Peru works with kids if you get the order right. Fly into Cusco and drive straight down to the Sacred Valley, which sits about 1,700 feet lower, for two or three nights. Then take the train to Machu Picchu, do Cusco once everyone has adjusted, and end in Lima at sea level. Belmond Rio Sagrado and Tambo del Inka are the best family hotels in the valley. Go between May and October, and book Machu Picchu tickets months ahead.
Our Top Picks
Best family hotel: Belmond Hotel Rio Sagrado, where kids help bottle-feed the baby alpacas.
Best for Machu Picchu logistics: Tambo del Inka, which has its own train station.
Best for space: Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba, with 100 acres and freestanding casitas.
Best near Machu Picchu: Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo, where kids under 12 stay free.
Best in Cusco: JW Marriott El Convento, for the heated indoor pool.
Why Peru Works With Kids
Peru has ruins, llamas and alpacas, trains through the mountains, and food kids will actually eat. Think grilled chicken, rice, potatoes, fresh juice and churros. It's also set up well for travelers. Private guides, hotel transfers and oxygen-enriched hotel rooms are easy to book.
There are two things to plan around: altitude and pace. Cusco sits at about 11,150 feet. The Sacred Valley is lower, around 9,400 feet in Urubamba. Machu Picchu is lower still, at roughly 7,970 feet. Get the order right and the altitude is manageable. Get it wrong and someone spends day two in bed with a headache.
How to Plan the Itinerary
Don't sightsee in Cusco on your first day. Fly in, then drive about an hour and a half down to the Sacred Valley and spend two or three nights there. The valley has easy, low-key days: horseback riding, the salt pans at Maras, markets and a hotel pool.
From the valley, take the train to Machu Picchu. Spend a night in Aguas Calientes if you can, so you're not doing a 4 a.m. start with tired kids. After that, go back to Cusco for two nights once everyone has adjusted. End in Lima, at sea level, before you fly home.
For a seven to ten night trip, that looks like three nights in the Sacred Valley, one or two at Machu Picchu, two in Cusco and two or three in Lima. With more time, add a few nights in the Amazon out of Puerto Maldonado, which is low and easy on everyone.
Ask your pediatrician or a travel clinic about altitude a few weeks before you go, especially with younger kids.
Where to Stay in the Sacred Valley
The valley is where you set the pace for the whole trip, so spend the most time choosing here.
Belmond Hotel Rio Sagrado
Rio Sagrado is the family pick. It's a small hotel on the Urubamba River, with 10 rooms, 11 suites and two villas built from stone and wood. The villas work well for families. The hotel keeps baby alpacas on the lawn, and kids can help bottle-feed them. There's a solar-heated pool, ping pong and art classes, and Belmond runs kids' activities for ages 5 to 12. Guests can also board the train to Machu Picchu from a private station nearby.
There are no TVs in the rooms, which is either a selling point or a dealbreaker.
Check rates at Belmond Hotel Rio Sagrado
Tambo del Inka
Tambo del Inka is a Luxury Collection resort in Urubamba, and the only hotel in town with its own train station to Machu Picchu. You'll appreciate that with kids and bags in tow. It's bigger, with 128 rooms, a heated indoor and outdoor pool, a spa and soccer and basketball courts. Rates have run around $465 to $570 a night. It's a short walk to town, and riverside rooms can be noisy.
Check rates at Tambo del Inka
Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba
Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba sits on about 100 acres of farmland and hills above the valley. It has 12 rooms in the main house and 24 freestanding casitas, each with a fireplace and a terrace. The kitchen cooks from its own organic farm, and the included excursions run from bird walks to a twilight hike. It holds two Michelin Keys. It's 20 minutes from Urubamba, so you'll drive to most things.
Check rates at Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba
Machu Picchu With Kids
You have three options. Stay at the ruins, stay in Aguas Calientes in the town below, or do a day trip from the valley. With kids, we'd spend at least one night in Aguas Calientes.
