Planning peru trip these days and got stuck on something random. Was just gonna do cusco to machu picchu and that’s it, didn’t really think much about the stuff in between. but then people keep mentioning sacred valley everywhere Not sure if it’s actually worth stopping or just one of those things people say online I ended up reading this btw (wasn’t even looking for it specifically):https://explorerspassage.com/chronic...d-valley-peru/ Now i’m kinda like… should i change the plan or just leave it Anyone here actually spend time there or just pass through?

There is a great deal to see in the Sacred Valley, including some absolutely wonderful sites.

FWIW, it seems to me you've not done much research, or at least not using good resources.

If you haven't already seen it, you might find some useful information in my trip report, starting with post # 94 -- Ollantaytambo is in the Sacred Valley.
Praise for Peru – A report of my solo month in this amazing country

First, this is the Mexico and Central America forum. You should ask the moderators to move your post to the South America forum which is where you will find Peru and may get more responses.

Secondly There is a lot more to Peru than Cusco and the Sacred Valley. We spent many months in the region, splitting our time between language lessons in Cusco and voluntary work in Ollantaytambo and Urumbamba so got to no the area very well. Many will just spend a few days on the very well trodden tourist path just visiting Cusco and Machu Picchu which is a shame as there is so much more to see. I would suggest allocating at least a week to the area.

• Machu Picchu needs 4-5 hauls plus the time spent to get there by train.
• Ollantaytambo is a virtually intact Inca village with its own set of ruins , second only to MP itslelf a whole day there would not be wasted and you could easily spend a couple of nights there and do MP as a day trip.
• Cusco deserves at least 2 full days
• Sites like Moray, Maras and Chichero are along the road between Cusco and Ollantataytambo and are best incorporated into a taxi tour between the two lasting around 4/5 hours
• Pisac is another famous town with a thriving market and again, more Inca ruins, Can be visited by collectivo in half a day or add Tambo Mackay, Q'enka , Pucca Pukara and the magnificent Sacsayhuaman on the way back to Cusco and you have an excellent full day

The above are just the easily reached popular sights on a fairly well trodden "gringo trail" there are lots of other, lest vested places that are harder to get to . Of course there are also lots of treks to be explored in the area as well as teh famed Inca Trail.

We spent 3 or 4 nights in the Sacred Valley at the start of our trip to Perú, loved Ollantaytambo and the Maras salt mines among other stops on our way back to Cusco. Sounds like a good time to do some reading! My photos with blog links on the main page of each collection are below in case you're interested - all my recommendations are embedded there.

Happy trails!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/staceyholeman/collections

Others are right. There are multiple good ancient sites in the sacred valley area. There are multiple good ways to plan your time. I did two taxi tours with a company called Taxidatum. I took a bus to Cusco but you could take a plane. I had trouble sleeping on the bus but the bus went at night while the plane would have been during the day. I had reserved a taxi from the airport in Cusco to Ollantaytambo. I spent two nights there, the night I arrived, the next day was for Macchu Picchu, and the next day the driver with Taxidatum picked me up from my hotel and drove me to some sites and finally dropped me off at my hotel in Cusco. I did another taxi tour with Taxidatum starting and ending in Cusco, on another day. Things to be aware of: at one site, my driver got out of the car and was waiting for me by the path from the site to the parking lot, but I missed him and went to the car and we took too long to find each other. At another point, my driver dropped me off at a market but it took too long for me to find his car when I was done. At a third site, I couldn't find my driver when I was done because I had forgotten exactly what spot my driver had dropped me off at. And the drivers needed cash and the exact amount; I put my drivers through a some grief making them wait while I ran around looking for somebody to break big bills. You sign up for the tours online in advance. There may be other companies offering similar tours. Also make sure you request your driver to arrive early enough in the morning to fit in the sites you want to fit in, and look up the opening and closing times of the sites and the times of sunrise and sunset on the day of your tour(s).

Moved to the SA Forum and tagged for Peru

Agree with others. We flew to Cusco then used Taxidatum. Lots to see and do in the Sacred valley.