Self-Launched Inca Journey: Lima to Cusco & Machu Picchu

Land at Jorge Chávez Airport (LIM) and skip the private transfer: take the Airport Express Lima bus to Miraflores (~S/20-25, about £5, 45-60 min depending on traffic) or a legal taxi from the official counter (~S/60-70, £14-16). Check into a hostel or budget hotel in Miraflores or Barranco. Spend the afternoon walking the Malecón clifftop path to Parque del Amor, and if it's evening, head to the Circuito Mágico del Agua in Parque de la Reserva (entry ~S/4-5, £1) — do this independently rather than the operator's dinner package. Eat at a menú del día spot (~S/12-18, £3-4) or a ceviche counter in Barranco. Book your Machu Picchu entry, train and any site tickets online tonight if you haven't already.

🚌Airport Express Lima bus ~£5 or official taxi ~£15

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in Miraflores/Barranco (dorm ~£10-14, private ~£20-28)

• →Malecón walk & Parque del Amor
• →Circuito Mágico del Agua (Parque de la Reserva)
• →Barranco street art and ceviche dinner

Do the historic centre under your own steam: start at Plaza Mayor, then Lima Cathedral (entry ~S/10-15), the Casa Aliaga (guided entry ~S/30, book a slot online), and the Convento de Santo Domingo. In the afternoon take a taxi or Metropolitano bus to the Museo Larco in Pueblo Libre (entry ~S/35, ~£7) — allow 2 hours for the pre-Columbian gold and silver galleries. Alternatively join a free walking tour of the centre (tip-based, ~£5-8 tip) or a GetYourGuide/ Civitatis city-tour slot if you want a guide. Eat anticuchos from a street grill in the evening (~S/10).

🚌Metropolitano bus ~S/2.5 per ride plus taxis (~£5 total)

🛏Same hostel/guesthouse, Miraflores or Barranco (~£10-28)

• →Plaza Mayor & Lima Cathedral
• →Casa Aliaga
• →Convento de Santo Domingo
• →Museo Larco
• →Optional tip-based free walking tour

Two options: a budget flight Lima–Cusco (~£50-90 one-way with Sky/LATAM/Viva, 1h15) or the overnight Cruz del Sur / Oltursa bus (~£25-35, 20-22 hrs) if you want to save money and acclimatise gradually — if you bus it, shift this day's sights to Day 4 and drop the Sacred Valley day. On arrival take a taxi or combi into the centre (~S/10-15) and check into a guesthouse in San Blas or around Plaza de Armas. Go slow on day one at 3,400 m: coca tea, water, no big meals. In the afternoon buy the Boleto Turístico (partial ~S/70, full ~S/130) and visit Qorikancha/Santo Domingo (separate ~S/15), Cusco Cathedral (~S/25) and walk up to Sacsayhuamán, Q'enqo and Puka Pukara, which are all on one ticket and reachable on foot or by a short taxi.

🚌Flight ~£50-90 or overnight bus ~£25-35; local taxis/combi ~£3

🛏Family-run guesthouse in Cusco centro/San Blas (dorm ~£9-12, private ~£18-25)

• →Qorikancha / Santo Domingo Convent
• →Cusco Cathedral
• →Sacsayhuamán, Q'enqo and Puka Pukara
• →Boleto Turístico purchase

Skip the private tour: catch a colectivo or combi from Cusco to Urubamba (~S/7-10, 1.5 hrs), then a local taxi or shared van up to Moray (agree a return price, ~S/40-60 per vehicle) for the circular Inca terraces (entry on the Boleto Turístico). Continue to the Maras salt pans (Salineras, entry ~S/10) and walk down the valley path between the two (about 1 hr, bring water and sun protection). Return to Urubamba and take a combi back to Cusco. If you'd rather not figure out connections, a GetYourGuide day tour of Moray, Maras and Chinchero runs roughly £20-30 per person — still a fraction of the operator's private version. In the evening buy your Machu Picchu entry (S/152 general adult) and train tickets online.

🚌Colectivo Cusco–Urubamba ~£3 return, shared taxi to Moray/Maras ~£5-8

🛏Same Cusco guesthouse (~£9-25)

• →Moray archaeological site
• →Maras salt pans (Salineras)
• →Optional guided Sacred Valley day tour (~£20-30)

Take the early PeruRail or Inca Rail train from Poroy/Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes (book online in advance, ~£45-65 one-way for the standard Vistadome/Expedition class; cheaper if you book far ahead). Drop your bag at your guesthouse, then take the Consettur bus up to Machu Picchu (~$24/£19 return) or walk the 1.5-hr trail up. Enter on your timed slot and either explore with a licensed guide you hire at the gate (~S/80-120 per group, split with other travellers) or use a self-launched audio/route map — the circuit is one-way only, so decide which circuit (classic vs. Machu Picchu Mountain) when booking. Lunch at the simple eateries in Aguas Calientes (~S/20-30) instead of Café Inkaterra. In the evening soak at the Baños Termales (~S/10).

🚌Train ~£45-65 one-way; Consettur bus ~£19 return

🛏Budget guesthouse in Aguas Calientes (private ~£18-28; dorm dorms limited)

• →PeruRail/Inca Rail train to Aguas Calientes
• →Machu Picchu entry with optional local guide
• →Baños Termales hot springs

If you secured a second Machu Picchu entry or a Huayna Picchu (or Inti Punku/Montaña) permit when booking — these sell out weeks ahead — do the early-morning hike (Huayna Picchu ~1.5-2 hrs up and down, extra ~S/50-60 on top of entry). Otherwise do the short Putucusi or Mandor waterfall walk from town (free/low cost). Take the afternoon train back to Ollantaytambo or Poroy (~£45-65), then a colectivo or combi from Ollantaytambo to Cusco (~S/10-15, 1.5 hrs) or a shared van from Poroy (~S/5). Check back into a Cusco guesthouse and have a low-key dinner — try chiri uchu or lomo saltado at a local picantería (~S/20).

🚌Return train ~£45-65 plus combi ~£3

🛏Cusco guesthouse (~£9-25)

• →Huayna Picchu or Inti Punku hike (permit required)
• →Mandor waterfall walk
• →Return train and combi to Cusco

Morning at San Pedro Market for breakfast, juice and souvenirs (~S/15), then a wander through San Blas artisan streets or the Museo de Arte Precolombino if time allows (~S/20). Take a taxi or the local bus to Alejandro Velasco Astete Airport (CUZ) — a taxi is ~S/15-20, £3-4, about 15-20 mins from the centre. If you're flying back via Lima, allow at least 2.5 hrs connection. If you were on the bus option, this final morning gives you a buffer for the long road back.

🚌Taxi to CUZ airport ~£4

🛏None (departure day)

• →San Pedro Market
• →San Blas artisan quarter
• →Museo de Arte Precolombino (optional)