If you have one day, the day trip works well: train in, guided visit, train back the same evening. If you can spare a night, a 2-day tour is calmer: you sleep in Aguas Calientes and go up early, rested. If this is your first time in Peru, a package adds Cusco and the Sacred Valley first, which also helps you acclimatize before Machu Picchu.

Not sure? Tell us your dates and how many days you have in Cusco, and we’ll suggest the right one.

Pickup in Cusco is early, usually between 4:00 and 5:30 a.m. depending on your train. You drive about two hours to Ollantaytambo, ride the train for around an hour and a half to Aguas Calientes, and take the 25-minute bus up to the entrance. After your guided visit you return the same way and are back in Cusco around 7:30 to 9:00 p.m.

It’s a 14-to-15-hour day. If that sounds like a lot, the 2-day tour splits it in two.

Every tour from Cusco includes hotel pickup and transfers, round-trip train, round-trip bus between Aguas Calientes and the citadel, your Machu Picchu entry for a set hour and circuit, and a licensed local guide. 2-day tours and packages add hotels; each tour page lists the exact meals included.

Not included: Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu Mountain tickets (optional, see below), meals not listed on the tour page, tips and travel insurance.

Tickets are issued in your name for a specific date, entry hour and circuit, and they’re single entry. There are three circuits: Circuit 1 and Circuit 2 include the upper terraces with the classic postcard view; Circuit 3 covers the lower, royal sector with fewer steps. Each route has a maximum stay set by the Ministry of Culture, about 2.5 to 4 hours on standard routes.

We book the best circuit available for your tour and date and confirm it before you pay. Your guided visit lasts about 2 to 3 hours. Maps and routes in our guide to the Machu Picchu circuits.

On our tours, always: every Machu Picchu tour includes a licensed local guide, so this is one rule you never have to think about. Groups inside the site are limited to 10 people per guide, and a good guide is the difference between walking past stones and understanding a city.

If you’re visiting on your own with your own ticket, the official guide rule has changed more than once, so check the official ticket site before you go, or book one of our guides to meet you in Aguas Calientes.

Yes, as a separate ticket with limited daily spaces, so ask when you book, not when you arrive. Huayna Picchu (Route 3-A) is the steep peak behind the citadel: a 2-to-3-hour round trip, entry groups at 7:00 and 9:00 a.m., recommended for ages 12 and up. Its ticket follows Circuit 3, the lower sector, so it doesn’t include the upper viewpoint. Machu Picchu Mountain (Route 1-A) is longer but less steep.

Both work best on a 2-day tour, when you’re already in Aguas Calientes early. Details in our Huayna Picchu guide.

All four run the same route between Ollantaytambo and Aguas Calientes; what changes is the seat and the service. Expedition is the standard train: comfortable, with big windows. Vistadome adds panoramic windows and skylights. Vistadome Observatory adds an observation car with a bar. The Hiram Bingham by Belmond is the luxury option, with gourmet meals and live music, on our luxury Machu Picchu tour.

Full comparison in our guide to the trains to Machu Picchu.

Into Machu Picchu: your original passport (the one on your ticket), a small backpack of up to 40 × 35 × 20 cm, a refillable water bottle, sunscreen, a hat, a rain poncho and comfortable walking shoes. Not allowed: food, umbrellas, tripods, selfie sticks, drones and large bags. There are no bathrooms inside; use the ones at the entrance (small fee) before you go in.

On the train, each passenger may carry one bag or backpack of up to 8 kg / 17 lb and 157 cm in total dimensions. Leave your suitcase at your Cusco hotel. Full list in our Machu Picchu rules guide.

Machu Picchu sits at about 2,430 m (7,970 ft), lower than Cusco at 3,400 m (11,150 ft), so most people feel better at the citadel than in the city. The altitude to respect is Cusco’s: arrive one or two days before your tour, take it easy on day one, drink plenty of water and go light on alcohol. Our packages put Cusco and the Sacred Valley first for exactly this reason.

Yes, with the right pace. The visit means 2 to 3 hours of walking on uneven stone paths and steps, with breaks. Children need their own ticket and passport; strollers aren’t allowed, so bring a carrier for little ones. For seniors, rubber-tipped walking poles are permitted when needed, and Circuit 3 has fewer stairs. Machu Picchu isn’t wheelchair-accessible.

For families, or anyone who wants to set their own rhythm, we recommend a private tour: same route, your pace, your questions.

Machu Picchu is open every day of the year, including February, when only the Inca Trail closes. In the rainy season (November to March) showers usually come and go, and the mist can make the citadel look even more dramatic, so bring a poncho and keep going.

If a train or bus runs late, our Cusco office follows it in real time and adjusts your transfer, so your driver is still there when you arrive.

Book as early as you can: one to two months ahead for most dates, two to three months for June to August, holidays and Huayna Picchu. Tickets, train seats and buses are issued in your name for a fixed date and hour, which is why we check availability first, then take a deposit, and send your confirmation once everything is secured.

Once issued, entrance tickets to Machu Picchu are non-refundable, so we recommend travel insurance. Full details on our booking information and terms and conditions pages.