Aguas Calientes: what to do, where to stay and how to get up to Machu Picchu

Aguas Calientes, officially Machu Picchu Pueblo, is the town at the foot of the citadel and the stop almost everyone visiting Machu Picchu passes through. The train arrives here, the bus up to the gate leaves from here, and this is where you sleep if you want to enter first thing. There is no road: it sits in the canyon of the Urubamba river, at about 2,040 metres, surrounded by jungle and mountains. This guide explains how to get around, what to do and when it is worth spending the night.

How to get there

Only two ways:

• By train, from Ollantaytambo in an hour and a half to two hours, or from the outskirts of Cusco in about three and a half hours. This is how nearly everyone arrives.
• On foot from Hidroeléctrica, about ten flat kilometres along the railway in two and a half hours, after six or seven hours by road from Cusco. It is the budget route.

We compare every option, including the Inca Trail and Salkantay, in how to get to Machu Picchu. The train only allows hand luggage of about 5 kilos: the big suitcase stays at your hotel in Cusco or Ollantaytambo.

How to get up to Machu Picchu from town

By bus. Buses leave from town, by the river, and climb to the citadel gate in about 25 minutes along a winding road. The return ticket costs about 24 dollars and is bought in town or in Cusco. The first ones leave before dawn; in high season a queue forms very early, so allow plenty of time to make your entry time.

On foot. A stepped trail climbs from Puente Ruinas, on the edge of town, to the gate in about ninety minutes. Many people go up by bus and walk down.

Walk-in tickets for Machu Picchu

Online availability by circuit is on the Machu Picchu availability page.

What to do in Aguas Calientes

• The hot springs, the waters that give the town its name: open-air pools at the top of town, about fifteen minutes on foot from the square. The best plan after the visit. Separate entrance and swimwear required.
• The Manuel Chávez Ballón Site Museum, by Puente Ruinas at the start of the road to the citadel: it explains how Machu Picchu was built and discovered, with a botanical garden of orchids and cloud-forest plants. Half an hour on foot from town, separate entrance.
• The Mandor gardens and waterfall, an hour’s walk along the railway towards Hidroeléctrica, on private land with an entrance fee. An easy walk through the jungle, with birds and butterflies.
• The square and the craft market: the square, with the statue of the Inca Pachacútec, and the market you cross on leaving the station.

The town is small: you can see it in an afternoon. Its appeal is being at the foot of Machu Picchu, not what is in it.

Is it worth staying the night?

Yes, if you want to enter the citadel first thing, in the low light and before the morning trains arrive, or if you are climbing Huayna Picchu or the Mountain, which need extra hours. We compare them in Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain.

You do not need to if you go in a day from Cusco. Our Machu Picchu Full Day goes and returns the same day, in about sixteen hours, without changing hotel. And for the middle ground, sleep in Ollantaytambo after visiting the Sacred Valley, as in the plan for the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu in 2 days.

One night is usually enough. There is accommodation at every level, from hostels to luxury hotels by the river, but everything costs more than in Cusco and fills up in high season: book it together with the ticket and the train.

Food, money and weather

• Food: there are plenty of restaurants, mostly on the main street that climbs from the square and along the railway. Prices are higher than in Cusco.
• Money: there are cash machines, but bring soles in cash for the bus, the hot springs and the markets.
• Weather: warmer and more humid than Cusco all year round. Bring a rain jacket, sunscreen and insect repellent: there are mosquitoes.

Frequently asked questions

Are Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu Pueblo the same?

Yes. Machu Picchu Pueblo is the official name; Aguas Calientes is the one everyone uses.

Can you drive to Aguas Calientes?

No. The nearest the road gets is Hidroeléctrica, ten kilometres away on foot.

How long from town to the citadel?

About 25 minutes by bus, or about ninety minutes walking up the steps.

Can you buy the Machu Picchu ticket in Aguas Calientes?

There is an official ticket office, but in high season tickets sell out weeks or months ahead. Buy it beforehand; we explain how in the complete guide to Machu Picchu.

How many nights should you spend?

One. Just enough to enter the citadel early and return to Cusco or the Sacred Valley the next day.

Keep planning

• How to get to Machu Picchu, by train or on foot.
• 10 tips for visiting Machu Picchu.
• 3-day itinerary with Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu.
• Private Machu Picchu Full Day, with ticket, train, bus and guide.