations to visit, the following list of 10 streets in Cusco where you can take a photo for your Instagram was selected by ourselves considering the most outstanding points that our clients have always liked.
In this post, you will learn what stands out about each of these places, the best camera angles, as well as a little of its history and we will leave you a link that will take you to Google Maps so that you can locate yourself super easily. once you are in the city.
Likewise, here we leave you a video so that you can have a visual perspective or save yourself the reading. Let’s begin:
1. Calle 7 Borreguitos:
Let’s start with the most attractive street for Instagram, 7 borreguitos (7 little lamps) just a 7-minute walk from the main square of Cusco; This street stands out for how colorful it is, its pots of multicolored geraniums plus the subtle wall paintings with allusions to nature and its steps give it the perfect contrast for a good shot.
This street in Cusco is known as 7 Borreguitos because in ancient times women used to take their clothes to wash in the nearby river and took the opportunity to graze their sheep. They would stay chatting for hours and hours until they finished their daily tasks. Little by little, the people of Cusco began calling it Borreguitos, and later, since 7 is a biblical number, they finally gave it the name 7 Borreguitos.
Some reference photos of the place:
Location of the place: Click HERE and it will take you to Google Maps.
2. Sapantiana Aqueduct:
Just a few meters beyond 7 Borreguitos Street is the colonial Sapantiana Aqueduct, which played an important role during the Inca and Viceroyalty periods in supplying water to the city.
Some reference photos of the place:
Location of the place: Click HERE and it will take you to Google Maps.
3. San Cristobal view point:
A perfect spot for a plan with your partner or friends is the San Cristóbal Viewpoint, which offers a spectacular panoramic view of the city of Cusco.
The best time to visit this place is between 4:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., when you can admire beautiful sunsets. Whether it is cloudy or sunny, the view is truly worth it.
Some reference photos of the place:
Location of the place: Click HERE and it will take you to Google Maps.
4. Calle 7 culebras:
One of the lesser-known streets in Cusco is 7 Culebras, a small passage that separates a 5-star hotel from the Church of San Antonio Abad in Plaza Nazarenas.
There you will find Inca walls with very fine masonry and some peculiar serpent carvings, 7 in total, from which the name comes. During the Inca period, this place was a house of academic studies. The Incas associated the serpent with the spiritual world and knowledge, which is why they carved these small serpents in high relief.
Some reference photos of the place:
Location of the place: Click HERE and it will take you to Google Maps.
5. Plaza de Armas:
The Main Square of the city of Cusco is the largest among all the cities in Peru. It stands out for the construction of the Cathedral, the Church of the Society of Jesus, its fountain in the central area topped with an Inca figure, and of course its beautiful and well-maintained lawns with queuña trees.
A place of countless historical events, from Inca feasts when they defeated other armies, the death of Túpac Amaru I (the last Inca of the resistance to the conquest), the royal weddings celebrated between Incas and Spaniards to strengthen alliances, the Corpus Christi processions among Incas and Spaniards, the death of Túpac Amaru II, Simón Bolívar, and much more history that could fill another post or video on our YouTube channel.
Some reference photos of the place:
Location of the place: Click HERE and it will take you to Google Maps.
6. Cristo Blanco view point:
Another interesting and beautiful place to visit is Cristo Blanco. This beautiful viewpoint is located just about half an hour to forty-five minutes walking from Cusco’s Main Square.
A 5-meter-high statue of Christ Jesus, resembling Christ the Redeemer in Brazil, overlooks the city of Cusco.
The best time to visit this viewpoint is frankly at any time of the day. However, if you do not want to run into many tourists trying to take a photo, the best time is early in the morning (keep in mind that this is relative to the tourism seasons in Cusco).
Below is a reference video of the place and two other viewpoints:
Location of the place: Click HERE and it will take you to Google Maps.
7. 12 angled stone:
Of all the destinations mentioned above on this list, this is the most popular of all. First, because Cusqueña beer adopted it as a kind of emblem engraved on its bottle, and second, because every tourist who passes through this street and notices the stone is amazed when seeing its intricate shapes.
Located on Hatun Rumioq Street, two blocks from Cusco’s Main Square, behind the city’s Cathedral, there is a beautiful Inca carving known as:
The 12-Angled Stone, whose architectural purpose was to help Inca builders fit together a series of blocks that connect around this beautiful carving.
On the stones located around it and a few steps farther from the 12-Angled Stone, it is still possible to notice that the Incas left the enclosure under construction and were giving it the final finishing touches. Due to various political, military, and economic circumstances that the Inca Empire went through, unfortunately it was never completed.
If you happen to pass through this place, do not hesitate to take a beautiful souvenir photo.
Location of the place: Click HERE and it will take you to Google Maps.
8. Resbalosa Street:
Among the streets of Cusco, you will find this street decorated with blue and light-blue flowerpots and geraniums, offering you a view of the Church of the Society of Jesus and Cusco’s Main Square. Small but very picturesque, this is what Resbalosa Street looks like.
Location of the place: Click HERE and it will take you to Google Maps.
9. San Francisco Convent:
A little-visited place but one that is worth visiting because of all the history kept within its walls, the San Francisco Convent has a courtyard with green shrubs and a giant pine tree with a water fountain in the center. Around it, there is a series of very old paintings about the life and works of the Christian saint Francis of Assisi.
Likewise, inside this convent you will find some very interesting catacombs, particularly one where you will find an inscription made with the bones of the deceased that says: What I was, you are; what I am, you will be.
The entrance fee to this place is 10.00 soles per person.
Location of the place: Click HERE and it will take you to Google Maps.
10. Convent of Our Lady of Mercy:
Another of the less crowded places that we recommend visiting is the Convent of La Merced in Cusco. Beyond the photo, this is another very interesting place to learn a little more about the history of the conquest, as well as the evangelization process that took place in Peru and how the local indigenous people received it. The history could be different from what is commonly found on the internet.
This enclosure has a courtyard decorated with a beautiful garden, around which you will find walls and columns in the Baroque style, simply beautiful.
One of the rooms of this convent houses the golden monstrance of the city of Cusco, which is only exhibited during Holy Week.
The entrance fee to this convent is 15.00 soles per person.
Location of the place: Click HERE and it will take you to Google Maps.
Conclusions:
Beyond the photos you can take in the places mentioned above, each of them holds a small piece of Cusco’s history, which is full of life and experiences in the present century.
If you have some free time, we recommend visiting at least a couple of these beautiful destinations. However, this blog is designed so that you can visit all of them in a single day on your own or, if you prefer, with a professional guide.
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