Machu Picchu Day Trip from Cusco by Train
Machu Picchu in one long day from Cusco: van to Ollantaytambo, train, guided Circuit 2 visit and back by night. Ticket, train and bus included, from US$317.
From, per personUS$317
Machu Picchu
The Inca citadel at 2,430 m (7,970 ft) above the Urubamba River, 3.5 hours from Cusco by road and train, visited on a timed ticket with a guide.
7,970 ft2,430 m above sea level
29 packagesinclude this destination
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Machu Picchu is an Inca citadel on a ridge at 2,430 m (7,970 ft) above the Urubamba River, about 75 km (47 mi) northwest of Cusco in a straight line and 3.5 hours away by road and train. It sits inside the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu (Santuario Histórico de Machupicchu), a protected area managed by SERNANP and the Ministerio de Cultura and a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is lower, warmer and wetter than Cusco: cloud forest, not highlands, which is why the morning fog lifts off the terraces instead of frost.
Where Machu Picchu sits
The closest town is Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo), in the river gorge 400 m (1,300 ft) below the site. Trains from Ollantaytambo, 1 hour 40 minutes down the valley, and from Poroy near Cusco are the only way in, apart from walking the Inca Trail. From Aguas Calientes a Consettur bus climbs the switchbacks to the gate in about 25 minutes. There is no road to the citadel from anywhere else, and the hike up from the town takes about 90 minutes on steep stairs.
| Fact | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Altitude | 2,430 m (7,970 ft) | tuboleto.cultura.pe |
| Protected area | Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu, SERNANP and Ministerio de Cultura | sernanp.gob.pe |
| UNESCO World Heritage | Inscribed 1983, mixed cultural and natural site | whc.unesco.org |
| Circuits and routes | 3 circuits, 10 routes, since June 2024 | machupicchu.gob.pe |
| Daily visitor limit | 5,600 in high season, 4,500 in low season (as of the 2026 calendar, RM 285-2025-MC) | |
| Foreign adult ticket | S/152 plus S/11 SERNANP fee from May 2026 (as of February 2026) | |
| Nearest town | Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo), 2,040 m (6,693 ft) | |
| Train time from Ollantaytambo | about 1 hour 40 minutes | perurail.com |
Facts at a glance
The table gives the altitude, the heritage listing, the circuits and the daily limit with their sources. Two numbers decide your visit: the ticket slot, which fixes your entry hour, and the circuit, which fixes what you see. Circuit 2 is the one we book by default because it is the only route that passes the classic upper viewpoint and the main temples, with a maximum stay of 2 hours 30 minutes on route 2-A per the Ministerio de Cultura's route maps.
How to get there
From Cusco you have three ways. The day trip: pickup at 4 a.m., van to Ollantaytambo, train, bus, two hours inside, and back near 10 p.m. The overnight: train in the afternoon, a night in Aguas Calientes, the first bus at dawn, which is the version we recommend. The trek: four days on the Classic Inca Trail, entering through the Sun Gate (Intipunku), or five on the Salkantay with a bus up on the last morning. Every package on this site includes the ticket, the train and the bus, and our guide to getting to Machu Picchu compares the trains and the stations.
When to go, and the mistake people make
May to September is dry, with the clearest mornings and the fullest trains. October and April are our pick: green terraces, lighter crowds, afternoon showers you can plan around. The site opens every day of the year. The mistake is buying the ticket before the train, or the train before the ticket. The ticket fixes a date and an entry hour, the train fixes when you arrive, and in high season both sell out on different days. Read how Machu Picchu tickets work before you buy anything, or let us buy both under your passport name in one step.
Packages that include Machu Picchu
Every package below reaches the citadel, grouped by trip type: the Machu Picchu tours from Cusco, the treks that end there, and the longer Peru and Bolivia itineraries. Prices start at US$317 for the day trip by train.
Machu Picchu in photos
Photos: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (source); Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (source); Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (source); Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (source); Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (source); Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (source); Christoph Strässler, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (source)
Where it is
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Packages that include Machu Picchu
Grouped by type of trip. Prices per person in a double room.
Machu Picchu tours
Machu Picchu & Maras, Moray by ATV 2 Days
Ride an ATV across the Maras plateau to Moray and the salt pans, take the train to Aguas Calientes, then see Machu Picchu with a guide. 2 days from US$527.
