Day Trips to Machu Picchu from Cusco

Machu Picchu is an Inca city recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. It was built during the mid 15th century in the valley of the Urubamba River, located in the Peruvian Andes.

This sacred site where the Incas worshipped the gods, is one of the best things to do in Cusco, due to its historical and cultural value and privileged panoramic views. Therefore, you should include in your itinerary the entrance tickets to Machu Picchu to enjoy its mountains, temples, agricultural area, archaeological reserve, among others.

The best option

Machu Picchu Day Trip from Cuzco

Buy your ticket to Machu Picchu

You can choose from four circuits to explore Machu Picchu at your own pace. You can visit the Waynapicchu or Huchuypicchu mountain, see the Temple of the Sun, the archaeological reserve, among other areas of interest.

From £314 at Hellotickets

Machu Picchu is a place that will surprise you from the first moment. You will feel a unique connection with nature and the legacy of the Inca civilization. You will walk through the streets of this ancient city, dotted with forts, llamas and great architectural treasures.

The visit to Machu Picchu does not include the company of a guide, allowing you to undertake the selected circuit on your own. Of course, following the respective signs. However, you can visit the city through a guided excursion or hire a guide at the door.

Recommended if... you want to see the architectural ingenuity of the Inca civilisation, captured in stone.

The price of tickets to visit Machu Picchu in Cuzco varies between approximately 37€ and 48€. This will depend on the tour you wish to take within this archaeological site.

For example:

• Circuit 1, 2, 3 or 4 by Llaqta of Machu Picchu, costs approximately €37 per adult, about €18 for students and from €17 for children aged 3 to 17.
• Circuit 3 combined with Machu Picchu Mountain or Circuit 4 combined with Waynapicchu Mountain, costs around €48 per adult, around €30 for students and from €28 for children aged 3-17.
• Circuit 4 combined with Huchuypicchu Mountain, starts from 37€ for adults, about 18€ for students and from 17€ for children from 3 to 17 years old.

In Machu Picchu you will find several types of tickets, which will allow you to explore the park through five circuits. In addition, you should know that none of the tickets will save you from queuing, as direct access is not available.

Among the tickets available to visit Machu Picchu are the following:

• Entrance to circuit 1: with this ticket you will have access to the Llaqta, also known as the nuclear area.
• Entrance tocircuit 2: with this ticket you will have access to Intiwana, the Sacred Rock and other areas of interest.
• The entrance to circuit 3: enjoy a long route through the Temple of the Sun, the Water Mirrors, the House of the Inka, the area of the terraces or agricultural zone and the so-called Archaeological Reserve.
• The entrance to circuit 4: this ticket gives access to the tour of the urban area of the site. You will have to choose between climbing the Waynapicchu or Huchuypicchu mountains.

No. Unfortunately, tickets to visit Machu Picchu are not included in the city's tourist pass administered by the Committee of Integrated Cultural Tourist Services of Cusco.

However, the Cusco Tourist Ticket (BTC) offers entry to other archaeological sites of interest, which you can incorporate into your itinerary. Such is the case of the Sacsayhuaman Archaeological Park in Cusco, or the Pikillacta Archaeological Park, among others.

None of the tickets to visit Machu Picchu in Cuzco usually include a guided tour. Therefore, you will have to discover on your own all the attractions that the Inca city has to offer.

However, at the main entrance to Machu Picchu you will find some professional guides, who offer their service if you wish. You will only have to pay an additional cost of approximately €10 per person and around €24 for groups of up to four people.

This option is certainly worthwhile , as the guide will tell you the history of each area visited. But if you don't want this service, you don't have to worry. You can also take one of the best day trips from Cuzco by following the signs for each circuit.

Yes, Machu Picchu has discounted tickets, specifically aimed at children from 3 to 17 years old and undergraduate students.

For example, if you are a student (up to 25 years old) you will get a reduction of approximately 50% off the total price of the ticket for the selected circuit. For their part, children enjoy a discount of around 48%.

Meanwhile, adults over 65 years of age (nationals or foreigners) can enter Machu Picchu free of charge. And, nationals belonging to the Andean Community, i.e. Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, can apply for a discount.

Whatever your status (child, student, over 65, national of the Andean Community), you should check at the ticket office. You can also contact callcenter@culturacusco.gob.pe or +51 84 582030 for more information about discounts.

Yes, all tickets to visit Machu Picchu offer an option for children. The objective is that the little ones enjoy a special price at the time you make the purchase at the ticket office or via the web.

This special ticket option applies to all national or foreign children between the ages of 3 and 17 years old. You only have to check the age of the children and you will pay around 17€ or 28€ for their tickets , depending on the chosen circuit.

In addition, children under 3 years old can enter completely free, except for the visit to the Waynapicchu mountain. This route only accepts children from 12 years of age.

Machu Picchu is undoubtedly an archaeological park where the little ones will have fun learning and will keep memories for the rest of their lives. For this reason, it is a destination that should not be missing among the top 10 activities to do on your visit to Cusco.

Buying tickets online for Machu Picchu is worth it, because it allows you to guarantee your visit on a specific day and at a specific time. This way, you will not have any inconvenience to enjoy the desired circuit.

Remember that the tickets at the ticket office are usually sold out quickly every day. Therefore, if you do not book several days or even months in advance, you run the risk of arriving and not getting a single ticket available.

