Best Hotels in the Sacred Valley, Urubamba to Ollantaytambo
The highest-rated Sacred Valley hotels on Tripadvisor (as of October 2026) are Tambo del Inka at 4.9 of 5, then Sol y Luna, Belmond Rio Sagrado, Aranwa and Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba at 4.8. Sleep in Urubamba for resort space, in Ollantaytambo for the early train, and in Pisac for the market.
In this guide
Short answer: The highest-rated Sacred Valley hotels on Tripadvisor (as of October 2026) are Tambo del Inka at 4.9 of 5, then Sol y Luna, Belmond Rio Sagrado, Aranwa and Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba at 4.8. Sleep in Urubamba for resort space, in Ollantaytambo for the early Machu Picchu train, and in Pisac for the Sunday market.
How We Ranked These Hotels
We ranked each hotel by its public guest score on Tripadvisor, read on October 1, 2026, and only kept properties with several hundred reviews or more. A 4.9 from 40 reviews tells you less than a 4.8 from 2,000. Every score below names the platform, the review count and the date, so you can check it yourself before you book.
We left out prices on purpose. Valley rates swing by season and by room type, and a number printed here would be wrong within weeks. We did not use hotel photos either, since they belong to the hotels. Each card shows the location on a map instead.
None of these hotels pay us to appear, and we do not sell rooms. Our guides drive past most of them every week on the road between Pisac and Ollantaytambo, which is where the opinions come from.
Choosing a Town for Your Nights
The Sacred Valley is the Urubamba River valley between Pisac and Ollantaytambo, about 40 miles (60 km) long, roughly an hour to an hour and a half by road from Cusco. It sits well below Cusco. Urubamba is at 9,420 ft (2,871 m), Ollantaytambo at 9,160 ft (2,792 m) and Pisac at 9,750 ft (2,972 m), against 11,150 ft (3,400 m) in Cusco.
| Town | Altitude (ft) | Altitude (m) | Good for | Distance to the Machu Picchu train |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pisac | 9,750 | 2,972 | Sunday market, early visit to the ruins | About 1 hour 15 minutes by road |
| Urubamba and Yucay | 9,420 | 2,871 | Resorts, spas, slow nights, Maras and Moray | About 20 to 40 minutes by road |
| Ollantaytambo | 9,160 | 2,792 | The night before Machu Picchu | Walking distance |
| Cusco, for comparison | 11,150 | 3,400 | City base | About 1.5 to 2 hours by road |
That drop matters on your first night. The CDC advises against sleeping much higher than you need to in the first days at altitude, and starting in the valley lets you sleep about 2,000 ft (600 m) lower than in Cusco. People who fly into Cusco and go straight to the valley usually sleep better than people who stay in town. Read our Cusco altitude guide for the full reasoning.
Urubamba and Yucay
Urubamba is the largest town in the valley and the center of the resort strip. The big hotels sit outside town on large grounds by the river, with gardens, spas and views of the Chicón glacier. Pick Urubamba if you want two or three slow nights and a base for Maras, Moray and the Chinchero weavers. The trade-off: you need a car for almost everything, and the town itself is a working market town with little to walk to in the evening.
Ollantaytambo
Ollantaytambo is a living Inca town with its original street grid, at the end of the valley road and at the train station for Machu Picchu. Sleep here the night before your train. Trains to Aguas Calientes leave from Ollantaytambo through the morning, and a hotel within walking distance of the platform turns a 4 a.m. wake-up into a 6 a.m. one. The hotels are smaller and simpler than in Urubamba, and the town is busy with tour buses by day and quiet after 8 p.m.
Pisac
Pisac sits at the Cusco end of the valley, under one of the largest Inca terrace complexes in Peru. It has guesthouses and small inns rather than resorts. Stay here for the Sunday market and an early walk up to the ruins before the buses arrive. It is the farthest valley town from the Ollantaytambo station, about an hour and a quarter by road, so it makes a poor last stop before Machu Picchu.
Urubamba or Ollantaytambo?
Choose Ollantaytambo for the night before Machu Picchu, and Urubamba for every other valley night. The mistake we see most often is a beautiful Urubamba resort booked for the night before a 6 a.m. train. You leave the hotel in the dark, skip the breakfast you paid for, and spend the first half hour of the day in a van. Two nights in Urubamba followed by one in Ollantaytambo solves it.
The Hotels, Town by Town
The cards below run from Urubamba and Yucay to Ollantaytambo and Pisac. Within each town they follow the Tripadvisor score, highest first.
Tambo del Inka, a Luxury Collection Resort and Spa, Valle Sagrado
Urubamba riverside, Urubamba
The top score in the valley among hotels with thousands of reviews (see the card for the source and date). It is a large resort on the river at the edge of Urubamba town. Its Tripadvisor listing describes on-site access to the train, which spares you the drive to Ollantaytambo. Confirm the departure with your train ticket before you count on it.
- Spa
- Indoor and outdoor pool
- Train stop on the grounds, per its Tripadvisor listing
Details checked October 2026.
Sol y Luna, Relais and Chateaux
Huincho, west of Urubamba, Urubamba
Rooms are separate casitas spread through gardens, painted and furnished with work by Peruvian artists, according to the listing. Book it for two quiet nights. The Peruvian Paso horse show on the grounds is the one evening activity in Urubamba worth staying in for.
- Separate casitas in gardens
- Pool
- Spa
- Horse shows and riding
Details checked October 2026.
Rio Sagrado, A Belmond Hotel
Km 75.8 on the Urubamba to Ollantaytambo road, Urubamba
It sits right on the river, a few minutes west of Urubamba on the road to Ollantaytambo, which makes it the most convenient of the big resorts for the train. The rooms step down a slope to the water, so expect stairs.
