Ollantaytambo is known as the last living Inca town, because people still live inside its Inca street plan: the same lanes, the same water channels and the same walls as five centuries ago. At 72 kilometres from Cusco and 2,792 metres, it has a monumental fortress, a village worth an hour’s stroll and, above all, the train station to Machu Picchu. That is why it is the stop that decides how the rest of your trip is organised. Here is what to see, how much time you need and how to link it with the train.
The fortress: what to see and in what order
- The terraces. Seventeen monumental terraces forming the face of the site. You climb them by a central stairway of about 200 steps; that is the only real effort of the visit.
- The Temple of the Sun. At the top, six monoliths of pink porphyry up to four metres high, joined with millimetre-precise seams. The stone came from a quarry on the mountain opposite, across the river, and the temple was never finished: the conquest interrupted the work.
- The tired stones. Blocks abandoned halfway between the quarry and the temple. They are visible from the upper terrace and explain better than any panel how the site was built.
- The Bath of the Ñusta. A ceremonial fountain carved from a single stone in the lower sector, with water still running through the Inca channel.
- The view of Pinkuylluna. On the hill opposite you see the qolqas, the Inca grain stores, and the profile of a face in the rock that tradition identifies with Wiracocha.
With a guide, the fortress takes about an hour and a quarter. In 1537 it was the scene of one of the few Inca victories over the Spanish, when Manco Inca flooded the plain and stopped Hernando Pizarro’s cavalry.
The living town
On the way down, cross the square and walk into the lanes of the Qosqo Ayllu quarter: these are the original Inca canchas, closed blocks around a central courtyard where families still live. Stone channels have carried water down the middle of each street for five hundred years. It is a twenty-minute walk that almost every group skips and that, for many travellers, is the best of Ollantaytambo.
Pinkuylluna: the free climb with the best view
From Calle Lares, a path climbs in 30 to 40 minutes to the Pinkuylluna storehouses on the hill opposite. No ticket is needed. From the top you see the whole fortress, terraces and temple in perspective. It is steep and shadeless: carry water and go in the morning or after four.
Ollantaytambo and the train to Machu Picchu
The station is a ten-minute walk from the square. Most PeruRail and Inca Rail trains to Aguas Calientes leave from here (every route is in how to get to Machu Picchu), a journey of an hour and a half to two hours through the Urubamba gorge. That allows two very practical plans:
- Sleep in Ollantaytambo the night before Machu Picchu: you take an early train, reach the citadel mid-morning and avoid a pre-dawn start in Cusco.
- End your valley tour here. Any of our one-day routes can finish at the station instead of returning to Cusco: we drop you with your luggage in time for your train. That is how our Machu Picchu Full Day works, leaving by train from Ollantaytambo.
In Aguas Calientes, a bus climbs to the citadel gate in about 25 minutes. What to do in town and how to plan the ride up are in Aguas Calientes: what to do, where to stay and how to get up to Machu Picchu.
If you plan to sleep in the valley, compare the towns in where to stay in the Sacred Valley, and see the full plan in the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu in 2 days.
Ticket and opening hours
The fortress is visited with the Cusco Tourist Ticket, full or Circuit III partial. For a foreign adult, the partial ticket costs S/ 70 and is valid for two days at Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Chinchero and Moray; the full ticket costs S/ 130 and is valid for ten days. These are approximate prices, paid in soles and subject to change. The fortress opens from seven in the morning to six in the evening (indicative hours). The town and Pinkuylluna are free.
Best time
Valley groups arrive between one and four in the afternoon, after lunch in Urubamba. First thing in the morning, or after half past four, the fortress is almost empty and the light falls sideways across the terraces. If you sleep in town, go in at opening time.
Pisac or Ollantaytambo?
They are the two great Inca sites of the Sacred Valley, and they complement each other more than they compete:
| Pisac | Ollantaytambo | |
|---|---|---|
| Town altitude | About 2,970 m | 2,792 m |
| From Cusco | 33 km, about 45 minutes | 72 km, about 1 h 45 min |
| Highlights | The archaeological park on the ridge and the craft market | The fortress with the Temple of the Sun and the inhabited Inca town |
| Guided visit | An hour and a half to two hours for the ruins, plus the market | About an hour and a quarter for the fortress, plus twenty minutes in town |
| Train to Machu Picchu | Does not leave from here | Station ten minutes from the square |
If you only have one day, the Classic Sacred Valley covers both. If Machu Picchu is the next day, it makes sense to end in Ollantaytambo and sleep there.
Frequently asked questions
Which is higher, Cusco or Ollantaytambo?
Cusco. Ollantaytambo is at 2,792 metres (9,160 ft) and Cusco’s Plaza de Armas at 3,399 metres (11,152 ft), about 610 metres higher. The altitude of every destination is in Cusco altitude and every destination.
How much is the entrance to Ollantaytambo?
The fortress is visited with the Cusco Tourist Ticket: for a foreign adult, S/ 70 for the Circuit III partial and S/ 130 for the full ticket (approximate prices). The town and the climb to Pinkuylluna are free. Which one suits you is in Cusco Tourist Ticket: prices and circuits.
How do I get from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu?
By train to Aguas Calientes, an hour and a half to two hours, and from there by bus to the citadel gate, about 25 minutes. On our Machu Picchu Full Day we take you from your Cusco hotel to the station and everything else is arranged.
How long does it take from Cusco to Ollantaytambo?
About an hour and three quarters by vehicle via Chinchero and Urubamba, or two hours via Pisac. On a valley tour you arrive at midday or early afternoon.
Is it worth sleeping in Ollantaytambo?
Yes, if Machu Picchu is the next day. It is 600 metres lower than Cusco, you sleep better and the train leaves ten minutes from your hotel.
Is the climb up the fortress demanding?
About 200 stone steps, with a landing at each terrace. Most people climb it in ten to fifteen minutes at an easy pace. You do not have to reach the very top to see the Temple of the Sun up close: it is on the second-to-last terrace.
Can I leave my luggage somewhere?
Yes. If you end the tour here to catch the train, your luggage travels with you in our vehicle to the station. If you are on your own, the hotels on the square usually keep it for a few hours.
Follow the route
- Classic Sacred Valley and Sacred Valley VIP: the VIP ends at Ollantaytambo, and the Classic can end here too if you ask when booking.
- Machu Picchu Full Day, by train from Ollantaytambo.
- The valley’s other stops: Pisac, Chinchero and Maras and Moray.
- All our Sacred Valley tours.
