How to Get from Lima to Cusco: Plane or Bus

You can get from Lima to Cusco by plane or by bus. The nonstop flight takes about 1 h 15 min and is what almost every traveler chooses; the bus covers 1,105 km of mountain roads in about 21 hours and is only worth it if you want to save money or stop in Ica, Nazca or Arequipa. Whichever you choose, plan for the altitude when you arrive: you’re going from sea level to about 3,399 m.

Plane, bus or overland with stops: a quick comparison

Option	Travel time	Pros	Cons	Best for
Nonstop flight	About 1 h 15 min in the air	Fast, with many daily departures	An abrupt gain in altitude; fares vary by date	Almost every traveler, especially if you’re short on time
Direct bus via Nazca and Abancay	About 21 hours for 1,105 km, longer if there’s roadwork or rain	Cheaper; you can stop along the way	Endless curves, a night on the road and passes above 4,000 m	Tight budgets and travelers in no hurry
Overland with stops	Several days	You see the southern coast, Arequipa or Lake Titicaca along the way	You need time and more hotel nights	Long trips through southern Peru

Flying from Lima to Cusco

The nonstop flight takes about 1 h 15 min, according to PromPerú, and lands at Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport (code CUZ), right in the city. It’s the gateway for almost every traveler: according to the General Directorate of Civil Aviation at Peru’s Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC), the airport handles between five and six million passengers a year.

What airlines fly from Lima to Cusco

Several airlines fly the route, including LATAM, Sky and JetSMART. We don’t recommend any one of them: compare schedules, fares and included baggage on their own websites, since that’s where they differ most. Keep in mind that there are no flights to Machu Picchu, because there’s no airport there: you land in Cusco and continue on the train to Machu Picchu.

How many flights there are and the airport’s operating hours

There’s no official figure for daily flights on the route, and the schedule changes every season. What is published is the Cusco airport’s operating hours: since December 1, 2025, it has been open 22 hours a day, from 4:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m., according to Corpac, Peru’s airport authority. It used to operate from 5:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m., and the extension was agreed so airlines could add flights. That wider window lets airlines schedule flights very early in the morning and at night.

Which flight time to choose

If you can, choose a morning flight. Not because the weather is always better in the morning, but because it gives you a buffer. Corpac constantly monitors rain, wind speed and visibility at the Cusco airport, and when the weather doesn’t cooperate, flights are delayed or canceled. In August 2026, an intense and unusual fog forced the cancellation of 12 flights in a single day, and operations only resumed after 10 a.m. With an early flight, if anything is delayed, you still have the rest of the day to catch another flight, head down to the valley or rest. If you’re connecting to another flight or to a train to Machu Picchu the same day, leave a generous buffer.

When to buy your ticket

Fares vary a lot depending on the date, how far ahead you book and the fare type, so there’s no fixed price. They go up in high season, from June to August, and on peak dates such as Holy Week, the week of Inti Raymi, Fiestas Patrias (Peru’s national holidays) in late July, Christmas and New Year’s. The practical move is to buy it as soon as you have the date for your Machu Picchu visit, because the Machu Picchu ticket is the first thing to sell out, and it sets the rest of your trip.

Baggage and documents for the domestic flight

Each airline has its own rules, and they change with the fare. For example, JetSMART’s most basic fare only includes a small bag or backpack up to 45 × 35 × 25 cm and 10 kg; a larger carry-on and a checked bag, up to 23 kg, cost extra. Check what your fare includes before you pay.

• If you’re Peruvian: domestic flights accept your DNI, even if it’s expired, a Peruvian driver’s license or a passport. Minors can also travel with their birth certificate.
• If you’re a foreign visitor: bring the passport you used to enter Peru and to buy your ticket. Airlines recommend checking with them, or with your consulate, which document they accept.
• When to get to the airport: at least 2 hours before a domestic flight.

Tip: if you’re taking the train to Aguas Calientes afterward, remember that only carry-on luggage is allowed on board. Leave your big suitcase at your hotel in Cusco or the valley, and don’t pay for a bigger checked bag than you’ll be able to manage.

Lima’s Jorge Chávez airport: getting there and connecting

Since June 1, 2025, all domestic and international flights in Lima have operated out of the new terminal at Jorge Chávez airport, in Callao. Before you go, here’s how it works:

• Access: you can only get in by vehicle, and only via Avenida Morales Duárez. You can’t walk in, because it’s almost 3 km from the avenue to the terminal.
• Getting there: you can take a taxi, a ride-hailing car, your own vehicle or the AeroDirecto public buses.
• Levels: check-in, bag drop and the boarding gates are on level 3; all arriving passengers, from domestic and international flights alike, exit on level 1.
• Domestic and international: after security screening, domestic and international passengers continue through separate areas.