Because of this, the best option is to access the Helloticktes website to purchase tickets securely and quickly. You can also connect with one of the day tours to Machu Picchu from Cusco, as in this case, the company will arrange the tickets for you.

The sacred city of Machu Picchu opens its gates every day from 6:00 am until 5: 00 pm. The last access is usually at 16:00 hours, i.e. one hour before closing time.

However, each of the circuits has different access times and shifts. For example:

• Machu Picchu Solo: you will be able to access every hour from 6:00 until 2:00 in the afternoon.
• Machu Picchu + Waynapicchu mountain: the schedule for this circuit is organized in four groups. You will be able to enter Machu Picchu every hour from 6:00 to 9:00 and the mountain from 7:00 to 11:00.
• Machu Picchu + Mountain: the first group enters from 6:00 am and the mountain between 7:00 and 8:00 am. Meanwhile, the second group can enter Machu Picchu at 7:00 hours and the mountain between 8:00 and 9:00 hours.
• Machu Picchu + Huchuypicchu mountain: the entrance to Machu Picchu is every hour from 6:00 to 13:00 hours, while the Huchuypicchu mountain can be accessed one or two hours after the Machu Picchu shift, i.e. from 7:00 to 15:00 hours.

Likewise, when you book or buy your ticket online or at the ticket office, you will get all the necessary information about the opening hours.

The time to visit Machu Picchu in Cuzco can vary from two to four hours, depending on the selected experience. You will be able to leisurely walk the paths of the Inca city, take pictures, contemplate different panoramas and places of interest, etc.

For example, if you plan to visit only the Llaqta or citadel, thus omitting to climb the mountains, then about two hours will be enough. But, if instead, you wish to follow the Machu Picchu route and incorporate the climb up to the Huchuypicchu mountain, you will need around four hours.

Whether these or any other Machu Picchu tour, at the end of your visit and back to Cuzco, you can continue with other itinerary activities: join one of the best cooking classes in Cusco, buy souvenirs, discover some of the things to do in Cusco at night on a pub crawl, among others.

Any time of the year is the best time to go to Cusco and visit Machu Picchu. Whether you decide to do this activity during the dry, rainy or dry season, you will be able to live a unique experience through the circuits of the Inca city.

Dry season

The dry season in Machu Picchu runs from May to September. Rainfall is scarce, the skies are clear and the heat is of medium intensity, compared to other regions of Peru. Therefore, these months are very popular with tourists. In addition, from June to September, you might find snow on top of the mountains.

Rainy season

If what you want is a low tourist influx and landscapes dominated by cloud cover to give a unique touch to your photographs, then you should go to Machu Picchu from December to March. In this period the rains intensify, so you should keep an eye on the weather forecast.

Camping season

April to May are the best months to visit Machu Picchu if you want to enjoy an intermediate climate, i.e. not too sunny, not too rainy and not too cold. Likewise, from September to November, the weather remains cool, with little rainfall and the landscape becomes greener.

If you are wondering how to get to Machu Picchu from Cuzco, you should know that there are several options: by train, by bus and by guided tour. In any case, you will have to travel around 80 kilometres to Aguas Calientes; this is the closest town to the Inca city (approximately 10 kilometres).

By train

You will have to go from Cusco to the Ollantaytambo train station, which takes about 90 minutes by car.

You will then travel by train to Aguas Calientes (about two hours), enjoying an amazing scenic route. When you get off the train you will have to take a bus to Machu Picchu, which takes about 15 minutes.

By bus

Another option to get to Machu Picchu is to take a bus from the centre of Cusco to the Hydroelectric Plant, a route that takes about six hours. You will then walk a maximum of three hours to Aguas Calientes, and then take another bus for a final bus ride of about 15 minutes, which will take you to Machu Picchu.

Through a guided tour

You can also join one of the excursions to Machu Picchu from Cusco and leave all the planning of the transfer in the hands of an expert. You can select a classic one-day train adventure to visit the Inca city.

And, if you plan to spend 5 days in Cusco or more, you can enhance the experience with a two-day, one-night or four-day, three-night excursion. This way, you will not only discover Machu Picchu, but also the Inca Trail.

Machu Picchu is a true archaeological jewel, where you will be able to connect with nature and the past of a civilization. For this reason, you should enjoy the magic of this place, full of history, majestic landscapes and amazing samples of the Incas' ingenuity.

Among the places you should not miss during your visit to Machu Picchu, the following stand out:

• The Intihuatana: a carved piece, used to identify the change of seasons according to the shadow generated in them.
• The Sacred Plaza: this is another space of religious worship that is accompanied by an extra chamber (House of the Priest).
• The Huayna Picchu Mountain, from where you will get a complete panoramic view of the Inca city.
• The Temple of the Sun: where you can see a pair of windows from where the priests performed rites in adoration of the sun god.

Likewise, you should not miss a walk through the prison, the Royal Residence, the Temple of the Dead, the water mirrors, the Temple of the Condor, among other places.

When visiting a place like Machu Picchu it is important to put into practice some tips that will allow you to improve the experience.

Some of them are:

• Carry only the basics in your bag, especially if you plan to climb the mountains.
• Don't forget your water bottle, as hydrating drinks inside the Inca city are often expensive.
• Be punctual with the schedule otherwise you won't be allowed in.
• Wear comfortable, closed-toed shoes to avoid hurting your feet during the circuit.
• Bring repellent and sunscreen. Keep in mind that mosquitoes abound in these mountains. Also, although the weather is very changeable, the sun usually persists.