Planning a Peru Trip - Is the Sacred Valley Worth More Time Than Cusco?

I took a tour that went to more than half of the locations on that list, all were very interesting and supremely unique and I personally wouldn't skip it. One benefit is that nearly all are lower elevation that Cusco which helps with acclimatization. And you didn't say but how much time are you planning for this part of the trip and how much time in Cusco? It's hard to say what is "worth more time" not knowing how much time you have total. FWIW my tour spent 6 days in the area - about 2.5 in Sacred Valley, 1.5 at MP, 2 in Cusco.

Echoing what CL said, the tour I took went to several of the memorable places listed in the Sacred Valley article.

Not in the article, our tour went to Tipon, a masterwork of hydraulic engineering, which I found fascinating and incredible. Maybe non geeks would not be so impressed. Our tour guide explained the significance of the accomplishments there.

Together with Pisac and Saqsayhuaman, I came away with a broader picture of the engineering feats of the Incan people.

Rafting the Urubamba River gives a break from the ancient sites and the chance to marvel at Mother Nature.

Hard to say how any of that might fit into your timeframe and overall trip plan. And, like many places, I understood so much more of what I was seeing with the explanations of our guide.

You are in for a great trip, we loved our time in Peru.
We spent 2 nights in the Sacred Valley it's self, along with 3 nights in Cusco (2 before going to the Sacred Valley, and the other after).
I will just go down the list as stated in the article.

1. Cusco, loved it. This was a fun stop for us. Lots of things to see, great food.
2. Maras Salt Mines, so cool. Not a lot of time required for a stop here but i am so glad we went. We bought salt here, getting a couple kilos of salt through U.S. customs, and TSA screening is quite a tale.
3. Urubamba, did not stop here.
4. Pisac, nice little town. We enjoyed the small market. It was not a long stop.
5. Moray, and to be more accurate, Moray’s terraces were very interesting. Again not a lot of time required, but worth the stop.
6. Huchuy Cusco, we did not visit.
7. Saqsayhuaman, very interesting, how did they move such large stones.
8. Ollantaytambo, also very interesting. We did little more than visit the archeological site and catch the train.
9. Classic Inca Trail, we did not partake in this endeavor.
10. Aguas Calientes, When taking the train, and bus up to Machu Picchu this town cannot be avoided. We just passed thru, lots of tourist markets.

Many of the sights can be visited on your way to and from the Sacred Valley. A couple tips from us would be take it easy in Cusco the first day, the altitude here is no joke. Also it is a great place to try Guinea Pig, we were told that many times it needs to be ordered 24 hours in advance to prepare. Lasty be prepared for some small, rough, and dirt roads.

Just finished planning a 19 night trip to Peru for 2027. We have 3 nights in Sacred Valley and 5 in Cusco. There is more for tourists (restaurants, shopping) etc to do in Cusco.