If you’re connecting in Lima from an international flight

If you’re arriving from abroad and continuing to Cusco, leave plenty of time between flights: you’ll go through immigration, baggage claim, customs and a new security screening. If you book the two flights separately, the buffer needs to be even bigger, because if you miss your connection, the second airline isn’t obligated to rebook you. Another option is to spend a night in Lima and fly to Cusco first thing the next morning.

When you land: Cusco’s airport and getting downtown

Velasco Astete airport

Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport is run by Corpac and sits in the Wanchaq district, inside the city itself. Besides Lima, it has nonstop flights from Arequipa, Juliaca, Puerto Maldonado and Ayacucho. At the airport there’s an iPerú office, PromPerú’s tourist information service, where you can ask about transportation, opening hours and sights. Everything you need to know about the city is in our Cusco guide.

From the airport to your hotel or the Sacred Valley

The ride to the historic center takes about 20 to 30 minutes, depending on traffic. When you leave the arrivals area, you have three safe options:

• Official airport taxi: book it inside the terminal and confirm the fare before you get in.
• Hotel transfer: many hotels offer one; ask for the driver’s name and have them wait for you with a sign.
• Transfer from your travel agency: if you’re traveling with a package from a licensed agency, check whether it includes airport pickup.

Don’t accept offers from unlicensed taxi drivers at the door. If you’re arriving on a morning flight, consider not staying in Cusco at all: you can head straight down to the Sacred Valley, which is lower and milder. From Cusco it’s about 32 km to Pisac, around 48 minutes by road, and about 72 km to Ollantaytambo, around 1 h 45 min.

The future Chinchero airport

The new Chinchero international airport, on the plateau above the Sacred Valley where the town of Chinchero sits, is still under construction. On March 31, 2026, Peru’s Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC) reported that it was 40% complete and expected it to start operating in 2027, with capacity for up to 12 million passengers a year. In June 2026, the MTC’s own General Directorate of Civil Aviation estimated that physical construction would be finished in the second half of 2028, with operational testing into early 2029, and said the most likely approach is a soft launch, moving international flights first. The dates have already shifted several times: until it opens, your flight will land at Velasco Astete.

If your flight is delayed or canceled

At a mountain airport, weather delays and cancellations aren’t unusual. In Peru, Indecopi, the consumer protection authority, spells out what you’re entitled to in each case. The rights for delays apply when the delay is the airline’s responsibility:

Situation	What the airline must offer you
Delay of more than 2 hours	A snack and a free phone call
Delay of more than 4 hours	Meals as well, depending on the time of day
Delay of more than 6 hours	Lodging, transfers or a refund
Cancellation due to bad weather	Rebooking the flight or refunding what you paid, and keeping its customer service channels running
Overbooked flight	Alternatives to travel and compensation of 25% of the value of the leg not flown

Keep your boarding pass and proof of purchase, and ask the airline in writing for the reason for the delay or cancellation. If you have trains or tickets booked for fixed dates, such as your Machu Picchu ticket, that’s exactly why it’s worth arriving in Cusco at least a day early.

Taking the bus from Lima to Cusco

The bus is the budget option, but it takes patience: it’s one of the longest and most demanding road trips in the country.

The route

Direct buses leave Lima on the Pan-American Highway South as far as Nazca, and from there climb into the Andes via Puquio, Chalhuanca and Abancay to Cusco. According to PromPerú, it’s 1,105 km and about 21 hours of travel, which can stretch out because of roadwork, landslides or rain, especially from December to March. After leaving the coast, the road crosses the Ayacucho puna above 4,000 m, in the area of the Pampa Galeras National Reserve, and continues through deep valleys and hundreds of curves.

How to choose and prepare for the trip

• A licensed company: travel with a company that has its own terminal and current authorization from Peru’s Ministry of Transport and Communications, and that registers every passenger with their ID.
• Seat type: for that many hours, the seats that recline the most are worth the price difference.
• Warm clothes within reach: the high stretches get very cold at night, even if it was hot when you left Lima.
• Motion sickness: the curves never let up; if you tend to get carsick, ask your doctor or pharmacist beforehand what you can take.
• Food and water: bring something light, even if meals are included.
• ID: bring your passport or national ID; you’ll be asked for it when you board.

Most buses arrive at Cusco’s main bus terminal, where you can take a taxi to your hotel.

