How To Get to Machu Picchu from Cusco

Catch a ride on the Peruvian railroad during your Cusco and Machu Picchu vacation. Although many visitors see the sites and the city as part of a tour—which is recommended—with a bit of legwork, it is possible to travel solo. Many local buses and combis (small van-type buses) run from Cusco and among the villages of the Sacred Valley, but the easiest and safest way to travel is by train.

The first thing to do is decide what type of ticket you want to buy. There are three classes: Expedition is the budget option, Vistadome is first class, and Hiram Bingham is luxury. They are priced accordingly. If traveling during the high season, tickets should be purchased ahead of time. This can be done online at the Peru Rail website.

The train that goes to Machu Picchu leaves from the Poroy train station, which is located about 20 minutes outside of Cusco. You will need to take a bus or a taxi to get to the station. Each class of ticket departs at a different time, and there are usually only are departure time for each class, so it is very important to be on time.

After you are on the bus, you will stay on until the very last top. This stop is in the town Aguas Calientes, also called Machu Picchu Pueblo. The train does not go all the way to the ruin site Machu Picchu. When you get off the bus, you might need to buy an entrance ticket for Machu Picchu if you have not already done so. You can also buy entrance tickets in Cusco, but not at the entrance of the ruins.

From Aguas Calientes you can buy a bus ticket for a 20-minute ride to the site’s entrance, or you can walk on a path that follows the road. The path, and road, is steep, so if you’re walking, expect to spend about over an hour getting to the entrance.

This article about how to get to Machu Picchu was written by a Peru travel expert at Peru For Less, a respected US company based in Latin America that specializes in customizable Latin American vacations and Machu Picchu trips.