Machu Picchu is a bucket list destination. And we just checked it off our bucket list and want to tell you all about it! Sure the actual ancient city of Machu Picchu is amazing, but so are the cloud forest of the Andes that surround it. A visit to Machu Picchu is magical and interesting and wonderful. Everything we thought it would be! However, the planning portion was so much more confusing that we thought it would be, especially for a world known tourist destination.
We were seriously confused before we went and honestly had no idea what we signed up for. There are so many confusing things to figure out before you go. Do you hike? Which circuit do you do? How do you get all the best photos? I was so confused about it all before we went. Thankfully, we had an amazing time, and we want to help you have an amazing time too. Keep reading for information to help you plan your own perfect trip to Machu Picchu.
About Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu is located within several days walk of Cusco, high in the Andes Mountains. A former Incan city settled between the Machu Picchu Mountain and Huayna Picchu Mountain, it is one of the best preserved Incan settlements.
The Inca civilization once stretched through a majority of western South America. When the Spanish invaded, they destroyed most of the large civilizations, including the Incan capital formerly located in Cusco. However, due to the remote location of Machu Picchu the Spanish left Machu Picchu alone.
Virtually untouched, the town was abandoned. Reason unknown. The location was lost to all except the locals. However, in the early 1900s, explorers “re-discovered” and popularized the city as an adventurers destination.
For over a hundred years, the site has been excavated, unearthed and turned into the tourist attraction it is today.
How Long Should You Spend In Machu Picchu?
You need a full day to explore Machu Picchu. If you want to do any hiking, you’ll need to add more days. Set aside 2-4 days in your Peru itinerary for traveling to, exploring, and traveling from Machu Picchu. You can visit with a one-day tour from Cusco but your visit will be rushed and your day will be long.
While we don’t recommend visiting in one day, we understand time can be a factor so we’ve put together these well rated full day tours from Cusco.
When To Visit Machu Picchu?
The best time to visit Machu Picchu is during the dry season, from May-September. This is when you have the best chance of clear skies and avoiding rain.
We visited in October so we were there at the start of the off season and the weather was still perfect. You can visit year round but it gets really cold in the wet season so add layers if you visit in the off season. Keep in mind that if you want to hike any of the Inca trail, the trail closes in February for repairs and doesn’t reopen until the weather allows.
Some people may want to visit Machu Picchu when it’s “less crowded”. That time only exists in the heart of the rainy season when you may only get to see Machu Picchu through dense clouds. We don’t think that’s a good idea. Any other time of year, the crowd levels are well managed by the ticketing system. So choose the time of year with weather that suits you and let the tourism officials worry about managing the crowds.
What Time Of Day To Visit Machu Picchu?
Time of day can be more important when choosing when to visit Machu Picchu than time of year. Machu Picchu is often covered in clouds early in the morning. And it can be unbearably hot in the direct sun of mid-day. So choosing a time of day that gives you good views AND comfortable temperatures is important.
We’d recommend visiting in the late afternoon or the late morning hours. Both times of day will give you less direct sunlight but hopefully still enough sunlight to burn off the clouds.
Getting There And Around
The Easy Way
Plane
Most people fly in to Cusco to start their Machu Picchu journey. Flights from Lima are affordable and run multiple times a day so finding one that fits into your schedule should be easy.
From Cusco, you can take a bus, train or private shuttle to the town of Ollantaytambo. Ollantaytambo is at the heart of the Sacred Valley and has several other historic sites to visit. We recommend doing a Sacred Valley tour before or after you visit Machu Picchu.
Train
From Ollantaytambo, you take the Peru Rail or Inca Rail train to Aguas Calientes. There are several different fares on the train. You should book them all well in advance. These fares include:
- Inca Rail
- Economy – $62+
- Premium Economy -$69+
- Premium – $340+
- Peru Rail
- Expedition (economy) – $58+
- Vistadome – $84+
- Vistadome Observatory – $133+
- Hiram Bingham (old-timey train) – $598+
The train arrives in Aguas Calientes, which is the closest town to Machu Picchu. It is a city along the river at the bottom of the mountain that Machu Picchu sits on. There are no roads to get here.
Bus
Technically, you can walk to Machu Picchu from Aguas Calientes but that would be a very steep hike up lots of steps.
From Aguas Calientes, most people take a bus up to Machu Picchu. You need to book this bus ticket in advance. Tickets often sell out. Even with a ticket, the line is long. You don’t want to miss your Machu Picchu admission because you weren’t able to catch the bus on time.
Speaking of catching the bus on time. You’ll want to arrive to the bus stop about 30 minutes before you want to leave, even earlier if you’re catching the earliest busses of the day. The lines for the buses get really long.