Important: the bus doesn’t help you acclimatize any better than the plane. In just a few hours you go from sea level to more than 4,000 m, at night and sitting down, and then drop to Cusco’s 3,399 m. If you have heart or lung problems, are pregnant or are traveling with young children, talk to your doctor before choosing this route.

Overland with stops: Ica, Nazca, Arequipa or Puno

If you have one or two weeks, you can make the journey part of the trip and travel in shorter legs. There are two main routes from Lima: the one via Abancay, the shortest, and the one via Arequipa, which according to PromPerú adds up to 1,650 km and about 26 hours of travel, but runs along more of the coast and passes through the White City.

• Via Ica and Nazca: the same route as the direct bus, broken into stages. You stop in Paracas or Ica and in Nazca, and from there take the overnight bus to Cusco via Abancay.
• Via Arequipa and Puno: you head down the coast to Arequipa, go up to Puno, on the shores of Lake Titicaca, and from Puno continue to Cusco. Keep in mind that Puno sits higher than Cusco, so that part of the route doesn’t spare you the altitude.
• Train from Puno to Cusco: the PeruRail Titicaca links the two cities in about 10 h 30 min, with a stop at La Raya, the highest point of the journey. Check the departure days on PeruRail.
• Combining flights: you can also fly from Lima to Arequipa or Juliaca and continue overland to Cusco.

When you arrive: how to handle the altitude

According to the CDC Yellow Book, flying into a high-altitude destination puts you at high risk of altitude sickness, and the CDC specifically mentions Cusco as a place where it’s best to sleep one or two nights below the city before staying there. That’s why we recommend starting in the Sacred Valley, at about 2,870 m, and saving Cusco for later. Here’s how you can plan your first 48 hours:

When	If you head down to the Sacred Valley	If you stay in Cusco
Arrival day	Transfer straight to the valley and an easy stroll around town	Rest at your hotel and a short walk around the Plaza de Armas
Day 2	Pisac, Ollantaytambo or the train to Aguas Calientes	A city tour in the afternoon, with transportation and little effort
Day 3 onward	Cusco, Machu Picchu and, at the end, the excursions above 4,000 m	A full day in the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu; the high mountains, at the end

Whatever your plan, follow the CDC’s general guidelines: avoid alcohol for the first 48 hours, keep exercise to light activity for those two days and drink water normally. Symptoms of altitude sickness, such as headache, fatigue, nausea or loss of appetite, usually appear 2 to 12 hours after arrival and improve within a day or two if you don’t go any higher.

Important: this is general information, not medical advice. See your doctor before your trip if you’re pregnant, have a heart or lung condition or are traveling with children, and decide together whether you need preventive medication. Get emergency medical care and descend if you experience confusion, stumbling when you walk, extreme drowsiness, shortness of breath at rest or a persistent cough. All the details are in our guide to altitude sickness in Cusco.

Common mistakes when traveling from Lima to Cusco

• Buying your flight before your Machu Picchu ticket: if there’s no availability for your date later on, you’ll have to change your flight.
• Cutting it close at the Lima airport: for domestic flights you need to be there at least 2 hours ahead, and you can only reach the new terminal by vehicle via Avenida Morales Duárez.
• Doing Rainbow Mountain or Humantay Lake on day 1 or 2: save them for the end, once you’re acclimatized.
• Scheduling Machu Picchu on the same day as your flight home: the return train gets back to Cusco in the afternoon or evening.
• Taking the last flight of the day with your train booked for the next morning: if bad weather cancels it, you’re left with no room to rebook.
• Underestimating the bus: it’s almost a full day of travel; count it as an extra day in your itinerary.

Summary: what to do in your situation

• You’re short on time: a morning flight, a transfer straight to the Sacred Valley and Cusco afterward. Plan the rest with our 3-, 5- and 7-day Cusco itineraries.
• You want to save as much as possible: the bus via Nazca and Abancay, with warm clothes and patience. More ideas in our guide to your Cusco and Machu Picchu trip budget.
• You’re spending several weeks in the south: combine Ica, Nazca, Arequipa and Puno, and reach Cusco overland or on the train from Puno.
• You’re traveling with kids, older adults or a health condition: fly, spend your first night in the valley and see a doctor before your trip.
• You’re heading straight to Machu Picchu: an early flight and a train from Ollantaytambo that same afternoon. Compare options in how to get to Machu Picchu from Cusco.
• Your flight is canceled because of bad weather: ask the airline to rebook you or refund your ticket, and rework the next day calmly.

Once you’ve picked your flight, the next step is to check the Cusco weather by month and pack your bag with our Cusco packing list. If you’d rather not coordinate flights, transfers and trains separately, you can leave it to an authorized travel agency.