Hotels near San Blas

San Blas is Cusco's oldest residential neighbourhood, a tangle of narrow cobblestone lanes and whitewashed adobe houses climbing the hillside above the historic centre. The district has been home to artisans and craftspeople for generations, and today it holds a concentration of ceramics workshops, weaving studios, and small galleries. The walk up from Plaza de Armas via Calle Hatunrumiyoc passes the famous Twelve-Angled Stone (Hatunrumiyoc), a precisely cut Inca block fitted into a palace wall - a masterpiece of stonemasonry that has become one of Cusco's most photographed objects.

The tiny Plazoleta San Blas at the neighbourhood's heart holds the Templo de San Blas, a simple adobe church housing an extraordinary carved wooden pulpit - possibly the finest piece of colonial woodcarving in the Americas. Entry to the church costs 15 PEN or is included in the Boleto Religioso. On Saturdays, an open-air craft market fills the plaza and surrounding streets. The neighbourhood also has some of Cusco's best independent coffee shops and bakeries. Allow one to two hours for a leisurely wander.

Pro Tip: Walk up to San Blas in the morning and then continue further uphill to the Mirador de San Blas or the San Cristobal church for a panoramic view of Cusco's terracotta rooftops spread across the valley. The climb takes an extra 10 minutes but rewards you with the best free viewpoint in the city.