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Train vs Inka Express, San Blas vs Cuzco town center
We are in the final stages of planning our Peru Adventure. Has anyone taken the Andean Explorer to Puno as well as the Inka Express. Cost aside, the bus actually seems faster and it makes stops along the way at sites as well as for lunch. On the train you have the luxury of being able to walk around, but it sure seems slow as well as more expensive. I've read the older posts, but I'm still undecided.
How does a hotel in the San Blas area of Cusco compare to something near the town square. We are two women who like to shop and try different restaurants. I can't really find out just where San Blas is and what kind of area it is. We have tours planned for the daytime, but like to go out in the evenings as well. Thanks for any help you can give us. These are the last two decisions we have to make. |
If you have a map of Cusco in front of you, find the Plaza de Armas. Then find the street called Triunfo leading northeast from the plaza. Follow it three long blocks (it changes names) and it takes you to the San Blas church. That's the San Blas neighborhood. That street is very steep. The middle block levels off a bit and is pedestrians only, but the first and third blocks are steep and narrow, just wide enough for one vehicle, wsith sidewalks on either side, each wide enough for just one person. Those "sidewalks" are actually steps.
Several of the streets in the San Blas neighborhood are pedestrian only, so if your hotel is on one of them, a taxi can't take you to and from. Which hotel(s) were you looking at? |
We stayed in several places in Cusco one was in the suburbs (nice place but too far out), A hostal close to the main square but as we found ourselves gravitating towards San Blas mainly because there are a plethora of restaurants to choose from (some very nice once) and partly because that is where the South America Explores Clubhouse is which we were using a lot at the time.
Jeff's description of the area is spot on and I would only add that is your first few days at altitude you may find the steps and steep streets a pain. The upmarket shops are all around the Plaza de Armas. San Blas does have quite afew but they tend toward the smaller, artesanal type. I doubt you will find anyone here who has done both the train and the Inka Express. We love train travel and have used trains all around the world but here we chose the Inka Express primarily because it afforded us the opportunity to stop at numerous places along the way (it is also significantly cheaper. The scenery along the way is spectacular. Here is a link to some of our photos taken en route. http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog...1440/tpod.html I am pretty sure the road we took more or less follows the train line as we passed the train a couple of times along the way. Despite the stops, the bus is a bit quicker than the train (approx. 7-8 hours as I recall) |
inkaexpress.com the way to go from $40
nice ride touristic stops. the touristy scammy "andean explorer" 5X more expensive long lurchy flat ride with some bad food and faky "folk dancers" you see nothing of all the neat sites along the way. San Blas hills are a killer coming back up from the Plaza with the 11000 ft altitude you will be out of breath all the time...also theft around procuradores area Casa-Andina Classic at the Plaza from $100 or so runipunku.com for more budget or libertador.com.pe Cusco for a splurge actually built on the ruins of the palace of the Inka from $200 truly amazing directrooms.com insuremytrip.com for stikes weather theft cancellatio wise Happy Planning, |
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We stayed in San Blas and enjoyed the area. It is just as described above. We stayed there at the end of a 2 week trip and theoretically should have been adjusted to the altitude, but I gotta say, we still would stop half way up the hill to our hotel. We were amazed that we were still getting winded walking back to our hotel.
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I took the train from Cusco to Puno in 09. I was willing to suck it up and pay the high price simply because I was interested to see what the experience was about. It was a nice, easy and pleasant ride. The food was fancy looking (well, fancy than what I was used to eating, lol) and ok, and it had a band and a girl in traditional custom dancing as entertainment. It was an interesting experience when the train neared Puno, because it had to slow down and passed directly through the middle of this very poor town (I can't remember the name of it). People set "shops" right over the middle of the train tracks and they had to quickly move them and get out of the way as the train slowly passed; I have to say it made me felt uncomfortable knowing how much the tourists on board spent to ride this train while looking down and seeing the poverty of the surroundings.
Overall I gave the train experience a B+/B. Would I pay the same high-price to ride it a second time? No; However, I didn't regret the experience of having rode it either. It was something I really wanted to do and did. |
I stayed here, easy walk downhill to the Plaza but relatively quiet. You can get in front of the hotel by taxi, but you may have to push them to drive around the block. If you don't mind about 20 stairs up to the second level, the balcony has great views. The tourist police station is at the bottom of the hill, so it's a relatively safe area. Lots of restaurants at the bottom of the hill and on the way to the Plaza.
www.balconcusco.com |
Thanks for the input. We have decided on the Inka Express and the Hotel Rumi Punku in Cusco. The hotel seemed like a good location, reviews were good and, truthfully, we liked the name. With the money we saved going by bus rather than train, we can buy more stuff that we don't need. We tell ourselves, it's good for the economy.
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Good choice.
San Blas was the best area to visit when in Cusco for us. We stayed at casa San Blas and loved it. |
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