Transport in Cusco
You can arrive to Cusco by car, by plane or train. The way most comfortable and speed is by plane. It lasts around one hour half from Cusco to Lima (the politic capital of Peru) and costs around $ 75 depending of the period and the airline. Almost every air lines in Peru flight to Cusco. There are flights available between 6:00 and 16:00 every day.
The airport of Cusco is the (International Airport Alejandro Velasco Astete), which receives flights from Lima, Arequipa, Puerto Maldonado, Bolivia and some international charters.
Another way to arrive to Cusco is by bus, there are buses available from Lima, Arequipa and Puno (frontier with Bolivia). It lasts 19 hours from Cusco to Lima and costs between S/. 60 ($20) and S/.140 ($47) depending of the quality of service. Peru has an excellent inter province bus service, with bus attendant, restaurant, bar, bathroom, conditioned air, movies and beds inside the bus. Most of the inter province buses leaves from the bus terminal, which is located in “Ttio” a neighborhood at the way to the airport.
The other way to arrive to Cusco is by train. There are train services from Puno two times per week.
In Cusco the main means of transport are the taxis and the “combis”(small buses). The common tariff by taxi is between S/.2 ($0.7) and S/15 ($5) depending of the distance and the hour (the tariff increases until 50 % after 22:00).
By “combi” the tariff is S/.0.60 in any path into the city; there are many “combis” lines that cross the entire city. Nevertheless, Cusco is a city relatively small, thus you can arrive to any place in the downtown walking during 10 or 20 minutes (maximum).
If you want to travel towards the Sacred Valley, you must take one of the tours that offer the travel agencies for $ 20 or $40. Another way is by bus, the buses towards the Sacred Valley leaves from “Puputi” street and “Puente Grau” (Grau Bridge) every day from 6:00 to 19:00.The trip costs S/.7 and lasts around 2 hours. You can also take a taxi for S/. 70 more or less (you must negotiate).
You can also rent a car. The price per day varies between $11 and $88 depending of the period and the model of the vehicle.
It can arrive to Machu Picchu by train (Peru rail is the enterprise that manages this service) from Cusco. The trip from Cusco lasts around 5 hours and from Ollantaytambo (in the Sacred valley) 2 hours (only outward journey). The prices vary depending of kind of the service. For example the “Backpacker” costs $68 and is available every day, the “Vistadome” costs $105 and leaves every day and the “Hiram Bingham” is available from Monday to Saturday and costs $495 (this is the most luxury service).
Another popular and exciting way is the “Inca Trail” the most famous path of trekking in South America. It lasts between 3 and 5 days depending the departure point (Cusco, Km 80 of the path Cusco-MachuPicchu ,etc). “Inca Trail” is the best way to know Machu Picchu and all the national park that surround it. It allows you to admire amazing landscapes and Incas cities less famous than Machu Picchu but equally wonderful.
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Spanish in Peru
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