Machu Picchu: Wonder of the World
Despite being the most visited place in Peru, getting to Machu Picchu isn’t the most straightforward. While you can hike to Machu Picchu, this guide focuses on how to visit Machu Picchu without hiking or taking a tour to get there.
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Before you arrive in Cusco
Step 1: Buying Tickets for Machu Picchu
As soon as you know when you’re going to be in Peru I recommend buying your tickets to enter Machu Picchu. These tickets can sell out mouths in advance, especially in high season, so to ensure you don’t miss this world wonder, book your tickets asap.
There are a variety of different places to purchase tickets, however, I would suggest buying them directly from the Peruvian Government website.
Top tip: to beat the crowds and admire the sunrise I highly recommend going at 6am.
Step 2: Buying Train Tickets to Aguas Calientes
Once you have secured your tickets to get into Machu Picchu it’s time to purchase your train ticket. With multiple daily departures from Cusco and Ollantaytambo, you can decide the time that best fits with your entry time.
I would suggest you give yourself at least four hours after your Machu Picchu entry time when booking your return train.
Tickets can be booked directly from the Peru Rail website. There are a few different departure station options so make sure you choose the correct one. If departing from Cusco make sure you choose San Pedro station and not Poroy. Poroy is located outside of the city centre and requires a 30 minute taxi to get there.
Step 3: Book Your Accommodation in Aguas Calientes
If you are choosing to spend the night in Aguas Calientes it’s worth booking your accommodation in advance. I enjoyed my stay in Supertramp Hostel, with an early breakfast included and a nice rooftop it had everything I needed.
The Day of Your Visit to Machu Picchu
Stage 1: Travelling from Cusco to Aguas Calientes
Your adventure to Machu Picchu begins, start by taking the train from your chosen station to Aguas Calientes. The train from Ollantaytambo takes about 1 hour 30 minutes, and 4 hours from Cusco.
Stage 2: Travelling from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu
There are two different ways to get up to Machu Picchu, via the bus or by foot.
By Bus
The bus takes about 20-30 minutes from Aguas Calientes bus station to the gates of Machu Picchu.
Tickets must be purchased in advance. They can easily be purchased online from Consettur. Alternatively, tickets can be bought in person from the Consettur Bus Ticket Office, you will find signs in the town pointing you towards where to buy tickets. Costing $12 one way, it isn’t the cheapest (in 2023). There is a ticket station at the top buy Machu Picchu if you are unsure as to whether you would like to buy a one-way or return ticket
Top tip: if you booked to visit Machu Picchu at 6am, I suggest you join the queue at 5am to be once of the first to get in.
Walking
The alternative to the bus is hiking up. With an elevation gain of 500m and taking 1.5 to 2 hours, this is a challenging hike. The first part of the hike runs along the river for 1.7km, then the next 1.7m is non-stop steps.
Note, once you start walking you cannot switch to taking the bus. If you want to save yourself some money without a torturing hike up, walking down can be a good compromise.
Stage 3: Choosing a Route inside Machu Picchu
There are four different routes that you can take once you enter Machu Picchu:
- Route 1: high and short
- Route 2: high and long
- Route 3: low and short
- Route 4: low and long
If you want to get the postcard perfect picture of Machu Picchu make sure you choose route 1 or 2 and keep going up when given the choice of view points. Routes 3 and 4 and more accessible, with little climbing involved. Machu Picchu is quite strict with making sure you go round in one direction, so take your time as you will not be allowed back on yourself.
Top tip: there are no bathrooms inside Machu Picchu, so you may want to make use of the ones located just outside the entrance.
Where next?
5 Best Things to Do in Aguas Calientes
The ultimate guide to visiting Cusco
