Cusco or Cuzco is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Urubamba Valley (Sacred Valley) of the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cusco Region as well as the Cusco Province. Located on the eastern end of the Knot of Cusco, its altitude is around 3,300 m (10,800 ft). Cusco is the historic capital of the Inca Empire (1200s-1532) and was declared a World Heritage Site in 1983 by UNESCO. It is a major tourist destination and receives almost a million visitors a year. 

The city of Cusco extends throughout the Huatanay river valley. Its climate is generally dry and temperate. It has two defined seasons: the dry season lasts from April to October and sunshine is abundant with an average temperature of 13° celsius. The wet season lasts from November to March with an average temperature of 12°.

According to Inca legend, the city of Cusco was built by Inca Pachacuti, the man who transformed the Kingdom of Cusco from a sleepy city-state into the vast empire of Tahuantinsuyu. But archaeological evidence points to a slower, more organic growth of the city beginning before Pachacuti.

In 2007, the New7Wonders Foundation designated Machu Picchu one of the New Seven Wonders of the World following a worldwide poll. 

The major nearby Inca sites are:  

Machu Picchu which can be reached on foot by a Inca trail is a pre-Columbian Inca site located 2,430 metres (8,000 ft) above sea level[1]. It is situated on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, which is 80 kilometres (50 mi) northwest of Cuzco and through which the Urubamba River flows.

The Inca trail to Machu Picchu, aka Camino Inca or Camino Inka, consists of three overlapping trails: Mollepata, Classic and One Day. The most important Inca road was the Camino Real, as it is known in Spanish, with a length of 5,200 km (3,230 mi). It began in Quito, Ecuador, passed through Cusco, and ended in what is now Tucumán, Argentina.

Ollantaytambo is a town and an Inca archaeological site in southern Peru some 60 kilometers northwest of the city of Cusco. It is located at an altitude of 2,792 meters above sea level in the district of Ollantaytambo, province of Urubamba, Cusco region. During the Inca Empire, Ollantaytambo was the royal estate of Emperor Pachacuti who conquered the region, built the town and a ceremonial center. At the time of the Spanish conquest of Peru it served as a stronghold for Manco Inca Yupanqui, leader of the Inca resistance.

 Sacsayhuamán is an Inca walled complex near the old city of Cusco, at an altitude of 3,701 m. Some believe the walls were a form of fortification, while others believe it was only used to form the head of the Puma that Sacsayhuamán along with Cuzco form when seen from above. Like much Inca stonework, there is still mystery surrounding how they were constructed. The structure is built in such a way that a single piece of paper will not fit between many of the stones.

Other less-visited ruins include: Inca Wasi, the highest of all Inca sites at 3,980 m (13,134 ft); Old Vilcabamba the capital of the Inca after the capture of Cusco; the sculpture garden at Chulquipalta (aka Chuquipalta, Ñusta España, The White Rock, Yurak Rumi); as well as Huillca Raccay, Patallacta, Choquequirao, Moray and many others.

Hotels in Cusco: Picoaga hotel in Cusco, hotel Plaza de Armas Cuzco, hotel Koricancha Cusco, hotel Casa San Blas Cusco, hotel Casa Andina Cusco, hotel Los Apus Cuzco, bed and breakfast hotel in Cusco, Sonesta Posada del Inca Cusco hotel San Agustin Plaza.