Cusco - Your next holiday destination

We spent 4 days in Cusco acclimatising before our big trek, to avoid altitude sickness. What an awesome place to kill the time. I think everyone should visit this part of the world. Reasons to make Cusco your next holiday destination:

- The original stone work in the historical town centre, built 600 years ago by the Incas is not only still standing, the buildings are functional too. The famous '12 angled stone' is just one piece which demonstrates their abilities as pretty nifty stone masons but all around town there are plenty of impressive ancient buildings.

Having lived in London, I prefer uncrowded places to go to relax so I never thought i'd list this as a drawcard, but...
- It's a bustling, busy place and the main plaza is a hive of activity. Groups of school kids practicing dances, traditionally dressed woman offering photos to tourists holding baby llamas, marching bands and hundreds of the Inca flag (which closely resembles the gay pride flag) flying all over the square. It's refreshing to see a prosperous town in a country where we've seen so much poverty.

- The artisanal market has cool tourist tat to buy. Silver jewellery, lovely soft alpaca wool blankets and jerseys, colourful tapestries and textiles, ceramics and paintings. If you can haggle, you'll get it at decent price too. Don't waste your time at the other San Pedro market, unless you fancy eating local street food.

- Brilliant Peruvian cuisine is available at tons of bars and restaurants around town. The Cuy at Kusikuy takes an hour to roast but the sight of a guinea pig astride an apple with a carrot in mouth will make the wait worthwhile. Its crackling skin and juicy meat will make your taste buds stand on end. Alternatively, at Chicha you can taste celeb chef Gastón Acurio's international take on classic Peruvian dishes like Lomo Saltado. The sound of the Andean harp played live at Pachapapa while you dine on 'Aji de pollo' with Huaca shaped rice, is ethereal. And if you're missing some home comforts, Jacks Cafe is the only place to put that right. Enjoy post dinner cocktails and the trendy, artsy decor at Fallen Angel.

- Inca ruins are everywhere you look! A 10 day boleto touristico (tourist ticket) gets you into various sites and museums in and around cusco. Sacsaywaman, Qenco, Tambo Machay and Pukapukara can all be seen with just one 20 sole taxi ride. But a day trip to Pisac on the bus will reward you with probably the best, most impressive and most complete Inca site in the area.
Top tip: You can easily appreciate these sites on your own and at your own pace, rather than hiring a guide who will ramble on about his ideas of what each room and fountain was used for.

- Entrance to the impressive Machu Picchu museum in Cusco is unfortunately not included in the tourist ticket, but go anyway. We went after visiting Machu Picchu itself and it made a lot more sense, having actually been there. Interesting old photos taken by Hiram Bingham, the guy who rediscovered MP in 1911, are on display as well as artefacts dug out by the archeologists during its excavation.

- The tourist ticket will get you into the dancing show, aka the SPECTACULAR! Seven local traditional dances are showcased in an hour long production. This was surprisingly impressive and not as cliched and chintzy as it sounds. The costumes alone are bewildering, and the dances themselves would make even the most weary tourist smile. The dances, all with their roots in local village customs focus on either courtship, or in the case of one duck-like dance, on mimicking animals local to the area.

- You don't need hike for four days just to see the majesty of Macchu Picchu.
Lets be clear about Cusco. It's a lovely town in its own right, but as the jumping off point for Macchu Picchu you cant discuss Cusco without mentioning the best Inca sight of all. The reputation of MP goes before it, so you probably won't need me to elaborate on its awe inspiring nature. Suffice it to say that, yes, it is everything you imagine, and is so much more than even the photographs can capture. The great thing about it is that if you don't need to be a spring chicken or a super fit athlete to witness it. And unless you are doing the famous four day hike you don't need to book in advance. I think everyone should have the privilege of seeing it first hand at least once in life. The real beauty of this is that if you are mobile enough to get on a plane, then you too can see MP using the train or bus from Cusco.

In total we spent 10 days in Cusco and on the Inca Trail and there was still so much we didn't have time to do. Yes the town may be overly touristy for your liking, but for a good reason. People rightly flock to places that are great. So, I hope you will consider Cusco and Machu Picchu when planning your next holiday :)