From, per personUS$527
Machu Picchu by Train, 2 Days
Two days from Cusco: the morning Vistadome train, a night in Aguas Calientes and an unhurried guided Machu Picchu visit the next morning. From US$597 per person.
From, per personUS$597
Sacred Valley Classic & Machu Picchu 2 Days
Pisac, Urubamba and Ollantaytambo on day one, a night in Aguas Calientes, then Machu Picchu with a guide on day two. Five hotel tiers from US$627.
From, per personUS$627
Sacred Valley VIP 2 Days & Machu Picchu
Chinchero, the Moray terraces, the Maras salt pans and Ollantaytambo on day one, then Machu Picchu with a guide on day two. From US$657 per person.
From, per personUS$657
Machu Picchu & Cusco in 3 Days
Three days from the Cusco airport and back: a city tour on arrival, a full train day to Machu Picchu with a guide, and departure. Hotels included, from US$727.
From, per personUS$727
Machu Picchu & Cusco in 4 Days
City tour on arrival, a full day through Chinchero, Moray and the Maras salt ponds, then the morning train and a guided walk through the citadel.
From, per personUS$774
Machu Picchu & Cusco in 5 Days, with Rainbow Mountain
Five days from Cusco: city tour, Sacred Valley, a night in Aguas Calientes, Machu Picchu with a guide, then Rainbow Mountain once you have adjusted. From US$914.
From, per personUS$914
Machu Picchu & Humantay Lake 6 Days
Six days from Cusco: city tour, Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu with a guide, then Humantay Lake and Rainbow Mountain on two mountain days. From US$1,028.
From, per personUS$1,028
Treks from Cusco
Inca Jungle Trail 4 Days
Bike down from the Abra Málaga pass, hike through coffee country to the Cocalmayo hot springs, walk the railway to Aguas Calientes and tour Machu Picchu on day 4. No camping above 7,000 ft.
From, per personUS$607
Lares Trek 4 Days
Four days through the Lares valley: hot springs, a night with a weaving family, a 15,420 ft pass between glacier lakes, then the train to Aguas Calientes and a guided Machu Picchu visit.
From, per personUS$787
Classic Inca Trail, 4 Days
Four days and about 26 miles on the Inca road from KM 82 over Dead Woman's Pass (13,830 ft) to the Sun Gate and Machu Picchu. Permit, guide, cook, porters and camping included.
From, per personUS$797
Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu
Five days from the Humantay Lake side over the 15,190 ft Salkantay Pass, down through cloud forest and coffee farms to Aguas Calientes and a guided Machu Picchu visit. No trail permit needed.
From, per personUS$707
Peru vacation packages
Lima and Machu Picchu in 6 Days
Six days from Lima: the city and the Ballestas coast, then Cusco, the Sacred Valley and a guided Machu Picchu visit by train. From US$880 per person.
From, per personUS$880
Peru in 7 Days: Lima, Nazca, Cusco and Machu Picchu
A 7-day Peru tour from Lima: the Ballestas Islands, a flight over the Nazca Lines, Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu by train. From US$900 per person.
From, per personUS$900
Peru in 8 Days: Nazca, Machu Picchu and Rainbow Mountain
An 8-day Peru tour from Lima: Ballestas, the Nazca Lines, Cusco, Machu Picchu by train and a guided Rainbow Mountain hike. From US$1,190 per person.
From, per personUS$1,190
Peru in 9 Days: Nazca, Machu Picchu and Two Andes Hikes
A 9-day Peru tour from Lima: the coast and the Nazca Lines, Machu Picchu by train, then Rainbow Mountain and Humantay Lake from Cusco. From US$1,660 per person.
From, per personUS$1,660
Peru in 10 Days: Lima, Nazca, Machu Picchu and the Andes
A 10-day Peru tour from Lima at an easier pace: Nazca, Machu Picchu by train, Rainbow Mountain, the South Valley and Humantay Lake. From US$1,720 per person.
From, per personUS$1,720
Complete Peru in 15 Days, from the Coast to Machu Picchu
A 2-week Peru tour that climbs slowly from the coast: Nazca, Arequipa, the Colca Canyon, Lake Titicaca, Cusco and Machu Picchu by train. From US$2,084 per person.
From, per personUS$2,084
Peru and Bolivia tours
Peru and Bolivia in 10 Days, from Machu Picchu to Uyuni
Ten days from Lima to the Uyuni salt flat: Machu Picchu by train, Lake Titicaca, the border at Kasani and La Paz, ending at Uyuni airport. From US$1,817 per person.
