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 tours
Ticket, train, bus and guide handled. 1 to 6 days, from US$317. 9 packages, prices per person in a double room, free quote by email within 24 hours.
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
About machu picchu tours
Last reviewed October 2026.
These are our nine Machu Picchu tours from Cusco, from a US$317 day trip by train to a 6-day package with Humantay Lake at US$1,028. Each one includes the entrance ticket bought under your passport name, the round-trip train, the Consettur bus up the switchbacks and a licensed English-speaking guide inside the citadel. Multi-day packages add hotels with breakfast and the airport transfers in Cusco.
Our recommendation for a first visit is the 4-day package with Cusco and the Sacred Valley, from US$774. It puts Machu Picchu on day three, after your body has had two nights at altitude, and it reaches the citadel by the morning train with the guide walking Circuit 2. The day trip exists for people who have one day and no choice. The 2-day train tour is for travelers already in Cusco who want the early entry without the long day.
Which Machu Picchu tour fits your trip
The table compares all nine packages by days, nights, how you reach the citadel, the highest point of the trip and the lowest price. Prices are per person in a double room on packages with hotel tiers, and per person in shared service on the rest. Read it with the three questions below in mind.
| Package | Days | Nights | How you reach the citadel | Max altitude (m / ft) | Effort | From (US$ per person) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Machu Picchu day trip from Cusco by train | 1 | 0 | Train from Ollantaytambo | 3,400 / 11,150 (Cusco) | easy-moderate, long day | US$317 |
| Machu Picchu and Maras, Moray by ATV, 2 days | 2 | 1 | Train from Ollantaytambo | 3,762 / 12,342 | easy-moderate | US$527 |
| Machu Picchu by train, 2 days | 2 | 1 | Train from Poroy or Ollantaytambo | 3,400 / 11,150 (Cusco) | easy-moderate | US$597 |
| Sacred Valley Classic and Machu Picchu, 2 days | 2 | 1 | Train from Ollantaytambo | 3,740 / 12,270 | easy-moderate | US$627 |
| Sacred Valley VIP and Machu Picchu, 2 days | 2 | 1 | Train from Ollantaytambo | 3,762 / 12,342 (Chinchero) | easy-moderate | US$657 |
| Machu Picchu and Cusco in 3 days | 3 | 2 | Train from Ollantaytambo | 3,800 / 12,467 (Sacsayhuamán) | easy-moderate | US$727 |
| Machu Picchu and Cusco in 4 days | 4 | 3 | Train from Ollantaytambo | 3,762 / 12,342 (Chinchero) | easy-moderate | US$774 |
| Machu Picchu and Cusco in 5 days, with Rainbow Mountain | 5 | 4 | Train from Ollantaytambo | 5,036 / 16,522 (Vinicunca) | moderate on day 4 | US$914 |
| Machu Picchu and Humantay Lake, 6 days | 6 | 5 | Train from Ollantaytambo | 5,036 / 16,522 (DB field says 5,100, see notes) | moderate on the hike days | US$1,028 |
By the days you have
One day: the day trip by train, 4 a.m. to about 10 p.m., with roughly two hours inside the citadel. Two days: four options, and the difference is the first day. The train tour spends it getting to Aguas Calientes. The two Sacred Valley versions visit Pisac and Ollantaytambo, or Chinchero, Moray and Maras, on the way to the train. The ATV version rides to Moray and the salt ponds. Three days adds a night in Cusco at each end, which is the minimum we recommend if you are flying in. Four to six days add the Sacred Valley, Rainbow Mountain or Humantay Lake and a free morning.
By effort and altitude
Machu Picchu itself is easy: 2,430 m (7,970 ft), lower and warmer than Cusco, with about two and a half hours of walking on stone steps inside Circuit 2. The altitude you need to respect is Cusco at 3,400 m (11,150 ft) and Chinchero at 3,762 m (12,342 ft) on the Sacred Valley day. The 5-day package climbs to the Vinicunca viewpoint at 5,036 m (16,522 ft) on day four, which is a 90-minute to 2-hour uphill walk in thin air. Only pick it if you walk regularly at home. Travelers in their seventies do the 3-day and 4-day packages without trouble when the first afternoon stays light.
By budget
US$317 to US$527 buys a day trip or the 2-day ATV combination with no hotel tier. US$597 to US$657 is the 2-day range with a 3-star hotel in Aguas Calientes, and the Sacred Valley Classic version drops to US$627 with a 2-star room. From US$727 (3 days) to US$1,028 (6 days) you get Cusco hotels, transfers and the extra days. Moving from the Essential tier to Signature on the 4-day package raises the price from US$774 to US$1,138 and changes only the hotels.
What every tour includes
The same five things appear on all nine packages, because they are the things that go wrong when travelers buy them separately.
- Machu Picchu entrance ticket, Circuit 2 unless you ask for another route, bought under your passport name through the Ministerio de Cultura.
- Round-trip train between Ollantaytambo or Poroy and Aguas Calientes, Expedition class or equivalent, with the seat number on your confirmation.
- Consettur bus up and down the 25-minute switchback road between Aguas Calientes and the gate.
- Licensed guide in English for the walk inside the citadel, in a shared group.
- Pickup at your Cusco hotel for the departure and the return transfer.
Not included anywhere: the optional Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain tickets, meals in Aguas Calientes unless the day-by-day lists them, travel insurance and tips. Multi-day packages include breakfast at the hotels and the lunches named in the itinerary.
