The Day Cusco Gave Us Back Time (Even When Our Flight Didn’t Go to Plan)
Our last day in Cusco was supposed to be simple.
An early flight to Lima, a few hours with family, and then a midnight departure home.
But travel rarely follows the plan exactly as you imagine it.
And in a strange twist, our return coincided with the opening of the new Lima International Airport. Early on, we had received emails saying our international flight to the U.S. would not be impacted and would depart as scheduled.
Our Cusco to Lima flight was another story. It landed right in the middle of the day during the airport closure window. We only found out through our own digging rather than direct communication from the airline, but we took it in stride.
It just meant our plans would shift.
We no longer had the time we thought we would in Lima.
Instead, we suddenly had an unexpected extra afternoon in Cusco, and we were actually delighted.
What We Did With the Extra Day
Instead of forcing a new itinerary, we stayed in Cusco and finally did the things we hadn’t had time for earlier in the trip.
We slowly made our way up through San Blas, stopping at the Sapantiana Aqueduct along the way, one of those places you don’t necessarily plan for, but naturally pass when walking uphill through the city.
San Blas itself is exactly as beautiful as people say. As we climbed, we drifted in and out of small artisan shops and narrow stone streets, and by the time we reached the main viewpoints, we could see just how alive the neighborhood really is.
It’s the kind of place that rewards slowing down.
Further up, we followed a tip we had heard earlier in the trip and made our way to a restaurant overlooking Cusco. The walk gradually thins out the crowds, and before long you feel like you’re leaving the tourist center behind completely.
The food was solid, but the real highlight was the view, high-top seating lined along the windows, looking straight over the city as it stretched into the mountains.
Later, we headed back down toward the city and attempted to visit San Pedro Market, which we had missed earlier in the trip due to early tours and late returns.
It turned out the market was closed that day, likely due to a local event or parade, but the surrounding streets were still filled with vendors, so we wandered through those instead and did a bit of last-minute souvenir shopping.
Somehow, even the “closed plan” ended up working out.
The Slowest Lunch of the Trip (and the Best Timing)
On our arrival day earlier in the trip, we had checked into an Airbnb about a 10-minute walk from Plaza de Armas, a perfect base for Cusco.
After settling in, we made our way to the plaza for lunch before our city tour meetup point.
Plaza-side restaurants are often dismissed as tourist traps, and while you can absolutely find better value a few streets away, we ended up at a small café overlooking the square.
It was simple, sandwiches, coffee, a quick pause before heading out, but sitting there on the second-floor balcony looking over the plaza felt like the exact right introduction to the city.
Later in the trip, we returned to the same area after exploring San Pedro Market and ended up on that same terrace again, this time with alfajores, a slow afternoon, and a growing list of possible “what if our flight gets delayed again” scenarios.
We had backup plans for our backup plans at that point.
And still, it didn’t feel stressful, just oddly calm.
When the Plan Finally Broke
Eventually, we did make it to Lima, roughly 10 hours later than scheduled, just in time to sprint through the brand-new airport and catch our international flight home.
Airports never really give you dull moments.
Reflection
What stood out most wasn’t the delay itself, but how easily we adapted to it.
At some point, we stopped trying to control every outcome and just let the day unfold.
And Cusco is the kind of place that rewards that mindset.
It’s not just a city you pass through, it’s a place that changes when you finally have time to be in it.
That unexpected final day ended up shaping how I think about travel pacing entirely.
Because sometimes the best parts of a trip aren’t the ones you planned for at all.