The Cusco Tourist Ticket (Boleto Turístico del Cusco, or BTC) is the single ticket that gives access to sixteen archaeological sites and museums in Cusco and the Sacred Valley. It is run by COSITUC, a municipal committee, and without it you cannot enter Sacsayhuaman, Pisac or Ollantaytambo. Almost every traveller has the same doubt: full ticket or partial? The answer depends on only two things, which tours you are doing and how many days you are staying. Here are the facts to decide in two minutes.
The prices in this guide are the reference rates published by COSITUC at the time of writing. Confirm them at the ticket office before paying: they change from year to year.
Full or partial: the table that settles it
| Ticket | What it includes | Validity | Foreign adult | Student (ISIC) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full (Integral) | All 16 sites: the city circuits, the museums, the South Valley and the Sacred Valley | 10 days | S/ 130 | S/ 70 |
| Partial · Circuit I | Sacsayhuaman, Q’enqo, Puka Pukara and Tambomachay | 1 day | S/ 70 | S/ 40 |
| Partial · Circuit II | City museums (Regional History, Qorikancha Site Museum, Contemporary Art, Popular Art, Qosqo Centre of Native Art, Pachacutec Monument) plus Tipon and Pikillacta | 2 days | S/ 70 | S/ 40 |
| Partial · Circuit III | Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Chinchero and Moray | 2 days | S/ 70 | S/ 40 |
Peruvian citizens and residents pay a reduced rate on showing their ID or residence card. Children under ten do not pay, with an identity document. The student ticket requires a valid ISIC card and an age under 25; your home university card is not accepted.
Which ticket suits your plan
- City Tour only. Partial Circuit I. It covers the four ruins above Cusco and is valid exactly for the day of the tour, which can be the afternoon you arrive.
- Sacred Valley only. Partial Circuit III. It covers both one-day routes, the classic via Pisac and Ollantaytambo and the VIP via Chinchero, Moray and Ollantaytambo.
- City Tour and Sacred Valley. Full ticket. Two partials would add up to S/ 140 and each expires in one or two days; the full ticket costs S/ 130, lasts ten days and adds the museums and the South Valley.
- More than four days in Cusco. Full ticket, no question. With ten days of validity you can spread the visits out and add Tipon or Pikillacta on your own.
What the Tourist Ticket does not include
This is the most common confusion. These places are paid separately, even though they are part of tours that do use the ticket:
- Qorikancha, the Temple of the Sun. It is run by the Santo Domingo convent and has its own entrance fee of about 15 soles. The ticket only covers the site museum under the garden, which is a different thing.
- The Cathedral, San Blas and San Cristobal. These use the Religious Circuit ticket sold by the Archdiocese.
- The Maras Salt Mines. They belong to the Maras community, which charges its own entrance of about 10 soles.
- Machu Picchu. Nothing to do with the BTC: tickets are bought on the Ministry of Culture website with a fixed date and circuit.
Where and how to buy it
COSITUC’s main office is at Avenida El Sol 103, in the Galerías Turísticas, two blocks from the Plaza de Armas. It opens Monday to Saturday during office hours and is the only place where paying by card is reasonably reliable. The ticket is also sold at the entrances of the sites themselves, such as Sacsayhuaman, Pisac, Ollantaytambo or Chinchero, but there you should bring cash in soles.
If you tour with us you do not need to visit any office: the guide takes you to the ticket window at the first stop and you buy the one you need. You only need your passport, because the ticket is personal, carries your name and is signed on purchase. It cannot be shared or resold, and each site admits one entry.
How to use it well
- Count the days from the first entry, not from the purchase. The Circuit I partial expires the same day you first use it.
- Carry it with your passport. The larger ticket gates, especially Ollantaytambo, check them together.
- Do not lose it. No duplicates are issued; if it goes missing you buy another.
- Keep it until the last site. It is stamped at each entrance and some parks ask for it again at the exit.
Which tours need the Ticket and which do not, with their prices, is in Cusco private tour prices.
Frequently asked questions
Can the Tourist Ticket be bought online?
COSITUC does not sell the ticket online in any stable way; it is bought in person at the Avenida El Sol office or at the site ticket windows. Agencies offering it “online” buy it for you at the office and hand it over in person.
Is the ticket valid for Machu Picchu?
No. Machu Picchu has its own Ministry of Culture ticket, with an assigned date, time and circuit. The BTC plays no part in any Machu Picchu procedure.
Can I enter the same site twice?
No. Each site is visited once with the same ticket, even if the full ticket is valid for ten days.
Does the tour include the ticket?
None of our tours include it in the price, because each traveller needs a different ticket depending on their days and plan. The guide accompanies you to buy the right one at the first stop.
Keep planning
- Cusco Private City Tour: the four Circuit I ruins plus Qorikancha in half a day.
- Sacred Valley tours: every route that uses Circuit III.
- Cusco city tours: what to do with the full ticket on the remaining days.
