Visiting Machu Picchu in Peru: Tickets, Circuits, Tours and Tips

Like many around the world, we once dreamed of visiting Machu Picchu, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

And now that we have seen this Inca citadel not once, but twice (pinch ourselves!!), we can tell you that visiting Machu Picchu requires a bit of planning and detailed preparation.

Adding a new piece to the puzzle, effective June 1, 2024, the Peruvian government implemented new regulations and guidelines for Machu Picchu to improve traveler experiences while also preserving this historic site.

So, based on our personal experience from both the visits (by train and by trek), and related research on all updated information, we have created this comprehensive Machu Picchu visit guide.

It should equip you with all the essential information about Machu Picchu, from how to secure your tickets and which circuit to visit, to deciding where to stay, when to visit, and much more.

🌟 IMPORTANT: Bring your passport (original, not copy) for any transaction related to Machu Picchu: buying entrance tickets, validating train tickets, buying bus tickets, boarding the bus and visiting the site.

What's Inside

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How to Get to Machu Picchu

In all probability, you are going to start your journey to Machu Picchu from the Inca capital city of Cusco. This journey consists of two legs:

1. Cusco → Aguas Calientes
2. Aguas Calientes → Machu Picchu

For each phase, you can choose from multiple options. Refer to the tables below for the different methods for each leg of the journey and their key features.

➡️ Related reading: How to Get to Machu Pichhu

Phase 1: Cusco to Aguas Calientes

** IMPORTANT: Occasionally, Peru Rail passengers may be required to do an additional step for ticket validation. Even if you do not receive any such email, we suggest you to check these steps for Peru Rail ticket validation.

Phase 2: Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu

How to Buy Machu Picchu Tickets

The most important part of visiting Machu Picchu is securing your tickets in advance – months in advance.

🌟 2nd REMINDER: Bring your passport (original, not copy).

There are two ways to buy the tickets for Machu Picchu:

1. Online in advance
2. In person at the Ministry of Culture office in the town of Aguas Calientes

We do NOT recommend the second option, unless that’s your only resort to get tickets to Machu Picchu.

Continue reading for details about both the processes, online and offline booking.

Online Booking

Here is how to reserve your tickets online in advance:

Offline Booking

If you cannot buy Machu Picchu tickets online in advance, here’s how you can take a chance to get last minute tickets:

Machu Picchu Circuits

Effective June 1, 2024, Machu Picchu offers 10 different routes under 3 broad circuits, each designed to manage foot traffic and protect the archaeological site.

The circuits vary in terms of the areas they cover and the duration needed to see them. When booking the Machu Picchu tickets, it is essential to pick the circuit and the route under it that you wish to visit. So, the important question is:

Which Circuit to Choose for Visiting Machu Picchu?

For the trip of a lifetime, we understand that it can be overwhelming to select just one route from so many available options.

Since we have had the opportunity to explore multiple circuits of Machu Picchu over two different visits, let us help you decide which circuit suits you the best.

So, here are our recommendations:

Best Machu Picchu Circuit for First Time Visitors

Circuito 2: Circuito clásico, Ruta 2-A: Ruta clásico diseñada is the best circuit for first time visit to Machu Picchu.

Visiting Circuit 2-Route 2A offers you the classic Machu Picchu photo opportunity, combined with exploration of main sectors of the urban area of the Inca citadel, starting from the agricultural sector and visiting key places like the main entrance, main plaza, viewpoint of the Temple of the Sun, the Sacred Rock and the Water Mirrors, to name a few.

Best Machu Picchu Circuit(s) if You Wish to Climb A Mountain

If you wish to hike up a mountain when visiting Machu Picchu, choose between:

• Circuito 3: Machupicchu realeza, Ruta 3-A: Ruta Montaña Waynapicchu
• Circuito 1: Panorámico, Ruta 1-A: Ruta Montaña Machupicchu

Here’s what you can expect from both:

Circuit 3-Route 3A (Waynapicchu Mountain): Close-up classic photo of Machu Picchu, combined with exploration of agricultural sector and key places like the Temple of the Sun, the House of the Inca, the Ceremonial Fountains, the Temple of the Condor, and climbing the Huayna Picchu mountain, which in our opinion, offers spectacular perspective views of the Machu Picchu citadel.