Tickets are timed, and you'll pick a circuit when you book. Kids under 3 go free, and ages 3 to 17 pay a lower rate but must be with an adult. Bring passports, because tickets are checked against ID. There's no re-entry. High season fills up, so book tickets as soon as your dates are firm, ideally three months ahead or more.
Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo
Inkaterra's hotel sits on a 12-acre private patch of cloud forest at the edge of Aguas Calientes, close to the train station. Its 83 whitewashed casitas are spread along stone paths, and the grounds hold 372 species of native orchids. More than a dozen kinds of hummingbird live there too. Several guided walks are included, and the hotel flags which ones suit kids. Children under 12 stay free when they share their parents' room. Rooms can be on the darker side because of the forest.
Check rates at Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo
Belmond Sanctuary Lodge
Sanctuary Lodge is the only hotel at the gates of Machu Picchu. The pull is simple: you can be at the ruins at opening without taking the bus up. It's expensive and books out far ahead. It isn't built around kids, and for most families Inkaterra is the better stay.
Check rates at Belmond Sanctuary Lodge
Cusco With Kids
Cusco is the highest stop on the trip, so plan it light. A half day of walking the old streets is lovely. A full day can wipe kids out. Two nights is usually enough.
JW Marriott El Convento Cusco
The JW is built inside a 16th-century convent near the Plaza de Armas. It has Inca walls under glass and two small exhibition halls of artifacts found during the restoration. All 153 rooms can be oxygen-enriched, which helps at this altitude, though some guests report a charge for it. The heated indoor pool is rare in Cusco and a big deal with kids.
Check rates at JW Marriott El Convento Cusco
Belmond Hotel Monasterio
Monasterio is a 1592 monastery two blocks from the Plaza de Armas, built around a stone courtyard. Most rooms are oxygen-enriched. It feels more formal than the JW and has no pool. But kids remember sleeping in a building that old. Children's rates depend on age, so check before you book.
Check rates at Belmond Hotel Monasterio
Lima With Kids
Finish in Lima. It's at sea level, the food is excellent, and after a week of altitude and early mornings, everyone needs a slower day or two. Stay in Miraflores, where the clifftop parks and the long walking path above the Pacific are made for afternoons with kids. Book lunch at La Mar, Gastón Acurio's ceviche restaurant, and get there early.
Belmond Miraflores Park sits right on the cliffs in Miraflores. Country Club Lima Hotel is a quieter choice in San Isidro, a short drive inland.
Best Time to Visit Peru With Kids
The dry season, May through October, is the best time for the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. Days are sunny and nights get cold, so pack warm layers. June through August lines up with summer break, which means more crowds and higher rates. Book hotels four to six months out, and Machu Picchu tickets as early as you can.
November through April is the rainy season. The landscape is greener and there are fewer people, but expect afternoon storms and some trail closures.
How to Choose Your Hotels
With young kids, base yourself at Rio Sagrado for the alpacas and the space. With older kids who want a pool and easy train access, book Tambo del Inka. If you'd rather have room to spread out and nature walks every day, go for Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba. At Machu Picchu, Inkaterra is the right answer for most families. In Cusco, pick the JW for the pool or Monasterio for the history.
For more trips that work with kids, see our list of the best luxury family resorts in the world.
FAQ
Is Peru good for kids? Yes, if you plan around altitude. Start low in the Sacred Valley and save Cusco for later.
What age is best for Machu Picchu? Most families find it easiest with kids around 6 and up, who can handle a few hours of walking and stairs. Younger kids can go with a carrier.
Do kids need tickets for Machu Picchu? Kids under 3 go free. Ages 3 to 17 pay a reduced rate and must be with an adult.
How do you avoid altitude sickness with kids? Go to the Sacred Valley first, keep the first days easy, drink lots of water, and talk to your pediatrician before the trip.
Which Peru hotels have oxygen-enriched rooms? JW Marriott El Convento and Belmond Monasterio in Cusco both offer them.
How long should a Peru family trip be? Seven to ten nights covers the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, Cusco and Lima without rushing.
When is the best time to visit Peru with kids? May through October, the dry season.