The Hard Way
Alternatively, you can hike to Machu Picchu. There are three different hiking routes to Machu Picchu.
First, there is the Classic Inca trail hike. This trail takes four days and three nights and includes camping or glamping along the trail.
Second, there is the One-Day Inca Trail. This is the option we chose. The one-day trail takes one day to complete.
Any Inca trail option you choose will require you book a tour with a licensed guide. You are not allowed to hike to Machu Picchu on your own. Both hikes take you through Inca ruins in addition to Machu Picchu. The plus side of booking these tours is they usually include all of the transportation you’ll need in one trekking package.
Third option is the Salkantay Trek. This is becoming an increasingly popular hike as it includes more Andes scenery along the way. You can hike this trail with or without a guide. Most people spend 4 days hiking this trail.
Lastly, the much less popular Lares Trek. This trail takes you through modern Andean villages on your way to Machu Picchu. It takes 3 days to complete the trail.
Return Journey
While there are lots of different options for arriving to Machu Picchu, most people take the train back. We did and we were glad we did – our legs were tired. If you have booked your return train tickets, make sure you leave Machu Picchu with plenty of time to catch both the bus to Aguas Calientes, which can have very long lines in the afternoon of up to 1 hour, AND catch the train out of Aguas Calientes on time.
Choosing A Machu Picchu Circuit
Due to increasing tourism demands, Machu Picchu now has a route system in place to manage traffic flow. When you buy a ticket, you must choose a “circuit”. This circuit is a pathway through the ancient city of Machu Picchu that you can only follow in one direction, no back tracking and no jumping onto another route.
Choosing the right circuit gave me some serious pre-trip anxiety. No route visits everything and I wanted to see all the cool stuff! You can do more than one circuit, but you’ll need to buy separate tickets for them and we would only recommend doing one circuit/day.
Whatever circuit you choose, make sure to book your tickets months in advance. They often sell out! While you can sometimes still get last minute tickets once in Aguas Calientes, you are not guaranteed them and you may have to wait days in Aguas Calientes before getting an admission ticket. Book your tickets 3-6 months in advance!
Circuit 1 – Panoramic Circuit
The Panoramic Circuit is a good option if you are looking to get that classic panoramic shot of the city of Machu Picchu. However, this circuit does not include any entrance into the ancient city itself. This was one of the best circuits for people watching as it includes both the Instagrammers and the hikers – such an interesting combo.
If you are choosing the Panoramic Circuit, combine it with another circuit that actually enters Machu Picchu city.
Route 1-A: Machu Picchu Mountain
This route includes the more touristy panoramic circuit that is easy and level walking. However, it also includes a hike up to the top of Machu Picchu mountain. You can only start this route at 7 or 9 AM so you have enough time to climb the mountain. The mountain path is super steep and would be considered a very challenging hike. Tickets for this route are limited to 400/day.
Route 1-B: Upper Terrace
This is the basic panoramic route. If you’ve seen a beautiful photo of Machu Picchu, it was likely taken from this route.
Route 1-C: Intipunku
This route includes those gorgeous traditional views with a hike up to the Sun Gate. This was the original entrance to Machu Picchu and marks the end of the Inca trail.
Pro tip: If you choose to hike to Machu Picchu via the Inca trail, the Inca trail ends on this circuit. So your hiking tour includes this circuit. The one-day hike arrives on this circuit in the afternoon in time for sunset. And the four-day hike arrives here in the morning for sunrise.
Route 1-D: Inka Bridge
This route includes the terrace views and a short hike to see the Inka Bridge. While you can see the bridge, you cannot walk on it.
Circuit 2 – Classic Circuit
This Classic Circuit is what gives you access to the ruins and it is what a majority of people choose. You’ll still get some good views of the city overall from a lower vantage point AND you’ll get to enter the actual city and learn about the history. We’d recommend one of these circuits if you only get to visit for a single day.
Route 2-A: Classic
This takes you to the most destinations within the city, including the Temple of the Sun, Main Temple and Temple of the Condor.
Route 2-B: Lower Terrace
This takes you to a lot of destinations within the city but excludes the Temple of the Sun in favor of a higher viewpoint. This may be a good option if you don’t get to do one of the Circuit 1 tickets.
Circuit 3 – Royalty Circuit
This circuit explores the lower region of Machu Picchu only and the circuit tends to take less time to complete. We also found this to be the most crowded part of the city because multiple tours converge here – including some llama crowds.
