A few weeks ago I posted all about the hiking the Inca Trail (Part 1 and Part 2), but my trip to Peru was more than just hiking. Natalie, Danielle, Elizabeth and I also spent some time exploring Cusco and Lima.

We spent about four days in Cusco: two days before the hike and two days after. We were able to walk around and explore a lot of the city. Below are the highlights!

Where we stayed:

Terra Andina: We stayed here for the first days in Cusco before we left for the Inca Trail hike. It was a nice, simple hotel within walking distance from the Plaza de Armas. They had coca tea in the lobby and free breakfast in the morning – a buffet of coffee, tea, made to order omelets, hard boiled eggs, ham, cheese, fruit, toast, rolls, jam, and unsweetened puffed cereal. I love breakfast food, so this made me super happy. What didn’t make me happy was the unreliable wifi. Sometimes we could connect, sometimes we couldn’t. The beds were super comfortable and I slept like a baby.

Casa Andina Classic: This is where we stayed after we returned from the hike. It was only a few blocks away from the Plaza de Armas and was a little bit nicer and a little more expensive than the Terra Andina. They also had tea in the lobby and an amazing breakfast buffet, but their wifi was much more dependable.

Where we ate:

Antojito’s: The people at Quechuas Expeditions recommended this restaurant to us. We had basically just arrived in Cusco and wanted to try something local. It was a small whole-in-the-wall place that served very typical Peruvian food. We each got a 3-course meal with a drink for about $5.00. Can’t beat that!

Granja Heidi: This restaurant is owned by Germans and serves Peruvian foods. It was a pleasant, airy environment that made it seem like we were eating outside. I ordered the lunch special, which consisted of tea, leek soup, steamed trout with rice, salad, and a chocolate crepe. I wasn’t complaining.

Qucharita’s: This place had the best ice cream. It was 6 soles for two scoops in a bowl. I got quinoa ice cream with mango and nutella <- amazinggg. The ice cream master behind the counter poured liquid onto a cold stone, it turned solid, then he folded everything in. It was so cool. Plus, this place had some funky décor.

La Bodega 138: I’m actually surprised we only went here once, because we talked about how amazing it was throughout the trip. Our friends at Faces of Cusco told us it was safe to order salads here since they double boil their water when they wash their vegetables. (side note: drinking tap water is a big no-no in Peru, so we tried to stay away from raw foods) They brought out the most delicious bread, then we split a chicken, pepperoni, pineapple pizza and ordered big salads full of fresh veggies. Mine had greens, asparagus, cherry tomatoes, golden berries, green beans, and artichoke hearts and was topped with elderberry dressing. I want to go back right now.

Café Morena: Our friends at Faces of Cusco raved about this place! It is a cute little café with some fun décor. We all order pisco sours – our first ones of the trip! Natalie and I both ordered choufa with chicken. Choufa is basically a Peruvian version of Chinese fried rice, but the Café Morena version used quinoa. Danielle and Elizabeth ordered a grilled chicken salad and beef anticucho (which is kind of like shish-kebabs). We were so full after leaving this place!

Baco: This was a little Italian restaurant and another Faces of Cusco recommendation. We didn’t eat here, but did stop in one night to hang out and have a couple glasses of wine. It was a really nice atmosphere. I think they might have live music some nights?

What we did:

Faces of Cusco: Natalie discovered this place on a Trip Advisor search when looking up things to do in Cusco. It looked like they offered a bunch of different classes that sounded like so much fun. We wanted to check it out in person before signing up for anything, so we walked in and were welcomed like old friends! Vinay and Brian were extremely helpful. They gave us a list of things to do and places to eat and basically helped us plan out our stay in Peru. We also signed up for two of their classes, both were $35/person.

• Inca Indulgence: In this class we made little chocolate truffles that consisted of dry fillings (Oreos, Chips Ahoy, almonds, walnuts, quinoa, M&Ms, coconut and a variety of other delicious things) and wet fillings (chocolate fudge, peanut butter, jelly, and caramel). While they set we then switched over and painted little ceramic figurines. We were served wine throughout the class, listened to good tunes, and chatted with other travellers. I ate all the chocolates and have my little ceramic bull (also known as Torito de Pucara, which is a symbol of good luck in Peru) on my bookshelf.

• Latin Libations: This class was all about the cocktails! Our instructor, Kevin, started out by teaching us about the history of cocktails. Then we learned about Pisco and tasted 5 different varieties, each made with a different grape. Afterwards it was time to make our own cocktails! We made mojitos, pisco sours, le Kevin (we named it), and a tiered drink. Luckily Vinay had ordered us some appetizers from the restaurant next door. Snacks were necessary. We had such a fun and silly time at this class!

Peruvian Cooking Class: I was so excited to take this cooking class! We registered for the Classic Cooking Class, which was about $37/person and chose menu #1: cream of quinoa soup, stuffed chilies, yucca, rice pudding, and pisco sours.

We started out by reading through the recipes and making notes of what ingredients we needed to buy. Then we headed over to San Pedro Market to buy them. This market was unlike any that I had ever seen! It was full of everything: flowers, herbs, flour, meat, intestines (!!), candy, fruit, vegetables, nuts – everything!

We got what we needed and headed back to start cooking. Estelle and her team were awesome in the kitchen. Their English wasn’t great (it was way better than our Spanish), but that didn’t hinder the cooking process at all. Estelle assigned us all tasks and kept everything moving along – it was a flurry of activity in the kitchen!

There were no shiny KitchenAids or Vitamixes here, it was all back to basics! We ground peanuts in peanut paste, quinoa into quinoa flour, and spices into powder. It was fun to do (and a great hand/arm workout), but I’ll admit that I’m thankful for my food processor.

Once everything was cooked, we mixed up some pisco sours and sat down to enjoy our meal. It was such a fun and delicious experience. I kept the recipes and will definitely be making everything again!

Plaza de Armas: Plaza de Armas is the main square in the heart of Cusco. There are gardens, benches, a fountain, and a handful of beautiful buildings: Cusco Cathedral, El Triounfo and La Compania.

We hung around here quite a bit, killing time between activities. The people watching here was pretty fantastic. There were young couples cuddling on benches, tourists taking silly pictures, and locals trying to sell llama keychains and paintings or convincing you to go eat at their restaurant, etc. We had a pretty good time just observing all the activities. Plus, it is a gorgeous site to see both day and night.

Museo Machu Picchu: This museum was all about Machu Picchu. We visited here the day before we left for the Inca Trail and I am so glad we did! It gave us a good grounding on the history and culture of the Incas and the discovery of Machu Picchu. It was worth the 20 Soles.

Walking and exploring: Outside of the activities listed above, we basically just walked around the city, exploring different streets, shops, and markets. This is what I love to do when I travel. It’s so refreshing to just walk around without an agenda, taking in the different culture and sites, and then stopping for breaks at little cafes to re-charge. There were days when we walked 5+ miles, which is great because I didn’t even attempt running in the altitude with the busy streets and narrow sidewalks.

Cusco is such a beautiful city with so much history. I really enjoyed being there and exploring!

After Cusco we flew to Lima for a few days, but I’ll post about that experience at a later date.