Peru rewards almost any itinerary, but a few places are genuinely unmissable.
Machu Picchu is the obvious starting point. The Inca citadel at Machu Picchu sits at 2,430m above the cloud forest, reached by train from Cusco or on foot along the four-day Inca Trail. Entry is timed and capped; book tickets and permits weeks or months in advance during high season. The site is best in the early morning before tour groups arrive.
Cusco was the capital of the Inca Empire and remains one of South America's most compelling cities. Cusco is built over Inca foundations — you can see the perfectly fitted stonework of Inca walls in the lower stories of colonial buildings throughout the centre. Budget at least three days here, including time to adjust to the altitude (3,400m).
The Nazca Lines stretch across a coastal plateau south of Lima. The geoglyphs — animals, plants, and geometric shapes etched into the desert floor — are only visible properly from the air; small planes depart from Nazca airport. Nazca itself is a stopping point rather than a destination.
Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world at 3,812m, straddling the Peru-Bolivia border. From Puno, you can visit the floating reed islands of the Uros people and the island of Taquile, where residents still weave and wear traditional textiles.
Colca Canyon near Arequipa is roughly twice as deep as the Grand Canyon. The main attraction for most visitors is the condor-watching at Cruz del Condor, where the birds ride the morning thermals at close range. The canyon also has trekking, hot springs, and traditional Andean villages.
The Amazon Basin covers more than half of Peru's territory. Iquitos — reachable only by air or river — is the launching point for Amazon lodge and river boat trips. In the south, the Tambopata Reserve around Puerto Maldonado is accessible from Cusco and offers excellent wildlife-watching.
Lima is worth more than the one night most visitors give it. Lima's Miraflores and Barranco neighbourhoods have some of the best restaurants in South America, a striking clifftop setting above the Pacific, and excellent pre-Columbian museums.