Machu Picchu from Cusco: how to plan it Machu Picchu lies at 2,430 metres, almost a thousand lower than Cusco, and there is no road: you arrive by train in Aguas Calientes and by bus at the…
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Machu Picchu in a day from Cusco with private transfer, train, bus, entrance ticket and official private guide.…
Machu Picchu lies at 2,430 metres, almost a thousand lower than Cusco, and there is no road: you arrive by train in Aguas Calientes and by bus at the gate. That makes the visit above all a matter of logistics: a ticket with a date and circuit, a train ticket with a timetable, the bus, a guide and transfers. Our Machu Picchu tours handle that whole chain privately, with hotel pickup and a guide just for your group.
A 15th-century royal Inca estate, attributed to the Inca Pachacútec, built among sacred mountains above the Urubamba river: temples, palaces, plazas and farming terraces of finely cut stone. UNESCO declared it World Heritage in 1983 and in 2007 it was chosen as one of the new seven wonders of the world. What it was, how it was built and what remains unknown, in the history of Machu Picchu.
| Leg | Time |
|---|---|
| Cusco to Ollantaytambo, by vehicle | An hour and three quarters |
| Train Ollantaytambo – Aguas Calientes | An hour and a half to two hours |
| Direct train from Cusco (Poroy or San Pedro) | About three and a half hours |
| Bus from Aguas Calientes to the citadel | About 25 minutes |
You can also arrive on foot, on the Inca Trail or the Salkantay trek, or by the budget route via Hidroeléctrica. We compare them all in how to get to Machu Picchu. If you sleep at the foot of the citadel, see what to do in Aguas Calientes.
The ticket is bought with a fixed date, entry time and circuit, and the daily quota is limited. Since 2024 the citadel is visited on three one-way circuits:
The general ticket for a foreign adult is around 150 soles; with a mountain, about 200. Buy it two months ahead, and three or four from June to August or if you want to climb a mountain. All the details are in the circuits guide and in Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain.
The Machu Picchu Full Day leaves Cusco before dawn, crosses the Sacred Valley to Ollantaytambo, takes the train down the Urubamba gorge and visits the citadel for about three hours before returning the same way. It is about sixteen hours and suits those short of time who do not want to change hotels.
If your schedule allows, we recommend sleeping in Ollantaytambo or Aguas Calientes and entering first thing, in the low light and before the morning trains arrive. That is how we plan it in the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu in 2 days and in the 3-day itinerary; we arrange it to measure.
The private Machu Picchu Full Day includes the transfer from your hotel to Ollantaytambo, the return train, the bus to the citadel, the ticket and an official guide just for your group. The price is per person and goes down the more of you travel: from 420 USD for one person to 305 USD per person in groups of seven to ten. The circuit is subject to availability when booking, and we need each traveller's passport to issue the ticket and train tickets.
Machu Picchu is open all year. From May to September, the dry season, skies are clear and crowds larger; from November to March, misty mornings that usually clear by mid-morning and far fewer visitors. April and October are the middle ground. We go through it month by month in the best time to visit Machu Picchu.
Tickets, opening hours, rules and what to bring, in the complete guide to visiting Machu Picchu and the 10 tips for your trip.
The train leaves from Ollantaytambo, in the Sacred Valley, so the natural plan is to do the valley the day before, finish at the station and visit Machu Picchu the next day. Any of our valley routes can end in Ollantaytambo with your luggage on board.
Our private Machu Picchu Full Day costs from 420 USD for one person down to 305 USD per person in groups of seven to ten. It includes the transfer to Ollantaytambo, the return train, the bus to the citadel, the ticket and an official guide just for your group.
Yes. It takes about sixteen hours, leaving before dawn. If your schedule allows, it is more comfortable to sleep in Ollantaytambo or Aguas Calientes and enter first thing.
Two months ahead gets almost any date. From June to August, or if you want to climb Huayna Picchu or the Mountain, three or four.
Circuit 2, the classic: the complete route, with the classic photo above and the temples and plazas below.
Little. The citadel is at 2,430 metres, almost a thousand lower than Cusco. The stairs are what tire you.
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