It seems like a lot of people finds confusing how to organise their trip to visit Machu Picchu and what tickets to buy. Don’t worry, it is not that complicated as it may seem. In this article I will explain how to get to Machu Picchu and give you some tips about organizing your trip.
Machu Picchu Tickets
The first thing I did was buying Machu Picchu entrance tickets. Don’t forget that these tickets can sell months in advance. You can buy them here.
In high season (May to September) there are 5600 available tickets per day and in low season (October to April) 4500. You can buy tickets one day before in Aguas Calientes (1000 available per day). There is also information they sell tickets in Cusco but I didn’t check it.
You have the option to buy a tour which already includes the entrance ticket.
Do you need a tour guide? There is some information around that you are obligated to enter with a guide but it is not true. At the entrance you will find guides offering you their services. Feel free making a deal with them and don’t be scared to negotiate the price. I was seriously thinking about getting a guide, but looking back at it, I think it was better we did not have it. This way we did the tour at our own pace, stopped, sat down and enjoyed the view in peace.
Be aware that you have to enter Machu Picchu at the chosen time. There is 45 minutes of tolerance in high season (June to November) and 30 minutes of tolerance in low season. Have this in mind when buying train ticket (read below)!
Routes
The Ministry offers 3 different routes: 1 panoramic, 2 classic circuit, 3 Machu Picchu Kingdom.
1 Panoramic: you can choose from A) Machu Picchu Mountain Route, B) Upper Terrace Route, C) Intipunku Gateway Route (available only during peak season), D) Inka Bridge Route (available only during peak season)
2 Classic circuit: you can choose from 2-A) Classic Designed Route or 2-B) Lower Terrace Route
3 Machu Picchu Kingdom: you can choose from 3-A) Waynapicchu Mountain Route, 3-B) Royalty Designed Route, 3-C) Great Cavern Route (only available in high season), 3-D) Huchuypicchu Route (only available in high season).
For every route you can find the map on the site linked above. For the classic picture of Machu Picchu we chose the 2A route.
Price
In 2025 the entrance ticket was 37€ or 42$ per person.
For some reason I had the trouble to even open the link to buy the tickets. I could only do it on my computer. But then again when I wanted to pay, I couldn’t.
If this is also your problem, just download and install Proton VPN and it should be good (maybe others also work but this exact one saved my problem).
Trip: how to get to Machu Picchu
Now the trip can be quite tiring, but again it depends what hour you choose to visit. A lot of people want to see the early sunrise view and you have the option to buy entrance tickets for 6 am, but I wouldn’t recommend it if you don’t stay in Aguas Calientes. Also a lot of people for some reason want to visit the site before 12/1 pm, but we found the 2 pm slot just fine. I would also say there are less posibilites to find the morning fog. Also choosing the 2 pm slot meant we didn’t have to wake up at some extreme early hours, on the contrary it was really relaxed.
The rules change regularly so please check info before making the reservation!
For every route there are different time slots you can choose from and different time limits. For circuit 2 is 2 hours 30 minutes. Machu Picchu closes at 5pm, this means that choosing the 3 pm slot leaves you with 2 hours for visiting.
To get to Machu Picchu by train you can choose from Peru rail or Inca rail.
For us I chose Peru rail. From what I saw the trains seemed bigger and lets just say nicer.
We visited Machu Picchu at the end of April that means we only had the option for bimodal service. This means that from Cusco you have to take the bus first and then the train (January to April). From May to December you can choose the bimodal service or do the trip with the train only. Check the timetable here.
P.S. Wanchaq station does not mean the airport but a small station in the city (address El Sol).
Bimodal service: bus – train – bus
As written above, you first have to get on a bus that stops in Ollantaytambo train station (around 2 hours) and from there you get on a train to Aguas Calientes (around 1 hours 30 min).
After that you have to go down through the village to get in line for a bus that gets you to the site. Luckily when I bought tickets for Machu Picchu I counted an extra hour in between: the arrival in Aguas Calientes was expected for 12 pm, the ticket for Machu Picchu was for 2 pm.
The price for this bus is not included in the Peru rail ticket. The round trip cost is 24 USD. After paying get in the line where you see your entrance time to Machu Picchu.
Between trail arrival and Machu Picchu entrance time you need to count in at least one hour to wait in line and 30 minutes bus ride to the site!
Peru rail offers different standards of experience. You can choose from (cheapest) Perurail Expedition, Vistadome, Vistadome Observatory or Hiram Bingham (luxury).
For us I chose Vistadome Observatory to reach Machu Picchu and Perurail Expedition for going back.
Vistadome Observatory offers a snack, panoramic windows, limited access to open-air balcony, Andean music and cultural performance. This meant we had some more fun heading to Machu Picchu, travelling back on Perurail Expedition on the other hand, meant sleep time (much needed).
Van – by foot
There is another way you can reach Machu Picchu – by van and then by foot. This is information I got online.
There are vans that get you from Cusco to Hidroelectrica but the ride is long (around 5 hours) and curvy. After that you follow the train tracks to get to Aguas Calientes (around 4 hours).
Weather
In this region you can definitely expect rain as you are in the transition zone between the jungle and the Andes mountain.
We had luck as there was rain while waiting in the line, then we almost even had sun while visiting the site, when we finished, the rain just started again.
Be prepared with some rain jacket. You can also buy it there as there is a lot of people selling them while you are waiting in the line. The reason is, you can not enter Machu Picchu with an umbrella. So dress in layers.
P.S. people say that if you get sun on the top of Machu Picchu, you get lots of mosquitos with it too. Someone can confirm? 🙂
Conclusion with tips
Hopefully this full guide how to get to Machu Picchu helps you understand and organise your trip as it can be a little confusing, especially the bimodal service Peru rail offers and different routes of Machu Picchu site.
Here are the main conclusions:
- Staying in Aguas Clientes means you can reach Machu Picchu in 30’ + time of waiting in line.
- Cusco is located quite high, so Aguas Calientes offer a nice spot for acclimatization or is just a better accommodation.
- Don’t worry about getting in (Machu Picchu) early. There is also less change for fog in the afternoon. This also means more sleep time in the morning.
- Dress in layers.
- Getting to Machu Picchu is the main experience. Seeing it is only the second 🙂
- You can find my top 5 Peru travel advice here.