Circuit 1-Route 1A (Machu Picchu Mountain): Wide panoramic view of the Inca city of Machu Picchu and the surrounding mountains, and climbing the Machu Picchu mountain that allows views of snowcapped mountains like Salkantay and Pumasillo.

If You Want but Cannot Get Tickets for Machu Picchu Circuit 2

Here’s our recommendation if Circuit 2 tickets are already sold out for the day of your Machu Picchu visit.

Buy tickets for two different sectors for mutually exclusive time slots. Or if your schedule and budget permit, visit on two different days.

✅ Circuito 1: Panorámico, Ruta 1-B: Ruta terraza superior: Wide panoramic view of Machu Picchu and its surroundings.

✅ Circuito 3: Machupicchu realeza, Ruta 3-B: Ruta realeza diseñada: Close-up classic photo of Machu Picchu, along with exploration of agricultural sector and key places like the Temple of the Sun, the House of the Inca, the Ceremonial Fountains, the Temple of the Condor, etc.

Visiting Circuit 1-Route 1-B and Circuit 3-Route 3-B will give you a good view of Machu Picchu and its history.

Machu Picchu Circuit Options

Interested to know what other circuits exist? Check out the table below for the complete list of 10 routes corresponding to 3 different circuits at Machu Picchu:

Machu Picchu Tickets Price

Tickets to all circuits and routes in Machu Picchu cost 152 soles (~ 44 USD) per adult foreigner, except for if you want to climb Huayna Picchu mountain or Machu Picchu mountain, or visit Great Cavern sector, each of which cost 200 soles (~ 58 USD) per adult foreigner.

Entry is free for children under 3 years of age. Students and children between 3-17 years get discounted prices.

🌟 IMPORTANT: If you availed student discount at the time of buying your ticket, you need to bring your student identity card (original, not copy) when you visit Machu Picchu. Else, entry may be denied.

Here is the detailed breakdown of Machu Picchu ticket prices by circuits/routes and various age categories for foreign visitors:

Machu Picchu Entrance Times

For planning your Machu Picchu visit, after choosing the circuit, you need to pick the time of your visit. So, in this section we are going to share the entry time slots for each route and recommend some optimal time slots and tips for your visit.

Entry Time Slots

For visiting most circuits and routes in Machu Picchu, you can choose from time entry slots every hour between 6:00 am and 3:00 pm, with exceptions for certain routes, as follows:

Optimal Times to Visit Machu Picchu

Over two visits to this Wonder of the World, we have seen the site at different hours of the day. Based on those experiences, here’s what we recommend to time your visit to Machu Picchu.

• Early morning (6 am): Best for sunrise views over the Incan city.
• Mid-morning (7 am to 10 am): Recommended. If clouds cover the site when you arrive, you will have time to wait them out.
• Mid-day (11 am to 1 pm): Avoid if possible. Most crowded time.
• Late afternoon (2 pm onwards): Good for a relaxed atmosphere. Pick if you are not rushing to catch the train back the same day.

Re-entry Regulations

Keep in mind that once you exit the site of Machu Picchu, re-entry is not permitted.

Plan your visit accordingly, ensuring you have sufficient time and energy to explore all the areas you intend to see.

Tip: Use the toilet before you enter Machu Picchu site. It costs 2 Peruvian Soles (bring cash), and oddly, unlike anywhere in Peru, you get a printed receipt for the toilet use fee!

Machu Picchu Guided Tours

If booking everything by yourself sounds too overwhelming, book a guided tour of Machu Picchu. Depending on the time you have, pick from one of these highly rated tours of Machu Picchu.

Machu Picchu Day Trip from Cusco

If you can spare only one day to visit Machu Picchu from Cusco, book this tour.

It is the most hassle-free way of doing this day trip.

This Machu Picchu day trip from Cusco offers transportation, including train tickets and Machu Picchu bus tickets, Machu Picchu entrance tickets and the services of a professional guide.

You can choose from different train categories at the time of booking.

