Start with a few things everyone is looking forward to, then choose your bases around them. Dunes, a train journey to Machu Picchu, looking for animals in the jungle: these can lead to very different trips in Peru. Staying in a few places and taking excursions makes the plan easier to manage, with time to come back, eat something and do nothing for a while. Which afternoon would you like to keep free? That is as useful a question as which ruins you want to visit.
What we found in five weeks
In summer 2025 we travelled through Peru as a family for five weeks, including a side trip to Bolivia. We started with busy days on the coast: Paracas, Huacachina and Nazca, followed by the night bus to Arequipa. Later we more often stayed several days in one place. In the Sacred Valley the children painted bags in a garden; near Puerto Maldonado we alternated excursions with the pool. Those afternoons are as much part of our memories as Machu Picchu. For a more relaxed coastal section, you could add another night.
Let everyone choose something
Before departure, let each family member name one or two wishes. It could be a major sight, but also making chocolate, exploring a market or having time to swim. Spread those wishes across the trip and discuss which outings you want to share. With younger children, factor in their usual sleeping and eating routines; give older children and teenagers a say in activities and free time too. Age alone says little about an interest in museums or a long day of walking. What they enjoy at home is a more useful starting point.
Lima: sea air, fountains or a museum with something to look for
You can make a walk along the Malecón in Miraflores as long or short as you like. We walked via Larcomar to Parque del Amor and watched the paragliders above the coast. For a city morning, choose one destination and have lunch in the same neighbourhood. Save a different district for another part of the day, so that each new stop does not involve another taxi.
Museo Larco in Pueblo Libre offers a downloadable family guide and family programmes by reservation, giving you specific objects to look for together. It has gardens, a café-restaurant and baby-changing facilities. There is also a separate erotic gallery, which is useful to know when choosing your visit. For a different outing, the Circuito Mágico del Agua has fountains moving to music. We saw the illuminated fountains on our trip. For an evening visit, leave time for an unhurried meal beforehand.
Coast and dunes: choose what to leave out too
Paracas and Huacachina give you different reasons to visit the coast: sea and desert landscapes around Paracas, dunes around the Huacachina oasis. On our trip, the Ballestas boat outing and the journey to Huacachina fell on the same day. It worked in our itinerary, but also meant collecting luggage, travelling on and heading out again. You could spread the two places out or choose one and stay longer. Adding Nazca means another move and another place to sleep.
In Huacachina we chose a private buggy and a sandboarding lesson. That did not make the ride gentle. For your own booking, the driving style, type of sandboarding and participation conditions matter more than the words ‘family tour’. Have the operator explain the activity for your group's ages and preferences. Anyone who does not want the ride can choose to stay by the oasis, with supervision and a meeting place agreed in advance. Not everyone has to want the same activity.
Having a base in the Andes gives you room
Arequipa gave us two days without moving our luggage. We walked through Yanahuara and visited the colourful Santa Catalina convent; meals and wandering around shaped the day together. You can alternate that kind of city stay with a longer excursion. In Colca, the overnight location makes a big difference: staying in the valley and driving to villages and viewpoints is a different choice from descending and sleeping in the canyon. We travelled with a private driver via Chivay to Puno. That was our transport choice, not a requirement for every family.
For Cusco and the Sacred Valley, you can choose a city and a village as separate bases. Staying in the valley leaves more room for a visit followed by an afternoon where you are staying. After a day visiting Chinchero, Moray and Maras, our children painted bags in the garden. That activity was arranged personally for us, so there is no need to search for that exact workshop. A bookable alternative in Ollantaytambo is ChocoMuseo: it offers a short chocolate workshop and a longer Bean to Bar workshop in which you make chocolate yourself. Choose according to interest and available time.
Machu Picchu: look at the whole day
Put the separate parts of this day together: leaving your hotel, getting to the visit, guiding, food, travelling back and any luggage you need to collect elsewhere. On our trip the main luggage stayed in Ollantaytambo. After Machu Picchu we collected it and continued to Cusco; it became a long day. For your route, you could also compare staying overnight after returning to Ollantaytambo. Tell the guide what interests the children: buildings, animals in imagery or how people lived here. Use current admission and train options, not the timings from our trip.
Into the jungle, with time between outings
Near Puerto Maldonado we chose Enai, a riverside hotel with a pool, and booked separate excursions. The hotel still lists a pool and outings including Lago Sandoval. That lets you put together a stay in which not every part of the day is committed. Compare it with a lodge programme combining transport, meals and excursions. For either option, consider how much time you will actually spend at your accommodation and whether everyone has to join every outing.
At Lago Sandoval, our children used a wildlife chart to identify what they saw. You can take that idea with you: identify animals together, draw a few sightings or describe a sound. On a later boat outing we saw capybaras too, but sightings cannot be ordered. Choose for the outing itself as well: boating, walking through forest, taking time to watch. A hoped-for animal can be part of the trip without determining whether the whole day was a success.
A room that works in the afternoon too
A family room only becomes a clear option when you know where everyone will sleep. Confirm the beds and occupancy, and choose deliberately between one room, connecting rooms or an apartment. Consider what happens when one child wants to sleep earlier: is there a separate sitting area, garden or shared space? Staying near restaurants makes an impromptu meal easier; a more distant hotel can work well if you enjoy spending time there. A pool, balcony or garden says nothing by itself about supervision or arrangements for your family.
Travel days start at the hotel door
Compare transport door to door, including waiting, luggage and the journey after arrival. A night bus saves a hotel night, but for us the bends on the way to Arequipa also meant a restless night. Getting into our room early was very welcome. For your route, weigh up daytime travel, a flight or an extra stop without counting on immediate room access. Keep something simple available for the first hours after arrival: lunch nearby, a short wander or unpacking.
Having a lunch option near your visit and something to eat in your day bag saves repeated searching. Keep tasting manageable: choose one unfamiliar ingredient or dish together alongside something familiar. For a workshop or long excursion, it helps to know when meals happen and what to bring yourself. Also leave room for an afternoon in one place: drawing, cards, reading, playing or swimming where your accommodation suits that. A game of Uno with friends in Lima proved a very good afternoon activity.
With less time than our five weeks, you can choose one part of the trip: Lima with the coast and dunes, or Cusco with the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. An Amazon stay is a separate part with arrival, departure and days there. Match these parts to the days you have, including the free afternoons you want to keep. That shows where another destination genuinely fits and where staying longer is more appealing.