Day trip or overnight
Take the overnight if you can. The 2-day tour reaches the gate on the first morning slot, when the cloud is still lifting off the terraces and the big groups from the day trains have not arrived. The day trip is a 4 a.m. pickup, two hours by road to Ollantaytambo at 2,800 m (9,186 ft), about 1 hour 40 minutes on the train, the bus, two hours inside, and the same chain back, with the hotel door near 10 p.m. People who take it are glad they went and tired for two days. It is the right answer only when the calendar leaves no other option.
Hotels by tier
Five of the nine packages come in tiers, and the tier changes nothing except the hotel. Essential is 3-star, usually a small hotel within a few blocks of the Plaza de Armas in Cusco and a riverside hotel in Aguas Calientes. Comfort is 4-star, Comfort Plus is 4-star premium, and Signature is 5-star. The Sacred Valley Classic 2-day package also offers Basic, with a 2-star room in Aguas Calientes. Hotel names go on your written confirmation, so you can look them up before you pay.
How booking works
Send us the dates, the package and the names as they appear on the passports. We check the Machu Picchu ticket availability for your date and the train seats, then confirm in writing. You pay a deposit and the tickets are bought the same day, which matters because the Ministerio de Cultura sets a daily limit (5,600 visitors in high season and 4,500 the rest of the year, per Resolución Ministerial 285-2025-MC) and the slots for June to August go first. Huayna Picchu is the first route to sell out, so ask for it two to three months ahead.
Read before you book
Two pages explain the parts that confuse first-time visitors: how Machu Picchu tickets work, including circuits, time slots and the passport rule, and how to get to Machu Picchu from Cusco by train. If you are choosing between Circuit 2 and the mountain climbs, our guide to the Machu Picchu circuits settles it.
Destinations in these packages
Each place has its own page with altitude, how to get there and every package that includes it.
Machu PicchuThe 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.
CuscoThe Inca capital at 3,400 m (11,150 ft), 1 hour 20 minutes by air from Lima, where every Machu Picchu trip and every trek starts.
Sacred ValleyThe Urubamba River valley between Pisac and Ollantaytambo, about 2,870 m (9,416 ft), one hour north of Cusco and on the train line to Machu Picchu.
Rainbow MountainVinicunca, a striped mineral ridge at 5,036 m (16,522 ft) south of Cusco, reached by a 3-hour drive and a 90-minute to 2-hour uphill walk.
Humantay LakeA turquoise glacier lake at 4,200 m (13,780 ft) under the Humantay peak, three hours from Cusco by road plus a 90-minute uphill walk from Soraypampa.
Questions about machu picchu tours
Which Machu Picchu tour is best for a first visit?
The 4-day package with Cusco and the Sacred Valley, from US$774. Our reason: it sleeps two nights in Cusco before the citadel, so the altitude headache is behind you, and the Sacred Valley day ends at the Ollantaytambo station instead of driving back to Cusco. You walk Machu Picchu on the morning of day three with the guide and fly out on day four.
How many days do you need for Machu Picchu?
Two days from Cusco is the comfortable minimum: train out in the afternoon, a night in Aguas Calientes, the citadel at the first slot. Add two nights in Cusco at the start if you are flying in from sea level. The day trip works in one day but runs 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. Four days total is the length most of our US travelers book.
Day trip or overnight in Aguas Calientes?
Overnight, every time the calendar allows it. The 2-day tour enters at the first morning slot with lifting cloud and smaller crowds, and the day only has one train each way instead of a 4 a.m. pickup. The day trip costs US$317 against US$597 for the 2-day with a 3-star hotel, and the difference buys you sleep and the early entry.
Are the Machu Picchu tickets and trains included?
Yes, on all nine packages. The entrance is bought under your passport name on the official Ministerio de Cultura system, the train seat is round trip from Ollantaytambo or Poroy to Aguas Calientes, and the Consettur bus is included both ways. Only the optional Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu Mountain tickets are extra, and we ask about them when you book.
How far ahead should I book a Machu Picchu tour?
For June to August, 30 to 45 days ahead with your passport details, because the daily limit fills first for those dates. The rest of the year, two to three weeks usually works. Huayna Picchu needs two to three months in any season. If your date is closer than that, ask anyway: we check the live availability before we answer.
Which circuit do the tours use inside Machu Picchu?
Circuit 2, route 2-A, unless you ask for another. It is the longest of the three official circuits, the only one that passes the classic upper viewpoint and the main temples, and the Ministerio de Cultura allows 2 hours 30 minutes on it. Circuit 1 is the viewpoint terraces only, and Circuit 3 is the lower town with the mountain climbs as add-ons.
What does a foreign adult ticket cost if I buy it alone?
S/152 for the standard circuits, plus an S/11 SERNANP fee that applies from May 2026 (as of February 2026, per Infobae citing the Ministerio de Cultura and SERNANP), so about S/163, or roughly US$45. Our packages include it at that cost, together with the train and the bus, which are the parts that are hard to line up on your own.
Can seniors do a Machu Picchu tour?
Yes. The citadel visit on Circuit 2 takes around 2 hours 30 minutes on uneven stone steps with a few short climbs, and the bus takes you to the gate. We recommend the 3-day or 4-day package for travelers over 65, with the light first afternoon in Cusco, and we tell the guide to set the pace. Bring a walking stick with a rubber tip, since metal-tipped poles are not allowed inside.
Not sure which one fits?
Send your dates and who is traveling. A planner on our team in Cusco replies with the package that makes sense, or a custom plan.