Tambomachay

Named after the red hue of the hillsides nearby. The third site along the route, even heartier walkers will find the walk a bit long and a bit steep despite the paved and well traveled road. However, the views along the walk are great and small mud brick bars are intermittent between the sites. Hire a taxi or take a combi shared bus up from Qenko for S/1 to save time and energy. A larger site than Q'enqo, the guides have more to say about this site. It was likely a checkpoint or military control. Offerings of coca leaves among other things were received here. Accessible with the boleto turistico.

The second site up the road from Sacsayhuamán. Take the combi shared buses up the hill for S/1 or take a walk of about 0.5–1 km up a gradual incline to visit the site. Its name means "Zig-Zag" in Quechua, and probably refers to the Zig-Zag channels carved into a rock. Explore the pass through cave and view the altar on which llamas were sacrificed. The large erect stone shown on the boleto turistico is a solar calendar. On each side of the stone is a square wall two stones high. Each stone is representative of a number of days, the total is the total days in the year. Opposite the stone are the familiar windows in which mummies and human remains were discovered. Adjacent to the site is the smaller archeological site Q'enqo Chico. Accessible with the boleto turistico.

The closest and largest of these ruins is the amazing Sacsayhuamán (sometimes called Saqsaywaman and pronounced "Sock-say-wah-mun"), the ruins of an Inca fortress high above Cuzco. It is a steep climb from the Plaza de Armas up Plateros street which changes to Saphi. Look for the long staircase on the right, follow the paved curvy road up to the next cobblestone pedestrian path and follow this climb past the first closed control point to the second control. No need to take a cab if you can handle it. But, be careful, as robberies have been reported in mornings and evenings. There is a charge to explore the ruins at the second control or present your boleto turistico. Those on a budget can get a sense of the ruins without paying by walking up the hill and up to the entrance. You can then walk to the adjacent hill with the big Jesus on it and look down on the city. The sheer size of the stones that were moved and the importance of the battle there make it worth entrance fee. Even though only 20% of the fortress remains, the ruins are huge—budget at least two hours for exploring them. They include a dark tunnel you can walk through and a sloped rock that kids love to use as a slide. Read up on the battle beforehand as the guides don't discuss it. Also, a view of the circular base of the former tower as shown in many of the photos is not possible due to the protective ropes. Go earlier in the morning as later visits are disrupted a bit by whistles from guards telling unobservant tourists to get off the ruins. Or go even more early (before 07:00) and get in for free (2013).

Information about Inka astronomy, projection and explanation of the southern sky in the dome, observing stars, planets and other objects with telescopes.

A large stone in one wall has 12 sides and 12 angles. This one has become almost a symbol of Cusco and is a striking example of the precision of Inca architecture and stonework.

Extensive museum of pre-Inca, Inca, and colonial artifacts. Labels in English and Spanish, though the descriptions in English are sometimes pretty different from the ones in Spanish.