Puno is a sprawling, somewhat unappealing city with a few colonial churches and an incredible number of religious festivals. Because it is Peru’s only major city on the shores of Lake Titicaca, most travelers pass through here en route to more interesting destinations. As a result, there is a good range of hotels, restaurants, and agencies.

Great efforts have been made to improve Puno’s attractiveness. The wooden lake boats, powered by converted car engines from the 1950s, are safer now that they are equipped with life jackets, fire extinguishers, and cell phones. They also float higher out of the water with an enforced limit on passengers. The terminal on the edge of town brings all of the major bus companies together and is just a few minutes’ walk from the port, where boats leave for Amantaní and Taquile Islands.

During the early days of the Peruvian viceroyalty, Puno was a stopover for those traveling between Arequipa and the Potosí mine, in present-day Bolivia. But in 1688, a silver mine was discovered at nearby Laicota and the town was renamed San Carlos de Puno. During this time, important churches were built in Puno and around the shores of Lake Titicaca, with mestizo facades similar to those in Arequipa.

Getting There

By Air: Unfortunately, Puno does not have an airport. The closest is Aeropuerto Manco Cápac (tel. 051/32-2905) in Juliaca, about 45 minutes north of Puno. LAN (Tacna 299, tel. 051/36-7227 or Lima tel. 01/213-8200, www.lan.com) flies the routes Lima–Juliaca and Juliaca–Arequipa several times a day. LAN also has a Cusco–Juliaca flight.

By Train: One of the highest passenger trains in the world runs between Cusco and Puno. The views along this route are fantastic, though the train rolls right by a series of interesting ruins. It does stop briefly, however, at the high pass of La Raya, 4,314 meters, where a colonial chapel stands alone in the middle of the high plateau. Tickets can be bought at the station in Puno (La Torre 224, tel. 051/36-9179) or reserved online through PeruRail (reservas [at] perurail [dot] com, www.perurail.com).

By Bus: Puno’s Terminal Terrestre (1 de Mayo 703, intersection with Bolivar, tel. 051/36-4733 for schedule questions, US$0.30 entry), opened in 2001, has greatly improved the pleasure of busing into Puno. It is safe, with restaurants, snack bars, and even a clean, though noisy, hostel. From here buses arrive from and depart for Juliaca, Arequipa, Tacna, Cusco, Lima, and La Paz, Bolivia (through both Desaguadero and Copacabana). We also do not recommend traveling at night.

Inka Express (Tacna 255, tel. 051/36-5654, inkaexpresspuno [at] terra [dot] com [dot] pe, www.inkaexpress.com), First Class (Lima 177, tel. 051/36-5192, or Sol 930 in Cusco, tel. 084/22-3102, firstclass [at] terra [dot] com [dot] pe), Ormeño (tel. 051/36-8176), Imexso (tel. 051/36-9514), Cruz del Sur (tel. 051/36-8524, www.cruzdelsur.com.pe), Cial (tel. 051/36-7821, www.expresocial.com), and San Martin (05/36-3631) are among the carriers with routes through Puno.

By Boat: Two luxury boat companies offer interesting, though expensive, options for traveling between Puno and La Paz in a single day. Crillon Tours has offices in the United States (1450 S. Bayshore Dr., Suite 815, Miami, FL 33131, tel. 888/TITICACA, or 888/848-4222, daruis [at] titicaca [dot] com) and in La Paz (Camacho 1223, tel. 591/233-7533, titicaca [at] gaoba [dot] entelnet [dot] bo) and an informative website at www.titicaca.com, and Transturin has offices in Puno through Leon Tours (Libertad 176, tel. 051/35-2771, leontours [at] terra [dot] com [dot] pe), in Copacabana (6 de Agosto s/n, tel. 08/62-2284), and La Paz (Mariscal Santa Cruz 1295, 3rd Fl., tel. 912/31-0647, sales [at] turismo-bolivia [dot] com); its website is www.transturin.com.