Route 3-A: Wayna Picchu
When looking at a panoramic picture of Machu Picchu, Wayna (or Huayna) Picchu is that big peak in the background. This ticket includes the short royalty circuit through Machu Picchu town and a hike to the top of Wayna Picchu. These tickets are limited to 400/day and you have to enter at 7 or 9 AM.
This hike is wildly challenging. It’s basically one big set of steps with a small viewing platform on top. We were thinking about doing this hike and we’re so happy we didn’t. Because clouds are often dense in the morning, the day we visited people were climbing in the clouds and they didn’t break until most people had come back down from the mountain. This is not for people with a fear of heights.
Route 3-B: Designed
This route is a shortened version of the full city Classic circuit. This is a good option for people with limited mobility as it includes less walking.
Route 3-C: Great Cavern
This includes the Designed route through the lower city and entrance into the Great Cavern under Wayna Picchu Mountain which is home to the Temple of the Moon.
Route 3-D: Huchuy Picchu
Not to be confused with Wayna Picchu, Huchuy Picchu is the shortest mountain in the background of most Machu Picchu photos. This ticket includes entrance into the lower part of Machu Picchu city plus a hike up this mountain. This is an easier hike than Wayna Picchu or Machu PIcchu mountains.
Which Circuit Is Best?
If you want to get the most out of your visit and only have time for one circuit, we’d recommend choosing 2-A or 2-B. Both routes will give you access to a majority of the city while still giving you nice views of the city.
Do You Need A Guide For Machu Picchu?
Technically, you don’t need a guide to visit Machu Picchu. However, this is not a cheap trip by any means. And if you’re already spending a ton of money to get here and get in, spend a little extra to get a guide and actually learn about the place. We had a guide who was wonderful. I cannot imagine doing this without a guide and without the context they bring to the city. There are minimal signs or explanation plaques within the city.
What To Pack For Machu Picchu?
Most importantly, pack your original passport. They check it at the entrance and if you don’t have it you will be turned away. You’ll also need your entry ticket. They can scan phone tickets but printing it out won’t hurt either!
There is a cafeteria on site but it’s super expensive so bring plenty of water and snacks. We drank about 1.5 liters each during our visit. You have to pack your water in reusable water bottles as they don’t allow disposable water bottles in the city.
Dress in a way that allows for multiple weather scenarios. When we visited it was cloudy, sunny, rainy and foggy. It was all the things. The temperature also varied by 40 ºF. Dress in layers!
For shoes, wear comfortable shoes. If you are climbing one of the mountains wear hiking shoes with high ankle supports. If you are not climbing a mountain, any comfortable walking shoe will work.
Make sure to apply sunscreen as the sun at high elevations is extra strong.
There is one bathroom at the entrance/exit and it costs 2 soles cash to enter. Make sure you bring change for the bathroom with you.
Drones, self sticks stiletto heels, luggage and umbrellas are not allowed in the city.
Where To Stay Near Machu Picchu?
There is one hotel on site. However, it is super expensive and you only have one on-site restaurant to choose from. We wouldn’t recommend staying here.
Instead choose a place in Aguas Calientes. This town has a lot of accommodations and restaurants and is basically designed as an overnight destination for Machu Picchu visitors.
Search for hotels using the search bar below.
What To Budget For Machu Picchu?
Let’s be honest. This is not a cheap destination. We are not luxury travelers but we decided to splurge on this trip as it was a bucket list destination for us. And we’re so happy we did. We had a perfect Machu Picchu experience for a reasonable, but definitely not cheap, price. Here are some different budgets you’ll be working with:
- Machu Picchu Entrance: $45+/person/circuit
- One-Day Inca Trail Hike + One Day In Machu Picchu: $660/person
- Four-Day Inca Trail Hike: $ 850+/person
- Four-Day Salkantay Trek: $650+/person
- Overnight in Aguas Calientes: $200+
- Food: $20/person/meal
- Train From Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes: $65/person
- Bus To Machu Picchu: $24/person
Compared with other cities in Peru, Aguas Calientes is an extremely expensive town more on par with European or North American tourism prices.
Normally, in the budget section of a post, I love to tell people how to save money. However, this is such an iconic once in a lifetime destination that we don’t recommend scrimping, except maybe on food and accommodations. Go all out to get the tours and tickets that will leave you in awe of this destination. We met some budget travelers who didn’t appreciate their trip as much because they didn’t plan ahead and didn’t want to spend a lot of money. If you aren’t prepared to spend the prices to have a good experience, just skip this experience.
The best advice we can give you is to start booking now. Everything will be so much easier if you book it 3-6 months in advance so get booking! Not ready yet? Check out our other Peru posts to see how we fit this into our Peru vacation. Or leave a question or comment below and we’d be happy to get back to you.