From, per personUS$1,817
Peru and Bolivia in 11 Days, with Uyuni and Laguna Colorada
Eleven days from Lima: Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, La Paz, the Uyuni salt flat and a day south to Laguna Colorada, ending in La Paz. From US$1,647 per person.
From, per personUS$1,647
Peru and Bolivia in 12 Days with the Full Uyuni Circuit
Twelve days: Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, La Paz and the full three-day Uyuni circuit with the salt flat, the lagoons and the geysers at dawn. From US$2,047 per person.
From, per personUS$2,047
Machu Picchu and Uyuni in 13 Days, Overland Through the Andes
Thirteen days in the Andes: Machu Picchu, the daytime Route of the Sun to Lake Titicaca, La Paz and the full Uyuni circuit. From US$3,247 per person.
From, per personUS$3,247
Peru and Bolivia in 2 Weeks, from the Pacific to the Salt Flats
Two weeks across Peru and Bolivia: the Ballestas coast and Huacachina dunes, Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, La Paz and the full Uyuni circuit. From US$3,247 per person.
From, per personUS$3,247
Peru and Bolivia in 15 Days with Rainbow Mountain and Uyuni
Fifteen days with the high points of both countries: Machu Picchu, Rainbow Mountain, Lake Titicaca, La Paz and the full Uyuni circuit. From US$3,057 per person.
From, per personUS$3,057
Andean ceremonies
Cusco to Lake Titicaca in 5 Days, with an Andean Ceremony
Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu, then a night bus to Puno and two days on Lake Titicaca with a lakeshore water ceremony and a night with a family on Amantaní.
From, per personUS$917
Aymara Ceremony Tour: Lima, Cusco and Lake Titicaca in 8 Days
Eight days from Lima: the city and the Paracas coast, Cusco, the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu, then Lake Titicaca with a water ceremony and a night on Amantaní.
From, per personUS$1,097
Aymara Ceremony Tour: Lima, Cusco and Lake Titicaca in 10 Days
Ten days from Lima to Lake Titicaca: the coast, Cusco and Machu Picchu, a farming day with a Sacred Valley community, the daytime Sun Route to Puno and a lake ceremony.
From, per personUS$1,347
Aymara Ceremony Tour, Complete: Peru in 12 Days with Rainbow Mountain
Twelve days from Lima to Lake Titicaca: the coast, Cusco, Machu Picchu, a farming community, Rainbow Mountain, the Sun Route and two lake days with a water ceremony.
From, per personUS$1,377
Questions about Machu Picchu
Where is Machu Picchu?
In the Cusco region of southern Peru, on a ridge above the Urubamba River about 75 km (47 mi) northwest of the city of Cusco. The nearest town is Aguas Calientes in the gorge below, reached by train from Ollantaytambo or Poroy. There is no road to the site, so every visit ends with the Consettur bus or a 90-minute walk up from the town.
How high is Machu Picchu?
2,430 m (7,970 ft) at the citadel, per the Ministerio de Cultura's ticketing site. That is about 1,000 m (3,300 ft) lower than Cusco, which is why the visit itself is easy on the lungs and why the air feels warm and humid after the city. Huayna Picchu, the peak behind the site, adds about 260 m (850 ft) of climbing.
Who built Machu Picchu?
The Incas, in the 15th century, most likely as a royal estate of the emperor Pachacuti, according to the archaeological consensus summarized by the Ministerio de Cultura. It was abandoned around the time of the Spanish conquest and never found by the Spanish. The terraces, water channels and temples you walk through are the original stonework, with the thatched roofs long gone.
How long should I spend at Machu Picchu?
One timed entry of 2 hours 30 minutes on Circuit 2 covers the viewpoint, the temples and the main plaza with a guide. Add the mountain climbs (Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain) only on a second ticket, which means an overnight in Aguas Calientes. Two days from Cusco is the comfortable plan. The day trip gives you about two hours inside.
Do I need a guide inside Machu Picchu?
Our packages always include a licensed guide, because the circuits are one-way and the signs are few, and because a guide reads the stones for you. Entry rules have changed several times on this point, so check the Ministerio de Cultura's current rule if you plan to go alone. Metal-tipped poles, tripods, umbrellas and bags over 40 by 35 by 20 cm are not allowed inside.