January in Cusco — workable with trade-offs
Trade-offs · 6/10January averages 12°C (53°F) — jacket weather. Comfortable for walking and museums, too cool for anything water-based.
225 mm makes this the wettest stretch of the year, though about 26 days with 6+ hours of sunshine still appear — keep an indoor fallback ready.
It scores 6/10 here, 12th of 12 months, against 9.2/10 in the destination's best month.
Plan for low-season pricing, with crowds are light for this destination.
Pack a mid-weight jacket, long sleeves and shoes you can walk 15 km in, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella.
Flexible dates? August scores 3.2 points higher here — enough to change the trip.
February in Cusco — workable with trade-offs
Trade-offs · 6.2/10February averages 12°C (53°F) — jacket weather. Comfortable for walking and museums, too cool for anything water-based.
Monthly rainfall reaches 187 mm — wet for this destination — but about 25 days with 6+ hours of sunshine still break through, so keep one indoor fallback in the plan.
It scores 6.2/10 here, 10th of 12 months, against 9.2/10 in the destination's best month.
Plan for low-season pricing, with crowds are light for this destination.
Pack a mid-weight jacket, long sleeves and shoes you can walk 15 km in, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella.
Flexible dates? August scores 3 points higher here — enough to change the trip.
March in Cusco: mixed conditions, plan around the weather
Trade-offs · 6.1/10Expect 12°C (53°F) in March. A good month for city streets, viewpoints and long meals; leave swimming for another season.
180 mm of rain makes this a wet month here, though with about 27 days with 6+ hours of sunshine there is still bright weather between the fronts.
That is 6.1/10 on the same scale — 11th of 12 months, versus 9.2/10 for the best month here.
Budget for low-season pricing, and crowds are light for this destination.
Pack a mid-weight jacket, long sleeves and shoes you can walk 15 km in, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella.
If your dates are flexible, August is materially better in Cusco — 3.1 points higher on the same scale.
April holds up well in Cusco — 7th best month
Good · 7.7/10April averages 11°C (53°F) — jacket weather. Comfortable for walking and museums, too cool for anything water-based.
Rainfall runs 75 mm, so plan one flexible day in three; you still get about 29 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 11.8 hours of daylight.
It scores 7.7/10 here, 7th of 12 months, against 9.2/10 in the destination's best month.
Figure on mid-season pricing, with crowds are moderate.
Pack a mid-weight jacket, long sleeves and shoes you can walk 15 km in, a packable rain layer.
May is one of the strongest months in Cusco (5th)
Best window · 8.9/10Expect 11°C (52°F) in May. A good month for city streets, viewpoints and long meals; leave swimming for another season.
With around 35 mm of rain, any showers tend to pass through rather than settle in; about 30 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 11.5 hours of daylight fill the rest.
On our climate-comfort scale this is one of the strongest months of the year for Cusco at 8.9/10 (5th of 12), just behind August at 9.2/10.
Expect mid-season pricing, and crowds are moderate.
Pack a mid-weight jacket, long sleeves and shoes you can walk 15 km in.
June ranks 2nd of 12 for Cusco — one of the best windows
Best window · 9.1/10June averages 11°C (51°F) — jacket weather. Comfortable for walking and museums, too cool for anything water-based.
Rain is a non-issue at 5 mm for the month, with about 30 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 11.3 hours of daylight to work with.
A 9.1/10 puts this among the year's best months in Cusco (2nd of 12); only August scores higher, at 9.2/10.
Figure on peak pricing, with crowds are moderate. You are paying the year's highest rates for the year's best conditions — book early or shift a few weeks either side.
Pack a mid-weight jacket, long sleeves and shoes you can walk 15 km in.
July ranks 3rd of 12 for Cusco — one of the best windows
Best window · 9.1/10July averages 11°C (52°F) — jacket weather. Comfortable for walking and museums, too cool for anything water-based.
Rain is a non-issue at 7 mm for the month, with about 31 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 11.4 hours of daylight to work with.
A 9.1/10 puts this among the year's best months in Cusco (3rd of 12); only August scores higher, at 9.2/10.
Plan for peak pricing, with this is one of the busiest months here. You are paying the year's highest rates for the year's best conditions — book early or shift a few weeks either side.
Pack a mid-weight jacket, long sleeves and shoes you can walk 15 km in.
August: the best month of the year in Cusco
Best window · 9.2/10Expect 11°C (52°F) in August. A good month for city streets, viewpoints and long meals; leave swimming for another season.
With around 20 mm of rain, any showers tend to pass through rather than settle in; about 31 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 11.7 hours of daylight fill the rest.
On our climate-comfort scale this is the top-ranked month of the year for Cusco at 9.2/10 — the reference point every other month on this page is measured against.
Expect peak pricing, and this is one of the busiest months here. You are paying the year's highest rates for the year's best conditions — book early or shift a few weeks either side.
Pack a mid-weight jacket, long sleeves and shoes you can walk 15 km in.
September ranks 4th of 12 for Cusco — one of the best windows
Best window · 9.1/10Expect 12°C (53°F) in September. A good month for city streets, viewpoints and long meals; leave swimming for another season.
With around 41 mm of rain, any showers tend to pass through rather than settle in; about 30 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 12 hours of daylight fill the rest.
On our climate-comfort scale this is one of the strongest months of the year for Cusco at 9.1/10 (4th of 12), just behind August at 9.2/10.
Budget for peak pricing, and crowds are moderate.
Pack a mid-weight jacket, long sleeves and shoes you can walk 15 km in.
October in Cusco — reliably good (6th best month)
Good · 7.9/10October averages 13°C (55°F), the range most people find easiest for walking a city all day without either overheating or losing daylight to weather.
Rainfall runs 91 mm, so plan one flexible day in three; you still get about 31 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 12.4 hours of daylight.
It scores 7.9/10 here, 6th of 12 months, against 9.2/10 in the destination's best month.
Figure on mid-season pricing, with crowds are moderate.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening, a packable rain layer.
November in Cusco — middling scores, decent value
Trade-offs · 6.7/10November averages 12°C (54°F), the range most people find easiest for walking a city all day without either overheating or losing daylight to weather.
Monthly rainfall reaches 169 mm — wet for this destination — but about 28 days with 6+ hours of sunshine still break through, so keep one indoor fallback in the plan.
It scores 6.7/10 here, 8th of 12 months, against 9.2/10 in the destination's best month.
Plan for low-season pricing, with crowds are light for this destination.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella.
Flexible dates? August scores 2.5 points higher here — enough to change the trip.
December in Cusco: mixed conditions, plan around the weather
Trade-offs · 6.5/10Temperatures hover around 12°C (54°F) — the kind of month where neither heat nor cold forces the schedule.
181 mm of rain makes this a wet month here, though with about 28 days with 6+ hours of sunshine there is still bright weather between the fronts.
That is 6.5/10 on the same scale — 9th of 12 months, versus 9.2/10 for the best month here.
Budget for mid-season pricing, and crowds are light for this destination.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella.
If your dates are flexible, August is materially better in Cusco — 2.7 points higher on the same scale.