- River frontage
- Spa
- Yoga classes
- Breakfast included
Details checked October 2026.
Aranwa Sacred Valley Hotel and Wellness
Huayllabamba, Antigua Hacienda Yaravilca, Urubamba
Aranwa lies east of Urubamba, in Huayllabamba, so it is closer to Pisac than to the train. Choose it for a wellness stop in the middle of a long trip, and plan a longer drive to Ollantaytambo on train day.
- Spa with sauna and steam room
- Hot tub
- Horseback riding
- Breakfast included
Built around the restored 17th-century Hacienda Yaravilca, with its colonial chapel, according to the hotel's own description. source
Details checked October 2026.
Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba
Huayoccari, Huayllabamba, Urubamba
Its score rests on fewer reviews than the big resorts. It sits on a hillside farm above the valley floor near Huayoccari, between Calca and Urubamba. Pick it for views and quiet, and accept a longer ride to everything.
- Spa
- Breakfast included
Details checked October 2026.
Casa Andina Premium Valle Sagrado Hotel and Villas
Yanahuara, Urubamba
Yanahuara is on the Ollantaytambo side of Urubamba, so the station is close. The on-site planetarium is a good use of a clear dry-season night, when the valley sky is dark and the Milky Way is easy to see.
- Spa
- Planetarium and observatory
- Breakfast included
Details checked October 2026.
El Albergue Ollantaytambo
Train station, Av. Ferrocarril, Ollantaytambo
The hotel is inside the station grounds, so you walk from your room to the train. Before a morning train there is no easier bed in the valley. Trains pass close by, and light sleepers should ask for a garden-side room.
- On the train platform
- Sauna
- Farm and restaurant
- Breakfast included
Dates from 1925, according to the hotel's description on Tripadvisor. source
Details checked October 2026.
Pakaritampu Hotel
Av. Ferrocarril, near the station, Ollantaytambo
It stands on the station road with large gardens, a short walk from both the platform and the town square. A calm choice if El Albergue is full, with the same easy walk to the train.
- Gardens
- Breakfast included
- Luggage storage
Details checked October 2026.
Pisac Inn
Plaza Constitución, Pisac
A small inn right on the square where the Sunday market sets up, with a courtyard and simple rooms. Stay Saturday night, walk out to the stalls before the tour buses arrive, and climb to the ruins in the cool of the morning.
- On the main square
- Restaurant
- Breakfast included
Details checked October 2026.
Sacred Valley Hotels and Our Tours
Our Sacred Valley tours run as day visits from Cusco, and the 2-day version continues by train to a night in Aguas Calientes. If you want a valley night in one of the hotels above, plan it before or after the tour. Our 2-day Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu tour visits Pisac, lunches in Urubamba and boards the train in Ollantaytambo, so you see all three towns in one day before choosing where to come back to. For the valley alone, the full-day Sacred Valley tour covers the same ground and returns to Cusco.
For what to see between the hotels, read things to do in the Sacred Valley. If you sleep in Cusco instead, our Cusco hotel guide uses the same ranking method.
Questions people ask
Is it better to stay in Urubamba or Ollantaytambo?
Stay in Ollantaytambo the night before your Machu Picchu train, because the station is in town and morning trains leave early. Stay in Urubamba for relaxed nights with gardens, spas and space, since the large valley resorts are there. Many travelers do two nights in Urubamba and the last one in Ollantaytambo, which gives them both without a dawn drive.
How many nights should I spend in the Sacred Valley?
Two nights is the sweet spot for most travelers. One full day covers Pisac, Ollantaytambo and either Maras and Moray or Chinchero, and the second night puts you close to the Machu Picchu train. One night works if you are short on time. Three nights suit people who want a slow start at a lower altitude than Cusco.
Is the Sacred Valley lower than Cusco?
Yes. Urubamba is 9,420 ft (2,871 m) above sea level and Ollantaytambo 9,160 ft (2,792 m), while Cusco is 11,150 ft (3,400 m). That difference of roughly 2,000 ft (600 m) is why many itineraries spend the first nights in the valley. You still feel the altitude there, but most people sleep and breathe more easily than in Cusco.
Which Sacred Valley hotel is closest to the train station?
El Albergue Ollantaytambo, because the hotel shares its grounds with the station and you step from the garden onto the platform. Pakaritampu is on the same station road a short walk away. In Urubamba, Tambo del Inka's Tripadvisor listing mentions a train stop on the property, but check that your train actually stops there before you rely on it.
Do Sacred Valley hotels have heating?
The large Urubamba resorts list heating or heated rooms, and most of the small Pisac and Ollantaytambo inns rely on extra blankets and space heaters. Nights from May to August drop near freezing on the valley floor, around 32 to 40°F (0 to 4°C), even when the afternoons are warm. Ask the hotel directly if heat matters to you.
Sources
- Tripadvisor, hotels in Urubamba (scores read for each hotel page) checked October 2026
- Tripadvisor, hotels in Ollantaytambo checked October 2026
- Tripadvisor, hotels in Pisac checked October 2026
- CDC Yellow Book, high-altitude travel and altitude illness checked October 2026
- Wikipedia, Urubamba, Peru (elevation 9,420 ft) checked October 2026
- Wikipedia, Ollantaytambo (2,792 m) checked October 2026
- OpenStreetMap, hotel locations (Nominatim) checked October 2026
This guide was last reviewed in October 2026. Prices, rules and timetables are quoted with the date we checked them.