Visiting Machu Picchu as a day tour from Cusco requires a long demanding day. Set your expectations accordingly.

1N/2D Tour of Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu

For maximizing the time you have in Peru, pick a two-day tour starting from Cusco, visiting Machu Picchu and some attractions in Sacred Valley.

Note that, Sacred Valley itself has plenty to offer. You can visit places like Chinchero, Ollantaytambo, Pisaq, Moray and Maras Salt Mines. However, on a two-day tour from Cusco, it is not possible to visit all these attractions at once.

Because of the routing, you need to choose between one of the two options:

• Option 1: Machu Picchu Visit + Sacred Valley tour of Chinchero, Moray, Maras and Ollantaytambo
• Option 2: Machu Picchu Visit + Sacred Valley tour of Pisaq and Ollantaytambo

Both the tours include Machu Picchu visit on the second day, entrance ticket and guided tour, all transportation including round trip train tickets, round trip Machu Picchu bus tickets from Aguas Calientes town, 1 night accommodation in Aguas Calientes town and meals as per itinerary.

Machu Picchu Tickets + Machu Picchu Bus + Guide

If you make your way to Aguas Calientes by yourself, this private guided tour of Machu Picchu is a good option.

The tour includes Machu Picchu entrance tickets, round trip bus tickets for Machu Picchu from Aguas Calientes and the services of a professional private guide for your group.

Machu Picchu Stamp on Passport: Yes or No

You can get a Machu Picchu stamp on your passport. At the entrance, you can queue up for procuring a sealed proof on your passport that you visited Machu Picchu, one of the New 7 Wonders of the World.

But, here is our advice:

❌ DO NOT get the Machu Picchu stamp on your passport.

Well, I will be honest. It is a very cool souvenir stamp to have on your passport. That is what we thought when we got ours when we first visited Machu Picchu.

But you know what, we were naive!

After we got these stamps on our passports and felt elated about it, we learnt a hard fact.

❗️If there are souvenir stamps on a passport, some countries deem the passport invalid!

Read this story of how souvenir stamps on passport can bring trouble in some countries. However, thousands of people from around the world still do get the Machu Picchu stamp on their passports. But it is clearly a risk. You decide if you want to take that.

Where to Stay to Visit Machu Picchu

For better availability of choices, try to book your accommodations well in advance, particularly if traveling to Peru in the high season.

Now, where to stay for visiting Machu Picchu will depend on whether you are making overnight/ multi-day trip or doing a day trip from Cusco or Ollantaytambo in Sacred Valley.

For Overnight or Multi-Day Trips

For a luxury accommodation experience on your overnight or multi-day trip to visit Machu Picchu, book your stay at the Sanctuary Lodge, a Belmond Hotel. It is the only hotel located RIGHT NEXT to the Machu Picchu entrance.

If that is not your cup of tea or does not fit your budget, for visiting Machu Picchu, base yourself in Aguas Calientes town, also known as Machu Picchu Pueblo.

This small town offers a range of accommodations from budget hostels to luxury hotels. Here are our hotel recommendations for Aguas Calientes:

Luxury Hotels:

• Sumaq Machu Picchu Hotel
• Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel

Mid-Range Hotels:

• Tierra Viva Machu Picchu Hotel
• Casa Andina Standard Machu Picchu

Budget Hotel:

• 1911 Hotel
• Vilas Insight Hotel Machupicchu

For Day Trip

Of course, if you are planning to visit Machu Picchu as a day trip from Cusco or Ollantaytambo in Sacred Valley, you will base yourself in either of those two.

🏨 Search hotels in Cusco →

Here are our hotel recommendations for Ollantaytambo in Sacred Valley:

• El Albergue Ollantaytambo: Unique hotel with special experiences.
• Hotel Pakaritambu: Close to the train station, walking distance from ruins. We loved the views here.
• Intitambo Hotel: affordable pricing, loved by guests.

Best Time to Visit Machu Picchu

Here’s what to expect from each season when visiting Machu Picchu:

• Dry season (May to September): Best weather. Clear skies and comfortable temperatures.
• Shoulder season (April and October): Good balance of decent weather and fewer crowds.
• Wet season (November to March): Fewer tourists, but risk of rain.

