The Ultimate Guide to Machu Picchu By Train

Seeing Machu Picchu in person had been at the top of my bucket list for years! Known as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, this UNESCO site sees over 1 Million visitors annually and is well worth the long journey to marvel at this wonder in person!

I’ve compiled all of the info I was looking for while I was planning my trip, along with some tips learned from my own travels to the lost City of the Incas.

Best time to go

The best time to plan a trip to see Machu Picchu would be from April – October as this is Peru’s dry season. The busiest time is June – August. I myself went early September to avoid the peak travel season and I still enjoyed great weather!

How to get to Machu Picchu By Train

If you are not doing the Inca Trail you must travel to the town of Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Town) by train and then take a bus to Machu.

You have two options as far as the rails go, PeruRail or Inca Rail. After doing my research, I made the decision to go with the iconic PeruRail based on them having more options for departure times from my pick up station and newer trains. I would not rule out Inca Rail. I’m just letting you know how I made my decision.

Both Rail companies have different train classes you can choose from that vary in price. I rode in the Expedition (Economy Class– Starts at $45) on the way there, and in the Vistadome (Premium Class-Starts at $60) on the way back. The main difference in the two classes is that the Vistadome has larger windows and better snacks. The larger windows give you great view for watching the Urubamba River as you make your way to Aguas Calientes, but I felt that I still had a great view from the Expedition as well. You will be fine with either train class in my opinion.

Most will depart from either Cusco or Ollantaytambo (Sacred Valley station). Depending on what station you are departing from the ride to Aguas Calients will take you anywhere from  1.5 -3.5 hours. I opted to base my trip out of Sacred Valley, take the 1.5 hour train ride and return same day. Some will take the train in, stay the night in Aguas Calientes and wake up early for the morning shift at Machu Picchu. I would advise against trying to make a day trip from Cusco.

Once your train arrives in Aguas Calientes, you simply leave the station area, and walk over one of the two bridges into the little town to find the shop that sells the bus tickets. The bus ride will cost you $24 USD, and it is a treacherous 25 minute drive up the mountainside to make it to the UNESCO site.

Machu Picchu Tickets

Buy your entrance ticket as early as possible! I repeat, Buy your ticket as early as possible!!!

There are limited tickets sold each day to enter Machu Picchu in an effort to preserve the integrity of the site. I would highly recommend checking to see if there are tickets available for your desired date and time before you book your flight, and if there are, book your flight and Machu Picchu admission all at the same time.  These tickets sell out months in advance for the peak travel months so make sure you don’t put off your trip planning.

You can check to see how many tickets are still available for your desired day/time here

You will have to select what ticket you want to buy.

Standard Machu Picchu Entrance – Available for entrance every hour, on the hour from 6am-2 pm.

Machu Picchu Entrance + Huayna Picchu (Waynapicchu) – Available for entrance at 7 am or 10:30 am.

Huayna Picchu is the mountain that appears behind the classis photo of Machu Picchu you always see. They limit this entrance ticket to 800 per day, 400 for the 7am group, and 400 for the 10:30 group. It does sell out! I was so excited to do this at the site but unfortunately, by the time I booked my flight both of the Huayna groups were sold out.

Machu Picchu Entrance + Machu Picchu Mountain – Available for entrance at 7 am or 9 am. This option also has very limited quantity of tickets. Make sure to book as soon as possible if you want to do this climb!

How much time should I plan to spend at Machu Picchu?

Most will travel days to see Machu Picchu in person but only stay a few hours at the site. When I was planning my trip, I read somewhere that the average person will spend 3.5 hours wandering the Inca ruins. I used this bit of info when buying my return ticket for the train and personally, I found it was enough time.

Guided Tour or Self-Guide?

You technically need to be on a guided tour at Machu Picchu now, but it is not really enforced. Knowing this, I did not book anything in advance because I am not typically the type who enjoys guided tours. I usually like to be on my own timeline and not be rushed to the next stop when I’m trying to take in the moment.

When I arrived to the entrance, there were several tour guides looking to round up small groups by your desired language and for only $10 USD.  The man that approached me made it sound interesting so I thought sure, why not!

I HIGHLY recommend doing this! Do not book anything in advance, and use the tour guides on site. They are going to be significantly less expensive and mine was so knowledgeable on the history of Machu Picchu. The tour took around 2.5 hours, and was really well paced with lots of time to stop for pictures. Once the tour was over we were free to continue exploring the site at our own pace.

What to Bring, and what NOT to Bring to Machu Picchu

Don’t forget

• Your Entrance Ticket
• License
• Passport (Don’t forget to get it stamped!)
• Credit Card you used to purchase your entrance ticket
• Mosquito Repellent – They are notoriously horrible at Machu Picchu so I recommend buying the one I linked here after research and testing it out myself (I had no bites and wore a tank top!)
• Sunscreen
• Water Bottles (They are on the list of don’t bring items, however they do not sell them once inside and you will definitely want water while walking around the site. No one gave me any issues when I walked in with 3 bottles.)
• Hat and sunglasses (There is no shade anywhere)

Leave Behind

• Big Bags (has to be smaller than 15.7 x 13.7 x 7.8 in)
• Tripods
• Drones
• Large Camera Lens’

 

I hope this helps! If you have any questions about Peru or Machu Picchu please leave a comment and I’ll be sure to get back to you!