Over the years, we visited Machu Picchu twice, at two different times of the year, at two different times of the day, and this is how our weather experience was:

Our first visit to Machu Picchu was in early October. We started early in the morning and got to see Machu Picchu gradually get lit in the soft sunlight.

Our second visit to Machu Picchu was in mid-September in the morning hours. We got bright sunny weather, soon after the early morning clouds dispersed from over the mountains.

What to Bring to Machu Picchu

For a comfortable visit to Machu Picchu, remember to bring the following items:

• Passport. Required for entry.
• Daypack. Max dimension 40 x 35 x 20 cm (16 x 14 x 8 inches).
• Water bottle. Stay hydrated.
• Snacks for the way back. Eating inside not permitted
• Sunscreen. High-altitude sun is real, even for brown skin!
• Hat & sunglasses for sun protection.
• Hiking shoes, sturdy, broken-in.
• Rain poncho. Umbrellas not allowed.
• Photography gear. There’s plenty to capture.

➡️ Related Reading: Our camera gear

🥾 If you go for one of the multi-day treks to Machu Picchu, you need more elaborate packing. See our Salkantay Trek Packing List.

Prohibited Items: What NOT to Bring to Machu Picchu

For preserving the site that receives thousands of visitors everyday, strict measures apply to prohibit certain items. So, make sure you do not bring any of the following items to Machu Picchu.

• Selfie Sticks: Not allowed.
• Tripods: Prior permission required.
• Drones: Prohibited for personal use by visitors.
• Baby strollers: If you bring them, you need to store them outside before entering the site.
• Perishable food: Only dry and non-perishable snacks are allowed inside.
• Heels or shoes with hard sole: Damage control for the constantly sinking soil due to high footfall.

For a complete list of forbidden items and prohibited behavior, read the Machu Picchu code of conduct.

FAQs: Visiting Machu Picchu

How much does it cost to visit Machu Picchu?

A basic self-guided 1N/2D trip costs upwards of $200 USD per person.

This includes Machu Picchu entrance tickets, return train tickets to Aguas Calientes, round trip bus tickets, and one night’s accommodation.

On top of that, factor in meals and miscellaneous expenses like water, medicines and souvenirs.

Guided tours will increase the cost further. Multi-day treks also cost more, but given their all-inclusive nature, often offer better value for money.

How many days do you need to visit Machu Picchu?

One day is enough to explore the Machu Picchu site, but we recommend at least one night in Aguas Calientes.

Staying overnight allows for an early start and a more relaxed experience. During our first visit, we explored Machu Picchu in the morning and caught a late afternoon train back to Ollantaytambo.

Even better, spend two nights. You will not need to rush to catch a train, and you can enjoy a chilled evening in town. On our second visit, after our 5 Day Salkantay Trek, we stayed an extra night. Those burgers and beverages felt well-earned!

If you want to visit multiple circuits, plan non-overlapping time slots on the same day, or split your visit over two days, with at least one night’s stay.

Can you visit Machu Picchu without hiking?

Yes. Train from Cusco or Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes, followed by Machu Picchu bus ride from Aguas Calientes, make the Machu Picchu site accessible without any trekking.

However, basic fitness and mobility are still helpful. Expect lots of walking on uneven terrain and climbing old Inca steps, even without summiting any peaks.

Do you need a guide to visit Machu Picchu?

Not mandatory, but highly recommended. Certified local guides offer valuable insights into the history, culture, and architecture, greatly enhancing your visit.

On our first visit, we had a private guide for the two of us, except during the Huayna Picchu climb, and on our second visit, as part of our Salkantay Trek, each group was assigned a guide based on entry time and circuit, except for our walks to Inti Punku (Sun Gate) and Puente Inka (Inca Bridge). Both times, the guides’ explanations enriched our understanding of Machu Picchu.

Plan Your Machu Picchu Visit

• How to Get to Machu Picchu

• Huayna Picchu Hike
• Visiting Inti Punku: Sun Gate at Machu Picchu

• Our 5-Day Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu
• Salkantay Trek Packing List

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